^ 


'm 


I   VOYAGERS  AND  DISCOVERERS. 


_.-  LIVl:S   AND   EXPLOITS 


MOST  DISTINGUISHED 


VOYAGERS,  ADVENTURERS  AND 
DISCOVERERS, 


EUROPE,  ASIA,  AFRICA,  AMERICA,  THE  SOUTH 
SEAS,  AND  POLAR  REGIONS. 

AMJNG    WHICH   ARE    THOSE    OF 

COOKE,   CAVENDISH,    CLAPPERTON,    MACKENZIE,   PARK, 
PARRY,  ROSS,  FRANKLIN,  LANDER,  DENHAM,  DAM- 
PIER,  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE,  DELLA   VALLE, 
NIEBUHR,   SIR  JOHN   CHARDIN,   &c. 

COMPRISING 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR  VOYAGES,  JOURNIES,  PERILS,  SUFFERINGS  AND  REMARKA- 
BLE ESCAPES,  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THEIR  MODE  OF  TRAVELLING,  A  HIS- 
TORY OF  THEIR  MOST  IMPORTANT  DISCOVERIES,  AND  OF  THE 
MOST  INTERESTING  OBJECTS  WHICH  CAME  UNDER 
THEIR  OBSERVATION  IN  EVERY  COUNTRY. 

ILLUSTRATED    BY   NUMEROUS    ENGRAVINGS. 


BY  J.  A.  St.  JOHN,  SIR  HUGH  MURRAY,  AND  OTHERS. 


HARTFORD: 
H,   HUNTINGTON,   JUN. 

NEW  YORK:  F.  J.  HUNTINGTON  AND  COMPANY, 

174  PEARL  STREET. 

1840. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1840,  by 

H.  HUNTINGTON  Jun. 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Connecticut. 


L.  Skinner,  Printer,  Haitford. 


G:z.oo 

5zi- 


CONTENTS. 


CIRCUMNAVIGATORS. 

PAGE. 

Sir  Francis  Drake, 9 

Thomas  Cavendish, -72 

William  Dampier, _-        .        105 

James  Cook, -       -       -       -    196 

VOYAGERS  AND  DISCOVERERS. 

[ASIA.] 

Sir  John  Chardin, 253 

Pietro  Delia  Valle, 281 

Carsten  Niebuhr,  -        - 305 

John  Bell, 344 

[AFRICA.] 

MungoPark, 371 

Dixon  Denham, 411 

Hugh  Clapperton, -        -        -        .  412 

Richard  and  John  Lander, 463 


;*:3»^  «n>«  r\r^ 


[NORTH  AMERICA.]     '^^^-^'ts,.^^ 

Samuel  Hearne,    -        - 56g. 

Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie, ,  580 

William  Edward  Parry, 594 

Sir  John  Ross, 621 

Sir  John  Franklin, -        -        .        .  628 

The  Great  Arctic  Problem  Solved, 659 


PREFACE 


The  ol)ject  of  the  present  work  is  to  acquaint  the  Reader 
with  the  eventful  lives  and  arduous  labors  of  those  Adventu- 
rers, who,  regardless  of  toil  and  peril,  have  penetrated  into  un- 
known countries,  traversing  ocean,  and  gea,  and  continent,  to 
explore  the  condition  of  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants.  The 
names  of  Cook,  Park,  Parry,  Denham,  Clapperton,  Ross, 
Franklin,  the  Landers,  and  others,  are  inseparably  connected 
with  dangers,  vicissitudes,  new  scenes,  and  striking  incidents. 
And  if  an  exhibition  of  boldness  and  fortitude  in  braving  dan- 
gers and  vanquishing  obstacles  can  enlist  the  attention,  the 
work  cannot  fail  to  interest. 

Whoever  accompanies  the  Adventurer  in  his  journies  and 
voyages,  as  delineated  in  the  following  pages,  will  be  greeted 
by  a  constant  succession  of  remarkable  exploits,  and  new  and 
striking  objects.  He  will  see  him  encountering  the  most 
dreadful  extremeties  of  cold  amid  the  dreary  but  stupendous 
and  sublime  scenery  of  the  arctic  regions;  the  scorching  heat 
and  pestilential  vapors  of  tropical  chmates;  the  fury  of  oceans 
and  tempests,  and  the  merciless  barbarity  of  savages.  In  a 
word,  he  will  be  found  braving  almost  every  species  of  danger 
by  which  the  patience  and  courage  of  man  can  be  tried.  By 
thus  accompanying  him  through  his  distant  enterprises,  often 
far  more  useful  than  any  undertaken  by  king  or  conqueror,  we 
acquire  an  affection  for  his  person,  and  regard  his  toils  and 
perils  as  something  which  nearly  concern  ourselves. 


VIII.  PREFACE. 

From  the  nature  of  the  subject,  the  present  work  will  con- 
vey much  important  and  useful  information.  Adventurers  in 
the  same  country  are  classed  together  and  arranged  in  the  or- 
der of  time.  Thus,  those  who  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the 
spirit  of  discovery,  by  circumnavigating  the  globe  and  explor- 
ing the  great  Southern  Ocean,  occupy  the  first  part  of  the 
book ;  then  follow  several  romantic  and  adventurous  travel- 
lers in  different  parts  of  Asia;  and  finally  Park,  Denham, 
Clapperton,  the  Landers,  afford  us  a  succinct  history  of  the 
progress  of  discovery  in  Africa;  and  Hearne,  Mackenzie, 
Parry,  Ross,  and  Franklin,  in  the  regions  of  the  Northern 
Polar  Sea. 

It  has  been  justly  remarked  by  Dr.  Southey,  that  of  books 
of  travels  we  cannot  have  too  many,  and  that  because  they 
contribute  to  the  instruction  of  the  learned,  their  reputation 
suflfers  no  diminution  by  the  course  of  time,  but  age  rather 
enhances  their  value;  and,  adds  another  distinguished  writer, 
every  man  whose  comprehensive  mind  enables  him  to  sympa- 
thize with  human  nature  under  all  its  various  aspects,  and  to 
detect,  through  the  endless  disguises  superinduced  by  strange 
religions,  pohcies,  manners,  or  climate,  passions^  weaknesses, 
and  virtues  akin  to  his  own,  must  peruse  the  relations  of  ve- 
racious travellers  with  pecuhar  satisfaction  and  delight.  In 
the  spirit  of  sentiments  like  these  the  Pubhsher  of  this  work 
commends  it  to  public  consideration  and  patronage. 


'f^ 


SIR  FRANCIS   DRAKE, 


THE    FIRST    ENGLISH   CIRC  UMNAVKJATOR. 


Sir  Francis  Drake,  son  of  Mr.  Edmund  Drake,  of 
Tavistock  in  Devonshire,  was  born  in  1545.  Being 
early  destined  for  the  sea,  he  received  that  kind  of  edu- 
cation which  was  best  adapted  to  the  object  of  his  pur- 
suits. Sir  John  Hawkins,  his  kinsman,  a  celebrated 
navigator,  is  said  to  have  early  taken  him  under  his  pro- 
tection. At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  purser  of  a  ship 
trading  to  Biscay.  At  twenty  he  made  a  voyage  to 
tjuinea,  and  at  twenty-two  he  was  promoted  to  the 
command  of  the  Judith,  In  1570  and  1572  he  was 
2 


10  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

engaged  in  expeditions  against  the  Spaniards  in  the 
West  Indies.  While  prosecuting  these  enterprises  he 
was  assisted  by  an  Indian  nation,  equally  hostile  with 
himself  to  the  Spanish  name.  The  prince  of  this  na- 
tion was  named  Pedro,  to  whom  Drake  made  a  fine 
present  of  a  cutlass  from  his  side,  which  he  perceived 
the  Indian  greatly  admired.  Pedro,  in  return,  gave 
him  four  large  wedges  of  gold,  which  Drake  threw 
into  the  common  stock,  with  this  emphatic  observa- 
tion, "that  he  thought  it  just  that  such  as  bore  the 
charge  of  such  uncertain  undertakings  on  his  credit, 
should  share  the  utmost  advantages  they  produced." 
Then  embarking  his  men,  with  all  the  wealth  he  had 
obtained,  he  bore  away  for  England,  where  he  arrived 
in  1573. 

This  success  in  this  expedition,  joined  to  his  honor- 
able conduct  towards  the  owners  and  towards  his  men, 
gained  him  a  high  reputation,  and  the  application  of  his 
newly  acquired  riches,  still  greater.  For,  fitting  out 
three  stout  frigates  at  his  own  expense,  he  sailed  to 
Ireland,  and  serving  as  a  volunteer,  under  Walter,  Earl 
of  Essex,  performed  some  prodigies  of  valour.  After 
the  death  of  this  noble  patron,  he  returned  to  England, 
where  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  a  mighty  favourite  with 
the  queen,  introduced  him  to  her  majesty,  and  procured 
him  countenance  and  protection  at  court.  Thus  bask- 
ing in  the  beams  of  royal  favour,  his  views  expanded  to 
nobler  aims  than  he  had  yet  attempted  ;  and  he  project- 
ed that  expedition  to  the  Great  South  Sea,  which  will 
render  his  name  immortal.  This  expedition  we  are 
about  to  relate. 

When  a  man  once  gives  up  the  reins  of  imagination 
to  views  of  interest  or  ambition,  nothing  will  appear  dif- 
ficult which  gives  him  a  chance  of  gratifying  his  fa- 
vorite passion.  Such  was  the  case  with  Drake.  Hav- 
ing once  had  a  prospect  of  the  Great  South  Sea,  he  was 
determined  that  no  human  obstacle  should  deter  him 
from  endeavouring  to  revisit  America,  and  from  spread- 
ing his  sails  on  that  ocean.  But  indefatigable  as  he 
was  in  the  pursuit  of  this  design,  it  was  not  until  the 
year  1577,  that  he  had  collected  a  force  sufficient  to 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  11 

man  five  vessels,  and  by  a  pretended  royal  authority, 
appeared  as  admiral,  or  as  the  phrase  then  was,  gene- 
ral of  the  squadron. 

The  fleet,  equipped  for  this  new  expedition,  consist- 
ed of  the  Pelican,  the  flag  ship ;  the  Elizabeth,  John 
Winter,  vice  admiral ;  the  Marygold,  commanded  by 
captain  Thomas  ;  the  Swan,  captain  John  Chester ; 
and  the  Christopher,  of  fifteen  tons,  which  was  commit- 
ted to  the  charge  of  one  of  his  carpenters. 

These  ships  were  fitted  out,  partly  at  his  own  risk, 
and  partly  at  the  expense  of  others ;  and  were  manned 
with  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  chosen  seamen.  They 
were  well  stored  with  all  necessary  provisions ;  and  at 
the  same  time,  were  furnished  with  whatever  could 
contribute  to  ornament  or  delight ;  carrying  expert  mu- 
sicians, rich  furniture,  and  choice  productions  of  the 
country.  Not  only  the  admiral's  table,  but  the  cook- 
room  was  provided  with  silver  utensils  ;  partly  to  com- 
mand a  higher  degree  of  respect,  and  perhaps,  partly  to 
gratify  personal  vanity. 

This  cautious  commander,  reflecting  on  the  difficul- 
ties to  which  his  men  had  been  exposed  in  former  expe- 
ditions, which  might  have  deterred  the  less  resolute  ; 
or,  more  probably,  to  conceal  his  real  designs  from  the 
enemy,  had  engaged  his  crews  for  a  voyage  to  Alexan- 
dria; nor  was  the  real  destination  known  till  they 
reached  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  Drake  sailed  from  Plymouth 
on  the  15th  of  November  1577,  but  soon  after  was 
forced  by  stress  of  weather  into  Falmouth,  where  he 
w-as  detained  till  the  13th  of  December,  when  he  took 
his  final  departure,  with  all  the  auspices  of  a  favourable 
voyage.  On  the  27th  of  the  month,  the  squadron 
anchored  off  Mogadore,  an  island  about  a  mile  from  the 
continent  of  Barbary.  Here  having  got  ready  the 
frames  of  his  pinnaces,  which  he  had  carried  out  with 
him,  he  began  to  put  them  together.  The  Moors  ob- 
serving these  proceedings,  sent  two  of  their  chiefs  on 
boardof  the  admiral's  ship,  receiving  two  Englishmen 
as  hostages.  These  Moors  were  handsomely  entertain- 
ed by  Drake,  that  they  might  form  a  favourable  opinion 


12  SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE. 

of  the  English  nation.  Next  day,  however,  this  friend- 
ly intercourse  was  at  an  end.  One  John  Fry  leaping  on 
shore  from  the  ship's  boat,  was  immediately  mounted 
on  horseback,  and  conveyed  up  the  country.  Though 
this  man,  after  being  closely  interrogated,  was  dismissed 
with  apologies  and  assurances,  that  the  natives  had 
mistaken  this  squadron  for  the  Portuguese,  from  whom 
they  expected  an  invasion,  the  admiral  resolved  not  to 
protract  his  stay  in  that  place.  Accordingly  he  depart- 
ed on  the  last  of  December,  and  on  the  17th  of  Januar}-, 
1578,  reached  Cape  Blanco,  having  on  the  cruise  cap- 
tured three  caunters,  as  the  Spanish  fishing-boats  were 
called,  and  two,  or  else  three,  caravels, — the  accounts 
on  this,  as  on  several  other  minor  points,  being  often 
contradictory.  A  ship  which  was  surprised  in  the  har- 
bour with  only  two  men  on  board  shared  the  same  fate. 
At  Cape  Blanco  they  halted  for  five  days,  fishing ;  while 
on  shore,  Drake  exercised  his  company  in  arms,  thus 
studying  both  their  health  and  the  maintenance  of  good 
discipline.  From  the  stores  of  the  fishermen  they  help- 
ed themselves  to  such  commodities  as  they  wanted,  and 
sailed  on  the  22d,  carrying  off  also  a  caunter  of  'forty 
tons  burthen,  for  which  the  owner  received,  as  a  slight 
indemnification,  the  pinnace  Christopher.  At  Cape 
Blanco  fresh  water  was  at  this  season  so  scarce,  that  in- 
stead of  obtaining  a  supply,  Drake,  compassionating  the 
condition  of  the  natives,  who  came  down  from  the 
heights,  offering  ambergris  and  gums  in  exchange  for  it, 
generally  filled  their  leathern  bags  without  accepting 
any  recompense,  and  otherwise  treated  them  humanely 
and  hospitably.  Four  of  the  prizes  were  released  here. 
After  six  days'  sailing  they  came  to  anchor  on  the  2Sth 
at  the  west  part  of  Mayo, — an  island  where,  according 
to  the  information  of  the  master  of  the  caravel,  dried 
goat's  flesh  might  be  had  in  plenty,  the  inhabitants  pre- 
paring a  store  annually  for  the  use  of  the  king's  ships. 
The  people  on  tlie  island,  mostly  herdsmen  and  hus- 
bandmen, belonging  to  the  Portuguese  of  the  island  of 
St.  Jago,  would  have  no  intercourse  with  tl;ie  ships, 
having  probably  been  warned  of  danger.  Next  day  a 
party   of  sixty  men  landed,   commanded  by  Captain 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  13 

Winter  and  Mr.  Doughty, — a  name  with  which,  in  the 
sequel,  the  reader  will  become  but  too  familiar.  They 
repaired  to  what  was  described  as  the  capital  of  the 
island,  by  which  must  be  understood  the  principal  col- 
lection of  cabins  or  huts,  but  found  it  deserted.  The 
inhabitants  had  fled,  and  had  previously  salted  the 
springs.  The  countr}^  appeared  fertile,  especially  in 
the  valle3^s  ;  and  in  the  depth  of  the  winter  of  Great 
Britain,  they  feasted  on  ripe  and  delicious  grapes.  The 
island  also  produced  cocoanuts,  and  they  saw  abun- 
dance of  goats  and  wild  hens ;  though  these  good  things, 
and  the  fresh  springs,  were  unfortunately  too  far  distant 
from  the  ships  to  be  available.  Salt  produced  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun  formed  here  an  article  of  commerce ; 
and  one  of  the  prizes  made  was  a  caravel  bound  to  St. 
Jago  for  salt. 

Leaving  Mayo  on  the  30th,  on  the  south-west  side  of 
St.  Jago,  they  fell  in  with  a  prize  of  more  value, — a  Por- 
tuguese ship  bound  to  Brazil,  laden  with  wine,  cloth, 
and  general  merchandise,  and  having  a  good  many  pas- 
sengers on  board.  The  command  of  this  prize  was 
given  to  Bought}^,  who  was  however  soon  afterward 
superseded  by  Mr.  Thomas  Drake,  the  brother  of  the 
general.  This  is  the  first  time  we  hear  of  offences  being 
charged  against  the  unfortunate  Doughty.  It  is  said  he 
appropriated  to  his  own  use  presents,  probably  given  as 
bribes  to  obtain  good  usage,  by  the  Portuguese  prison- 
ers. These  captives  Drake  generously  dismissed  at 
the  first  safe  and  convenient  place,  giving  every  passen- 
ger his  wearing  apparel,  and  presenting  them  with  a 
butt  of  wine,  provisions,  and  the  pinnace  he  had  set 
up  at  Mogadore.  Only  the  pilot  was  detained,  Nuno 
de  Silva,  who  w^as  acquainted  with  the  coast  of  Brazil, 
and  who  afterward  published  a  minute  and  accurate  ac- 
count of  Drake's  vo3^age. 

Here,  near  the  island  named  by  the  Portuguese  Isla 
del  Fogo,  or  the  Burning  Island,  where,  says  the  Famous 
Voyage,  "on  the  north  side  is  a  consuming  fire,  the 
matter  whereof  is  said  to  be  sulphur,"  lies  Brava,  de- 
scribed in  the  early  narratives  as  a  terrestrial  paradise  ; 
*'a  most  sweet  and  pleasant  island,  the  trees  whereof 
2* 


14  SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE. 

are  always  green,  and  fair  to  look  upon  ;  in  respect  of 
which  they  call  it  Isla  Brava,  that  is,  The  Brave  Island." 
The  "  soil  was  almost  full  of  trees;  so  that  it  was  a 
storehouse  of  many  fruits  and  commodities,  as  figs  al- 
ways ripe,  cocoas,  plantains,  oranges,  lemons,  citrons, 
and  cotton.  From  the  brooks  into  the  sea  do  run  in 
many  places  silver  streams  of  sweet  and  wholesome 
water,"  with  which  ships  may  easily  be  supplied. 
There  was,  however,  no  convenient  harbour  nor  anchor- 
ing found  at  this  "  sweet  and  pleasant"  island, — the 
volcanic  tops  of  Del  Fogo  *'  not  burning  higher  in  the 
air"  than  the  foundations  of  Brava  dipped  sheer  into  the 
sea. 

The  squadron  now  approached  the  equinoctial  line, 
sometimes  becalmed,  and  at  other  times  beaten  about 
with  tempests  and  heavy  seas.  In  their  progress  they 
were  indebted  to  the  copious  rains  for  a  seasonable  sup- 
ply of  water.  They  also  caught  dolphins,  bonitos,  and 
tiying-fish,  which  fell  on  the  decks,  and  could  not  rise 
again  "for  lack  of  moisture  on  their  wungs."  They  had 
left  the  shore  of  Brava  on  the  2d  February.  On  the 
28th  March  their  valuable  Portuguese  prize,  which  was 
their  wine-cellar  and  store,  was  separated  in  a  tempest, 
but  afterward  rejoined  at  a  place  which,  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  event,  was  called  Cape  Joy.  The  coast  of 
Brazil  was  now  seen  in  31 J"^  south.  On  the  5th  April, 
the  natives,  having  discovered  the  ships  on  the  coast, 
made  great  fires,  went  through  various  incantations,  and 
ofl^ered  sacrifices,  as  was  imagined,  to  the  Devil,  that 
the  prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air  might  raise  storms 
to  sink  the  strangers.  To  these  diabolical  arts  the 
mariners  doubtless  attributed  the  violent  lightning, 
thunder,  and  rain,  which  they  encountered  in  this  lati- 
tude. 

About  Cape  Joy  the  air  was  mild  and  salubrious,  the 
soil  rich  and  fertile.  Troops  of  wild  deer,  *'  large  and 
mighty,"  were  the  only  living  creatures  seen  on  this  part 
of  the  coast,  though  the  footprints  of  men  of  large  sta- 
ture were  traced  on  the  ground.  Some  seals  were 
killed  here,  fresh  provisions  of  any  kind  never  being 
neglected.     On  the   14th  of  April,   Drake   anchored 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  15 

within  the  entrance  of  Rio  de  la  Plata,  where  he  had 
appointed  a  rendezvous  in  case  of  a  separation  after 
leaving  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands ;  and  here  the  caunter, 
which  had    separated  in  a  gale  on  the  7th,   rejoined, 
when  the  expedition  sailed  eighteen  leagues  farther  into 
the   river,    where    they    killed    sea-wolves    (seals,) — 
*'  wholesome  but  not  pleasant  food."     Still  farther  in, 
they  rode  in  fresh  water  ;  but  finding  no  good  harbour, 
and  having  taken  in  water,  the  fleet,  on  the  27th,  stood 
out,  and  afterward  southward.     The  Swan  lost  them  on 
the  first  night,  and  the  caunter,  ever  apt  to  go  astray, 
was  separated  ten   days    afterward.     In  47°    south  a 
headland  was  seen,  within  which  was  a  bay  that  pro- 
mised safe  harbourage  ;  and  having,  on  the  12th  May, 
entered  and  anchored,  Drake,  who  seldom  devolved 
tlie  duty  of  an  examination  on  an  inferior  officer,  went 
off  in  the  boat  next  morning  to  explore  the  bay.     Be- 
fore he  made  land,  a  thick  fog  came  on,  and  was  follow- 
ed by  bad  weather,  which  took  from  him  the   sight  of 
the  fleet.     The  company  became  alarmed  for  their  pro- 
tector and  general,  in  whom  all  their  hopes  of  fortune, 
fame,  and   even   of  preservation,  were  placed.     The 
Marigold,  a  bark  of  light  weight,  stood  in  for  the  bay, 
picked  up  the  captain-general,  and  came  to  anchor.     In 
the   meanwhile  the  other  ships,    as  the  gale  increased, 
had  been  compelled  to  stand  out  to  sea.    The  fog  which 
had  fallen  between  Drake   and  the  fleet  also  took  from 
his  sight  an  Indian,  who,  loudly  shaking  a  rattle,  danced 
in  time   to  the  discordant  music  he  made,  and  by  his 
gestures  seemed  to  invite  the  strangers  on  shore.     Next 
day  Drake  landed,  and  several  Indians  came  in  sight, 
to  whom  a  w^hite  flag  was  waved  in  token  of  amity, 
and  as  a  signal  to  approach.   ,  The  natives  acknowledg- 
ed the  symbol  of  peace,  but  stiU  kept  at  a  wary  dis- 
tance. 

Drake  now  ordered  fires  to  be  lighted  as  signals  to 
the  ships ;  and  they  all  rejoined,  save  the  two  vessels 
formerly  separated. 

In  a  sort  of  storehouse  here,  above  fifty  dried  ostriches 
were  found,  besides  other  birds  laid  up,  dry  or  drying 
for  provision,  by  the  Indians.     It  was  believed  by  some 


16  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

of  the  English  that  these  had  been  left  as  a  present ;  and 
Drake,  whether  believing  or  not  in  so  rare  an  instance 
of  hospitality,  appropriated  the  dried  birds  to  the  use  of 
his  company.  It  is  a  charitable  conjecture  that  some  of 
his  own  wares  were  left  in  return.  The  manner  in 
which  these  ostriches,  whose  flesh  supplied  food,  while 
their  feathers  furnished  ornaments,  were  snared,  de- 
serves notice.  Plumes  of  feathers  were  affixed  to  a 
stick,  made  to  resemble  the  head  and  neck  of  the  bird. 
Behind  these  decoys  the  hunter  concealed  himself,  and, 
moving  onwards,  drove  the  ostriches  into  some  narrow 
tongue  of  land,  across  which  strong  nets  were  placed  to 
intercept  the  return  of  the  bird,  which  runs,  but  cannot 
fl}^  Dogs  were  then  set  upon  the  prey,  which  was  thus 
taken. 

The  choice  of  the  place  in  which  the  fleet  now  lay 
had  been  dictated  by  necessity  alone.  On  the  15th  it 
was  abandoned,  and  on  the  17th  they  anchored  in  a 
good  port,  in  47J'^  south.  Here  seals  were  so  plentiful 
that  upwards  of  two  hundred  were  killed  in  an  hour. 
While  the  crews  were  tillins^  the  water-butts,  killinsr 
seals,  and  salting  birds  for  future  provision,  Drake  in 
the  Pelican,  and  Captain  Winter  in  the  Elizabeth,  set 
out  on  diflerent  courses  in  quest  of  the  Swan  and  the 
Portuguese  prize.  On  the  same  day  Drake  fell  in  with 
the  Swan,  and,  before  attempting  the  straits,  formed  the 
prudent  resolution  of  diminishing  the  cares  and  hazards 
of  the  voyage  by  reducing  the  number  of  his  ships. 
The  Swan  was  accordingly  broken  up  for  firewood, 
after  all  her  materials  and  stores  had  been  removed. 

When  the  ships  had  lain  here  a  few  days,  a  party  of 
the  natives  came  to  the  shore,  dancing,  leaping,  and 
making  signs  of  invitation  to  a  few  of  the  seamen  then 
on  a  small  island,  which  at  low  water  communicated 
with  the  main  land.  They  were  a  handsome,  strong, 
agile  race,  lively  and  alert.  Their  only  covering  was 
the  skin  of  an  animal,  which,  worn  about  their  middle 
when  walking,  was  wrapped  round  their  shoulders  while 
they  squatted  or  lay  on  the  ground.  They  were  paint- 
ed over  the  whole  body  after  a  grotesque  fashion. 
Though  fancy   and  ingenuity  were  displayed  in  the 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  17 

figures  and  patterns,  and  in  the  contrast  and  variety  of 
colours,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the  practice  had 
its  origin  in  utilit}^,  and  was  adopted  as  a  defence 
against  cold,  ornament  being  at  first  only  a  secondary 
consideration,  though,  as  in  more  refined  regions,  it 
sometimes  usurped  the  place  of  the  principal  object. 
These  Indians  being  first  painted  all  over,  on  this 
groundwork  many  freaks  of  fancy  were  displayed  : 
white  full  moons  were  exhibited  to  advantage  on  a  black 
ground,  and  black  suns  on  a  white  one.  Some  had  one 
shoulder  black  and  the  other  white ;  but  these  were 
probably  persons  who  carried  the  mode  to  the  extreme. 
On  seeing  that  the  signals  made  were  interpreted  in 
a  friendly  wa}'-,  Drake  sent  a  boat  to  the  shore  with  bells, 
cutlery,  and  such  small  wares  as  were  likely  to  be  at- 
tractive and  acceptable  to  the  tastes  of  the  natives.  As 
the  boat  neared  the  shore,  two  of  the  group,  who  had 
been  standing  on  a  height,  moved  swiftly  down,  but 
stopped  short  at  a  little  distance.  The  presents  were 
fastened  to  a  pole,  and  left  on  the  beach  ;  and  after  the 
boat  put  off  they  were  removed,  and  in  return  such 
feathers  as  the  natives  wore,  and  the  carved  bones 
which  they  used  as  ornaments,  were  deposited  near  or 
fastened  to  the  same  pole.  Thus  a  friendly,  if  not 
profitable  or  useful,  traffic  was  established.  For  such 
trifles  as  the  English  bestowed  they  gave  in  return  the 
only  articles  they  possessed  to  which  value  was  attached. 
These  were  bows,  arrows  made  of  reeds  and  pointed 
with  flint,  feathers,  and  carved  bones.  Their  mode  of 
exchange  was  to  have  every  thing  placed  on  the  ground, 
from  whence  the  goods  were  removed,  and  the  article 
bartered  for  substituted.  By  some  of  the  voyagers 
these  people  are  described  as  of  gigantic  stature.  They 
were  of  a  gay  and  cheerful  disposition;  the  sound  of 
the  trumpets  delighted  them ;  and  they  danced  merrily 
with  the  sailors.  One  of  their  number,  who  had  tasted 
wine,  and  became,  it  is  stated,  intoxicated  with  the 
mere  smell  before  the  glass  reached  his  lips,  always 
afterward  approached  the  tents  crying,  "Wine,  wine!" 
Their  principal  article  of  food  was  seals,  and  sometimes 
the  flesh  of  other  animals  ;  all  of  which  they  roasted,  or 


18  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

rather  scorched  for  a  few  minutes,  in  large  lumps  of  six 
pounds'  weight,  and  then  devoured  nearly  raw, — '*men 
and  women  tearing  it  with  their  teeth  like  lions." 

The  fleet  sailed  from  Seal  Bay,  as  this  place  was 
named,  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  on  the  12th  came  to  an- 
chor in  a  bay  where  they  remained  for  two  days,  during 
which  they  stripped  the  caunter,  and  allowed  it  to  drift. 
Drake  had  thus  reduced  his  force  to  a  more  compact 
and  manageable  form.  The  place  from  which  this  ves- 
sel was  sent  adrift  is  sometimes  called  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  but  seems  to  have  been  named  Cape  Hope. 
From  the  14th  to  the  17th  of  May,  the  fleet  cruised 
about  in  search  of  the  Mary,  the  Portuguese  prize,  and 
then  came  to  anchor  in  a  bay  50^  20'  south.  On  the 
19th  the  missing  vessel  was  found,  and  next  day  the 
whole  squadron  anchored  in  the  Port  St.  Julian  of  Ma- 
gellan in  40^  30'  south;  where,  says  one  relation,  "we 
found  the  gibbet  still  standing  on  the  main  where  Ma- 
gellan did  execute  justice  upon  some  of  his  rebellious 
and  discontented  company."  So  soon  as  the  ships 
were  safely  moored,  Drake  and  some  of  his  officers  went 
off  in  a  boat  to  examine  the  capabilities  of  this  part  of 
the  coast,  and  on  landing  met  two  men  of  immense 
stature,  who  appeared  to  give  them  welcome.  These 
were  of  the  Patagonian  trribes  of  Magellan.  A  few 
trifles  presented  to  them  were  accepted  with  pleasure, 
and  they  were  apparently  delighted  by  the  dexterity 
with  which  the  gunner  used  the  EngUsh  bow  in  a  trial 
of  skiU,  sending  his  arrow  so  far  beyond  their  best  aim. 
Nothing,  however,  can  be  more  fickle  and  capricious 
than  the  friendship  of  most  savage  tribes.  An  Indian 
of  less  amiable  disposition  than  his  companions  ap- 
proached, and  with  menacing  gestures  signified  to  the 
crew  to  be  gone.  Mr.  Winter,  an  English  gentleman, 
displeased  with  the  interruption  given  to  their  pastime 
by  this  churlish  fellow,  between  jest  and  earnest  drew 
a  shaft,  partly  in  intimidation,  but  also  to  prove  the  su- 
periority of  the  English  bow  and  skill.  The  bowstring 
unfortunately  snapped  ;  and  while  he  was  repairing  it  a 
sudden  shower  of  arrows  wounded  him  in  the  shoulder 
and  the  side.     Oliver,  the  gunner,  instantly  levelled  his 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  19 

piece ;  but  it  missed  fire,  and  the  attempt  proved  the 
signal  for  his  destruction.  He  was  pierced  through 
with  an  arrow,  and  immediately  dropped.  At  this 
critical  moment  Drake  ordered  the  rest  of  the  party  to 
cover  themselves  with  their  targets  and  advance  upon 
the  Indians,  who  were  fast  mustering.  With  ready 
presence  of  mind,  he  directed  his  men,  at  the  same  time, 
to  break  every  arrow  aimed  at  them,  as  the  assailants 
must  thus  soon  expend  their  stock.  The  captain-gene- 
ral might  at  this  juncture  have  remembered  that  in  the 
affray  where  Magellan  lost  his  life  the  same  arrows  were 
picked  up  by  the  people  of  Matan,  and  repeatedly  shot, 
as  they  drove  the  Spaniards  into  the  water.  At  the 
same  instant  in  which  he  gave  the  order,  Drake  seized 
the  gunner's  piece,  and  taking  aim  at  the  man  who  had 
killed  Oliver  and  begun  the  affray,  he  shot  him  in  the 
belly.  This  turned  the  fate  of  the  hour,  and  probably 
prevented  the  massacre  of  the  whole  party  of  English  ; 
for  many  more  of  the  Patagonians  were  seen  hastening 
from  the  woods  to  support  their  countrymen,  when  the 
hideous  bellowing  of  the  wounded  man  struck  wdth 
panic  those  already  engaged,  and  the  whole  fled.  It 
was  not  thought  prudent  to  pursue  them,  nor  even  to 
tarry  on  shore  ;  Mr.  Winter  was  therefore  borne  off  to 
the  shipTs  ;  but  in  the  haste  of  embarkation  the  body  of 
the  gunner  was  left.  Next  day,  when  looked  after,  the 
body  was  found  uninjured,  save  that  an  English  arrow 
had  been  thrust  into  the  left  eye.  The  clothes  were  in 
part  stripped  off,  and  formed  into  a  pillow  or  truss, 
which  was  placed  under  the  head  of  the  corpse.  Win- 
ter soon  afterward  died  of  his  wounds. 

This  unfortunate  affray  appears  to  have  been  more 
the  consequence  of  misunderstanding  than  design ;  and 
the  usage  of  the  dead  body  and  subsequent  conduct  of 
the  natives  evince  a  less  revengeful  and  ferocious  dis- 
position than  is  usually  displayed  even  among  the 
mildest  savage  tribes  when  inflamed  by  recent  battle. 
During  the  remainder  of  the  time  that  the  fleet  lay  here 
110  further  molestation  was  offered  to  the  English. 

The  stature  of  these  tribes,  and  of  those  in  the  straits, 
has  been  the  subject  of  dispute  among  navigators  from 


20  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

the  voyage  of  Magellan  to  our  own  times,  each  succeed- 
ing band  being  unwilling  to  yield  an  inch  to  their  pre- 
cursors, or  to  meet  with  "giants  less  formidable  than 
those  which  had  been  previously  seen.  ClifFe,  however, 
says,  "they  were  of  ordinary  height,  and  that  he  had 
seen  Englishmen  taller  than  any  of  them  ;"  and  then, 
like  a  true  seaman  of  the  period,  he  imputes  their  ex- 
aggerated stature  to  the  "lies"  of  the  Spaniards,  from 
whom  no  good  thing  could  come  ;  and  who,  in  the  ima- 
ginary impunity  of  escaping  detection  from  the  naviga- 
tors of  other  nations,  related  these  marvellous  tales. 
"  The  World  Encompassed"  makes  the  height  of  these 
people  seven  feet  and  a  half.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
mists,  haze,  and  storms  through  which  the  natives  were 
often  partially  seen  in  the  straits,  or  on  those  wild 
coasts,  perched  on  a  rock  or  grovelling  on  the  ground, 
may  be  the  origin  of  the  pigmies  and  giants  of  the  early 
navigators ;  but  that  tribes  of  tall  though  not  gigantic 
stature  were  seen  in  the  South  Sea  islands,  and  also  on 
the  western  coasts  of  the  continent  of  America,  from  its 
southern  extremity  as  far  north  as  was  then  explored, 
does  not  admit  of  doubt.* 

While  the  fleet  lay  at  Port  St.  Julian  an  event  occur- 
red, which,  as  the  contradictory  evidence  is  viewed, 
must  either  be  termed  the  most  heroic  or  the  most  ques- 
tionable act  in  the  life  of  Admiral  Drake.  Mr.  Thomas 
Doughty,  a  man  of  talent,  and  too  probably  of  ill-regu- 


*  The  Patagonian  race  is  still  among  the  least  known  of  all  the  South 
American  tribes.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  of  its  existence,  nor  of  the 
fact  that  it  is  characterized  by  proportions  exceeding  tlie  ordinary  dimensions 
of  mankind.  The  Patagonian  people  are  of  limited  numbers,  and  inhabit 
the  eastern  shores  of  the  most  southern  point  of  tlie  New  World,  under  a 
cold  and  steril  clime.  They  wander  about  from  one  district  to  another,  and 
are  but  imperfectly  civilized.  Their  dispositions,  however,  are  peaceable, 
although  their  great  bodily  strength  would  seem  to  fit  them  for  warlike  en- 
terprise ;  but  it  sometimes  happens  that  gigantic  forms  are  not  accompanied 
by  a  corresponding  increase  of  physical  energy.  The  average  height  of 
these  people  is  about  six  feet,  which  height  is  also  extremely  frequent  among 
the  chiefs  and  nobles  of  the  South  Sea  islands.  The  complexion  of  the 
Patagonians  is  tawny;  their  hair,  of  which  tlie  colour  is  black  or  brown,  is 
lank,  and  for  the  most  part  very  long.  It  appears  that  this  tribe  have  suc- 
ceeded in  the  training  of  horses, — an  unusual  accomplishment  in  a  tribe 
otherwise  so  uncivilized ;  but  this,  of  course,  must  have  been  a  comparative- 
ly modem  exercise  of  their  ingenuity,  as  horses  were  unknown  in  America 
prior  to  the  period  of  the  Spanish  conquest. 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  21 

lated  ambition,  had  served  as  an  officer  in  the  fleet,  and 
it  is  said  enjo5^ed  in  a  high  degree  the  afFection  and  con- 
fidence of  the  captain-general,  who  must  voluntarily 
have  selected  him  as  one  of  his  company.  Doughty 
was  at  this  place  accused  of  conspiracy  and  mutiny  ; 
of  a  plan  to  massacre  Drake  and  the  principal  officers, 
and  thus  defeat  the  whole  expedition ;  as  if  the  first- 
imagined  crime  did  not  constitute  sufficient  guilt.  The 
details  of  this  singular  affair  are  scanty,  obscure,  and 
perplexed ;  and  no  contemporary  writer  notices  any 
specific  fact  or  ground  of  charge.  The  offence  of 
Doughty  is  purely  constructive.  Cliffe  dismisses  the 
subject  in  one  seaman-like  sentence,  merely  saying, 
"  Mr.  Thomas  Doughty  was  brought  to  his  answer, — 
accused,  convicted,  and  beheaded."  The  account  in 
"  The  World  Encompassed"  is  more  elaborate,  but  not 
much  more  satisfactory.  It  contains  strong  general 
charges,  but  no  record  of  facts,  nor  a  shadow  of  proof 
of  the  general  allegations.  These  early  chroniclers  ap- 
pear either  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  guilt  of  the  cul- 
prit, or  indifferent  to  the  propriety  of  convincing  others 
of  the  justice  and  necessity  of  their  captain's  sentence, 
or  they  were  fully  convinced  that  the  accused  merited 
his  fate.  Doughty  had  previously  been  called  in  ques- 
tion for  his  conduct  in  accepting  gifts  or  bribes  while  in 
the  Portuguese  prize,  and  he  had  afterward  strayed 
once  or  twice  with  the  same  vessel,  which  was  burnt  to 
prevent  like  accidents.  According  to  one  account  his 
treason  was  of  old  date  ;  and  before  the  fleet  left  Ply- 
mouth he  had  been  hatching  plots  against  his  com- 
mander, who  refused  to  believe  "  that  one  he  so  dearly 
loved  would  conceive  evil  against  him,  till  perceiving 
that  lenity  and  favour  did  little  good,  he  thought  it  high 
time  to  call  those  practices  in  question,  and,  therefore, 
setting  good  watch  over  him,  and  assembling  all  his  cap- 
tains and  gentlemen  of  his  company  together,  he  pro- 
pounded to  them  the  good  parts  that  were  in  this  gen- 
tleman, and  the  great  good  will  and  inward  affection, 
more  than  brotherly,  which  he  had,  ever  since  his  first 
acquaintance,  borne  him,  and  afterward  delivered  the 
letters  which  were  written  to  him  (Drake,)  with  the  par- 
3 


22  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

ticulars  from  time  to  time,  which  had  been  observed 
not  so  much  by  himself  as  by  his  good  friends  ;  not  only 
at  sea,  but  even  at  Ptymouth  ;  not  bare  words,  but  wri- 
tings; not  writings,  but  actions,  tending  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  service  in  hand,  and  making  away  his  per- 
son. Proofs  were  required,  and  alleged  so  many  and 
so  evident,  that  the  gentleman  himself,  stricken  with 
remorse,  acknowledged  himself  to  have  deserved  death, 
yea,  many  deaths ;  for  that  he  conspired,  not  only  the 
overthrow  of  the  action,  but  of  the  principal  actor  also." 
The  account  continues  in  the  same  strain,  asserting  that 
forty  of  the  principal  men  of  Drake's  band  adjudged  tlK^ 
culprit  to  deserve  death,  and  gave  this  judgment  under 
their  hand  and  seal,  leaving  the  manner  to  the  general, 
who  allowed  the  unfortunate  man  the  choice  of  being 
either  abandoned  on  the  coast,  taken  back  to  England 
to  answer  to  the  lords  of  the  queen's  council,  or  execu- 
ted here.  He  chose  the  latter,  requesting,  it  is  said, 
that  he  might  "once  more  receive  the  holy  communion 
with  the  captain-general  before  his  death,  and  that  he 
might  not  die  other  than  the  death  of  a  gentleman." 
The  circumstances  of  the  execution  are  striking.  Mr. 
Fletcher  celebrated  the  communion  on  the  next  day. 
Drake  received  the  sacrament  with  the  condemned 
man,  and  afterward  they  dined  together  *'at  the  same 
table,  as  cheerfully  in  sobriety  as  ever  in  their  lives  they 
had  done ;  and  taking  their  leaves,  by  drinking  to  each 
other,  as  if  some  short  journey  only  had  been  in  hand." 
Without  further  delay,  all  things  being  in  readiness. 
Doughty  walked  forth,  requested  the  bystanders  to  pray 
for  him,  and  submitted  his  neck  to  the  executioner. 

Camden's  version  of  this  transaction  does  not  differ 
materially  from  the  above.  The  chaplain  of  the  fleet, 
Mr.  Francis  Fletcher,  left  a  manuscript  journal  of  the 
voyage,  now  deposited  in  the  British  Museum,  which 
contradicts  many  of  the  important  statements  in  the 
other  relations.  He  asserts  that  the  criminal  utterly 
denied  the  truth  of  the  charges  against  him,  upon  his 
salvation,  at  the  time  of  communicating,  and  at  the  hour 
and  moment  of  his  death.  Mr.  Fletcher  likewise  affirms 
that  no  choice  of  life  or  death  was  given  him  upon  any 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  23 

conditions.  It  is  evident,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the; 
chaplain,  Doughty  was  an  innocent  and  a  murdered 
man ;  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  not  rigidly  sifted  by 
the  general,  and  in  which  the  actors  too  probably  con- 
sulted his  secret  wishes. 

The  fleet  had  not  long  left  England  when  the  affair 
of  the  Portuguese  prisoners,  in  which  there  might  be 
dishonour,  but  no  crime  deserving  severity  of  punish- 
ment, and  still  less  death,  was  brought  against  him. 
But  in  Port  St.  Julian,  Fletcher  remarks,  "more  dan- 
gerous matter  is  laid  to  his  cliarge,  and  b}^  the  same  per- 
sons (John  Brewer,  Edward  Bright,  and  others  of  their 
friends,)  namely,  for  words  spoken  by  him  to  them  in 
the  general's  garden  at  Plymouth,  which  it  had  been 
their  part  and  duty  to  have  discovered  them  at  the  time, 
and  not  have  concealed  them  for  a  time  and  place  not 
so  fitting."  Besides  the  vague  charges  made  of  plots 
and  mutinous  conduct,  and  the  anomalous  offence  of 
being  "an  emulator  of  the  glory  of  his  commander," 
another  cause  is  assigned  for  the  death  of  Doughty, 
which,  if  it  were  supported  by  reasonable  proof,  would 
fix  a  deeper  stigma  on  the  character  of  Drake  than  all 
his  other  questionable  deeds  put  together.  In  England 
the  age  of  dark  iniquitous  intrigue  had  succeeded  the 
times  of  ferocity  and  open  violence ;  but  the  dependants 
and  partisans  of  the  leading  men  in  the  state  were  still 
as  criminally  subservient  to  the  flagitious  designs  of 
their  patrons  as  when  their  daggers  had  been  freeh^ 
drawn  in  their  service.  It  was  alleged  that  Captain 
Drake  had  carried  this  man  to  sea  to  rid  the  powerful 
Earl  of  Leicester  of  a  dangerous  prater,  and  in  time 
and  place  convenient  to  revenge  his  quarrel. 

It  is  probable  that  the  intimacy  of  Doughty  with  cap- 
tain Drake  had  commenced  in  Ireland,  as  both  had 
served  under  Essex ;  and  it  is  affirmed  that  the  real 
crime  of  the  former  was  accusing  Leicester  of  plotting 
the  secret  murder  of  his  noble  rival,  of  which  few  men 
in  England  believed  him  wholly  guiltless.  On  the  other 
hand,  Essex  was  the  patron  of  Drake,  who,  it  is  reason- 
ably urged,  was  thus  much  more  likely  to  protect  than 
punish  a  friend  brought  into  trouble  for   freedom  of 


24  SIR  FRA^XIS  DRAKE. 

speech  on  an  occasion  that  would  have  moved  stocks  or 
stones.  It  may  be  further  pleaded  in  behalf  of  Drake, 
that,  with  the  exception  of  the  chaplain,  whose  relation 
has  however  ever}^  mark  of  sincerity  and  good  faith,  no 
man  nor  officer  in  the  fleet  has  left  any  record  or  sur- 
mise of  objection  to  the  justice  of  the  execution,  though 
the  affair,  after  the  return  of  the  expedition,  was  keenly 
canvassed  in  England.*  In  his  whole  course  of  life, 
Drake  maintained  the  character  of  integrity  and  hu- 
manity ;  nor  did  he  lack  generosity  in  fitting  season. 
He  at  all  times  discovered  a  strong  sense  of  religion, 
and  of  moral  obhgation,  save  in  the  case  of  the  Span- 
iards and  "Portagals,"  for  which,  however,  "  sea-divin- 
ity" afforded  an  espe.cial  exception.  That  he  could 
have  put  an  innocent  man  to  death  to  conceal  the  crimes, 
or  execute  the  vengeance  of  Leicester,  is  too  monstrous 
for  belief;  and  that,  conscious  of  the  deepest  injustice, 
he  should  have  gone  through  the  solemn  religious  ob- 
servances which  preceded  the  perpetration  of  his  crime, 
presents  a  picture  of  odious  hypocrisy  and  cold-blooded 
cruelty  more  worthy  of  a  demon  than  a  brave  man. 
The  case  resolves  itself  into  the  simple  necessity  of 
maintaining  disciphne  in  the  fleet,  and  sustaining  that 
personal  authority  which,  in  a  commander,  is  a  duty 
even  more  important  than  self-preservation.  Drake's 
notions  of  authority  might  have  been  somewhat  over- 
strained ;  nor  is  it  unhkely  that  he  unconsciously  im- 
bibed sHght  feelings  of  jealousy  of  "  this  emulator  of  his 
glory."  Every  one  who  mentions  Doughty  speaks  of 
him  as  a  man  of  great  endowments.  Mr.  Fletcher  is 
warm  in  his  praise.  "  An  industrious  and  stout  man," 
says  Camden,  even  when  relating  his  crimes,  and  one, 
it  appears,  of  sufficient  consequence  to  be  imagined  the 
cause  of  disquiet  to  the  still  all-powerful  Leicester. 
Immediately  after  the  execution,  Drake,  who  to  his 


*Inan  old  relation  (written  by  himself)  of  the  adventures  of  "Peter 
Carder,  a  shipwrecked  Seaman,"  belonging  to  Drake's  fleet,  we  find  that 
when,  after  his  long  detention  and  miraculous  escape  from  the  savages  and 
the  "Portugals,"  he  returned  to  England,  on  being  examined  before  the 
queen,  and  relating  his  marvellous  haps,  she  questioned  hun  "of  the  manner 
of  Master  Doughty 's  execution." 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  ^5 

Other  qualities  added  the  gift  of  a  bold  natural  eloquence, 
addressed  his  whole  company,  "  persuading  us  to  uni- 
tv^,  obedience,  love,  and  regard  of  our  voyage  ;  and  for 
the  better  confirmation  thereof,  wished  every  man  the 
next  Sunday  following,  to  prepare  himself  to  receive  the 
communion  as  Christian  brethren  and  friends  ought  to 
do  ;  which  was  done  in  very  reverent  sort,  and  so  with 
good  contentment  every  man  went  about  his  business." 

Doubt  and  darkness  will,  however,  always  hang  over 
this  transaction,  though  probably  onty  from  the  simple 
reason  of  no  formal  record  being  kept  of  the  proceed- 
ings. Doughty  was  buried  with  Mr.  Winter  and  the 
gunner  on  an  island  in  the  harbour,  and  the  chaplain 
relates  that  he  erected  a  stone,  and  on  it  cut  the  names 
of  these  unfortunate  Englishmen,  and  the  date  of  their 
burial. 

The  ships,  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  Portuguese 
prize,  were  now  reduced  to  three;  and  being  "trim- 
med" and  supplied  with  wood  and  water,  and  such 
other  necessaries  as  could  be  obtained,  the}^  sailed  from 
this  "port  accursed"  on  the  17th  of  August.  ClifFe  re- 
lates, that  while  they  lay  here,  the  weather,  though  in 
.1  uty  and  August,  was  as  cold  as  at  mid-winter  in  Eng- 
land. On  the  20th  the}^  made  Cape  de  las  Virgines, 
entered  the  strait,  and  on  the  24th  anchored  thirty 
leagues  within  it. 

There  is  a  considerable  variation  in  the  accounts  of 
Drake's  passage  of  the  straits.  The  statements  are 
even  absolutely  contradictoiy  on  some  points,  though 
the  disagreements,  when  the  facts  are  sifted,  are  more 
apparent  than  real,  every  narrator  noting  only  what  he 
had  himself  witnessed  or  casually  gathered  from  the  in- 
formation of  others.  The  original  narrative  of  the  pas- 
sage by  the  Portuguese  pilot,  Nuno  de  Silva,  is  among 
the  most  interesting  and  accurate  ;  but  in  the  present 
account  an  attempt  is  made  to  combine  whatever  ap- 
pears most  striking  and  important  in  the  different  rela- 
tions. The  eastern  mouth  of  the  strait  was  found  about 
a  league  broad ;  the  land  bare  and  flat.  On  the  north 
side  Indians  were  seen  making  great  fires  ;  but  on  the 
»outh  no  inhabitants  appeared.  The  length  was  corn- 
s' 


26  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

puted  at  one  hundred  and  ten  leagues.  The  tide  was 
seen  to  rise  (setting  in  from  both  sides)  about  fifteen 
feet.  It  met  about  the  middle,  or  rather  nearer  the 
western  entrance.  The  medium  breadth  was  one 
league.  Where  the  ships  came  to  anchor  on  the  24th 
were  three  small  islands,  on  which  they  killed  three 
thousand  "of  birds  (penguins)  having  no  wings,  but 
short  pinions  which  serve  their  turn  in  swimming." 
They  were  as  "fat  as  an  English  goose." 

"  The  land  on  both  sides  was  very  huge  and  moun- 
tainous ;  the  lower  mountains  whereof,  although  they 
be  very  monstrous  to  look  upon  for  their  height,  yet 
there  are  others  which  in  height  exceed  them  in  a 
strange  manner,  reaching  themselves  above  their  follow- 
ers so  high  that  between  them  did  appear  three  regions 
of  clouds.  These  mountains  are  covered  with  snow  at 
both  the  southerly  and  easterly  parts  of  the  strait. 
There  are  islands  among  which  the  sea  hath  his  in- 
draught into  the  straits  even  as  it  hath  at  the  main  en- 
trance. The  strait  is  extreme  cold,  with  frost  and  snow 
continually.  The  trees  seem  to  stoop  with  the  burden 
of  the  weather,  and  yet  are  green  continually,  and  many 
good  and  sweet  herbs  do  very  plentifully  increase  and 
grow  under  them." 

Such  are  the  natural  appearances  described.  Near 
the  western  entrance  a  number  of  narrow  channels,  with 
which  the  whole  of  that  side  abounds,  occasioned  some 
difficulty  in  the  navigation  ;  and  Drake,  with  his  usual 
caution,  brought  the  fleet  to  anchor  near  an  island, 
while  he  went  out  in  his  boat  to  explore  these  various 
openings  to  the  South  Sea.  In  this  expedition,  Indians 
of  the  pigmy  race,  attributed  to  a  region  abounding  in 
all  monstrous  things,  were  seen;  though  both  the 
gigantic  and  diminutive  size  of  these  tribes  are  brought 
in  question  even  by  contemporary  writers.  Yet  these 
pigmy  Indians  were  seen  close  at  hand,  in  a  canoe  in- 
geniously constructed  of  the  bark  of  trees,  of  which  ma- 
terial the  people  also  formed  vessels  for  domestic  use. 
The  canoes  were  semicircular,  being  high  in  the  prow 
and  stern.  The  seams  were  secured  by  a  lacing  of 
thongs  of  sealskin,  and  fitted  so  nicely  that  there  was 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  27 

little  leakage.  The  tools  of  these  ingenious  small  folks 
were  formed  of  the  shell  of  a  very  large  species  of  mus- 
cle, containing  seed-pearls,  which  was  found  in  the 
straits.  These  shells  they  tempered,  if  the  word  may 
be  used,  so  skilfully  that  they  cut  the  hardest  wood,  and 
even  bone.  One  of  their  dwellings,  which  might,  how- 
ever, be  but  a  fishing-hut,  was  seen  rudely  formed  of 
sticks  stuck  in  the  ground,  over  which  skins  were 
stretched. 

Early  in  September  the  western  entrance  was  reach- 
ed ;  and,  on  the  6th  of  the  same  month,  Drake  attained 
the  long-desired  happiness  of  sailing  an  English  ship  on 
the  South  Sea. 

The  passage  of  Drake  was  the  quickest  and  easiest 
that  had  yet  been  made,  fortune  favouring  him  here  as 
at  every  other  point  of  this  voyage.  The  temperature 
was  also  much  milder  than  had  been  experienced  by 
former  navigators,  or  the  English  seamen  might  proba- 
bly be  more  hardy  and  enduring  than  those  of  Spain. 

One  main  object  of  Drake  in  leaving  England  was 
undoubtedly  the  discovery  of  a  north-west  passage,  by 
Ibllowing  the  bold  and  novel  track  his  genius  chalked 
out,  and  in  which  he  might  still  hope  to  anticipate  all 
other  adventurers,  whether  their  career  commenced 
from  the  east  or  the  west.  On  clearing  the  straits  he 
accordingly  held  a  north-west  course,  and  in  two  days 
the  fleet  had  advanced  seventy  leagues.  Here  it  was 
overtaken  by  a  violent  and  steady  gale  from  the  north- 
east, which  drove  them  into  57^  south  latitude,  and  two 
hundred  leagues  to  the  west  of  Magellan's  Straits. 
While  still  driving  before  the  wind  under  bare  poles, 
the  moon  was  eclipsed  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  15th,  but  produced  neither  abatement  nor  change  of 
the  wind.  "Neither  did  the  ecliptical  conflict  of  the 
moon  improve  our  state,  nor  her  clearing  again  mend  us 
a  whit,  but  the  accustomed  eclipse  of  the  sea  continued 
in  his  force,  we  being  darkened  more  than  the  moon 
sevenfold." 

On  the  24th  the  weather  became  more  moderate,  the 
wind  shifted,  and  they  partly  retraced  their  course,  for 
seven  days  standing  to  the  north-east,  during  which  land 


28  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

was  seen,  near  which  a  vain  attempt  was  made  to  an- 
chor. Their  troubles  did  not  end  here, — once  more  the 
wind  got  back  to  its  old  quarter,  and  with  great  violence ; 
and  on  the  30th  the  Marigold  was  separated  from  the 
Elizabeth  and  the  Golden  Hind,  as  Drake  on  entering 
the  South  Sea  had  named  his  ship,  in  compliment  it  is 
said  to  his  patron  Sir  Christopher  Hatton.  They  made 
the  land ;  but  the  Marigold  was  borne  to  sea  by  the 
stress  of  the  gale,  and  was  never  heard  of  more !  We 
do  not  even  find  a  conjecture  breathed  about  the  fate  of 
this  ship.  On  the  evening  of  the  7th  of  October,  the 
Golden  Hind  and  Elizabeth  made  a  bay  near  the  west- 
ern entrance  of  Magellan's  Straits,  which  was  afterv/ard 
named  the  Bay  of  Parting  Friends  ;  and  here  they  in- 
tended to  lie  by  till  the  weather  improved.  During  the 
night  the  cable  of  the  Hind  broke,  and  she  drove  to  sea ; 
nor  did  Captain  Winter,  in  the  Elizabeth,  make  any  at- 
tempt to  follow  liis  commander.  Heartily  tired  of  a 
vo3^age  of  which  he  had  just  had  so  unpleasant  a  speci- 
men, he  next  da}^  entered  the  straits,  secretly  purposing 
to  return  home.  Edward  Cliffe,  who  sailed  in  the  Eliz- 
abeth, and  whose  relation  stops  with  her  return  to  Eng- 
land, stoullv  denies  for  the  seamen  the  craven  intention 
of  abandoning  their  commander.  Captain  Drake  ;  and 
even  asserts  that  some  efforts  were  made  to  find  the 
admiral's  ship,  though  of  a  very  passive  kind.  Anchor- 
ing in  a  bay  within  the  straits,  fires  were  kindled  on  the 
shore ;  so  that,  if  Drake  sought  them  in  this  direction 
and  on  that  day,  there  was  a  chance  of  his  finding  them. 
This  duty  discharged,  they  went  into  secure  harbourage 
in  a  place  which  they  named  Port  Health,  from  the 
rapid  recovery  of  the  crew,  who  had  lately  suffered  so 
much  from  cold,  wet,  and  fatigue.  In  the  large  muscles 
and  other  shellfish  found  here  they  obtained  pleasant 
and  restorative  food ;  and  remained  till  the  beginning  of 
November,  when  the  voyage  was  formally  abandoned, 
"on  Mr.  Winter's  compulsion,  and  full  sore  against  the 
mariners'  minds."  Winter  alleged  that  he  now  despair- 
ed of  the  captain-general's  safety,  or  of  being  able  to 
hold  his  course  with  the  Elizabeth  for  the  imagined 
Ophir  of  New  Spain. 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  29 

It  was  the  11th  of  November  before  the  Elizabeth  got 
clear  of  the  straits, — an  eastward  voyage  that  had  only 
been  once  performed,  and  by  a  Spanish  navigator,  La- 
drilleros,  twenty  years  before,  and  believed  to  be  next 
to  impossible, — and  June  in  the  following  year  before 
Winter  returned  to  England,  with  the  credit  of  having 
made  the  passage  of  the  straits  eastward,  and  the  shame 
of  having  deserted  his  commander,  while  his  company, 
with  nobler  spirit,  showed  unshaken  fidelity  and  unaba- 
ted ardour. 

There  is  more  interest  in  following  the  fortunes  of  the 
Hind,  which  we  left  tossed  about  in  the  misnamed  Pa- 
cific. Drake  was  once  more  carried  back  to  55°  south, 
when  he  judged  it  expedient  to  run  in  among  the  islands 
or  broken  land  of  Terra  del  Fuego ;  where,  together 
with  a  supply  of  seals  and  fresh  water,  a  season  of  re- 
pose was  found  from  the  continual  fatigues  of  the  last 
month.  But  this  interval  of  ease  was  of  short  duration ; 
they  were  once  more  driven  to  sea  in  a  gale,  and  suffer- 
ed the  further  calamity  of  being  parted  from  the  shallop, 
in  which  were  eight  seamen  with  almost  no  provisions. 
While  the  Hind  drove  farther  and  farther  south,  the 
shallop  was  in  the  first  instance  so  far  fortunate  as  to 
regain  the  straits,  where  the  men  salted  and  stored 
penguins  for  future  supply.  They  soon  lost  all  hope  of 
rejoining  the  captain-general ;  so,  passing  the  straits, 
they  contrived  to  make,  in  their  frail  bark,  first  for  Port 
St.  Julian,  and  afterward  Rio  de  la  Plata,  where  six  of 
them,  wandering  into  the  woods  in  quest  of  food,  were 
attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians.  All  were  wounded 
with  arrows  ;  but,  while  four  were  made  prisoners,  two 
escaped,  and  joined  their  two  comrades  left  in  charge  of 
the  boat.  The  Indians  pursued,  and  the  whole  four 
■were  wounded  before  the  natives  were  beaten  back  and 
the  shallop  got  off.  The  Englishmen  made  for  a  small 
island  at  three  leagues'  distance,  where  two  of  their 
number  died  of  their  wounds : — nor  was  this  the  last 
calamity  they  were  to  endure  ;  the  shallop  was  dashed 
to  pieces  in  a  storm. 

A  melancholy  interest  is  connected  with  this  frag- 
ment of  Drake's  original  company.     On  the  desolate 


30  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

island  in  which  they  remained  for  two  months,  no  fresh 
water  was  to  be  found  ;  and  though  they  obtained  food 
from  eels,  small  crabs,  and  a  species  of  fruit  resembling 
an  oranofe,  their  sufferinofs  from  intense  thirst  came  to  an 
extremity  too  painful  and  revolting  to  be  made  the  sub- 
ject of  narrative.  At  the  end  of  two  months  a  plank  ten 
feet  long,  which  had  drifted  from  Rio  de  la  Plata,  was 
picked  up,  smaller  sticks  were  fastened  to  it,  and  a  store 
of  provision  was  laid  in ;  then  committing  themselves 
to  God,  paddling  and  clinging  to  this  ark,  they  in  three 
days  and  two  nights  made  the  mainland,  which  had  so 
long  tantalized  their  sight.  In  relating  the  issue  of  this 
adventure,  the  words  of  Peter  Carder,  the  survivor,  are 
adopted  : — "  At  our  first  coming  on  land  we  found  a  little 
river  of  sweet  and  pleasant  water,  where  William 
Pitcher,  my  only  comfort  and  companion,  although  I 
dissuaded  him  to  the  contrary,  overdrank  himself,  being 
perished  before  with  extreme  thirst;  and,  to  my  un- 
speakable grief  and  discomfort,  died  half  an  hour  after 
in  my  presence,  whom  I  buried  as  well  as  I  could  in 
the  sand." 

The  subsequent  adventures  of  Peter  Carder  among 
the  savages  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  his  captivity 
among  the  Portuguese  of  Bahia  de  Todos  los  Santos, 
Ibrm  an  amusing  and  interesting  section  of  Purchas' 
Pilgrims.  After  a  nine  years'  absence  he  got  back  to 
England,  and  had  the  honour  of  relating  his  adventures 
before  Queen  Elizabeth,  who  presented  him  withtwent}^- 
two  angels,  and  recommended  him  to  her  lord  high  ad- 
miral, Howard. 

To  return  to  Drake.  His  ship,  now  driven  southward 
flirther  than  before,  again  ran  in  among  the  islands. 
This  is  an  important  stage  in  the  navigation  of  Drake  as 
a  voyage  of  discovery.  He  had  reached  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  American  continent,  and  been  driven 
round  it;  for  "here  no  land  was  seen,  but  the  Atlantic 
and  South  Sea  meeting  in  a  large  free  scope." 

On  the  28th  of  October,  the  weather,  which  since  the 
6th  of  September,  wlien  they  entered  the  Pacific,  had 
been  nearly  one  continued  hurricane,  became  moderate, 
and  the  Golden  Hind  came  to  anchor  in  twenty  fathoms 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  31 

Water,  though  within  a  gunshot  of  the  land,  in  a  harbour 
of  an  island  of  which  the  southern  point  has  long  been 
known  as  Cape  Horn. 

Sir  Richard  Hawkins,  the  son  of  Sir  John,  and  the 
reputed  kinsman  of  Admiral  Drake,  relates  that  he  was 
informed  by  the  navigator  himself  that  *'at  the  end  of 
the  great  storm  he  found  himself  in  50°  S.,"  which  w^as 
sufficient  proof  that  he  had  been  beaten  round  without 
the  strait;  and,  moreover,  that  from  the  change  of  the 
wind  not  being  able  to  double  the  southernmost  island, 
he  anchored  under  the  lee  of  it,  cast  himself  down  upon 
the  extreme  point,  and  reached  over  as  far  as  was  safe ; 
and  after  the  ship  sailed,  told  his  company  that  he  had 
been  "  upon  the  southernmost  point  of  land  in  the  world 
known  or  likely  to  be  known,  and  farther  than  any  man 
had  ever  before  ventured." 

Mr.  Fletcher,  the  chaplain,  also  landed  here.  He 
found  this  island  three  parts  of  a  degree  farther  south 
than  any  of  the  other  islands. 

To  all  the  islands  discovered  here  Drake  gave  the 
general  name  of  the  Elizabethides,  in  compliment  to  his 
royal  mistress.  They  were  inhabited,  and  the  natives 
were  frequently  seen,  though  little  appears  to  have  been 
learned  of  their  character  or  customs. 

Having  thus  discovered  and  landed  on  the  southern- 
most part  of  the  continent,  Drake  changed  the  Terra 
Incognita*  of  the  Spanish  geographers  into  the  Terra 
bene  nunc  Cognitai  of  his  chaplain,  and  on  the  30th  of  Oc- 
ber,  with  a  fair  wind  from  the  south,  he  held  a  course 
north-west ;  but  being  bent  on  exploring,  afterward 
kept  east,  not  to  lose  the  coast.  On  the  25th  of  November 
they  anchored  at  the  island  of  Mocha,  oif  the  coast  of 
Chili,  where  the  captain-general  landed.  Cattle  and 
sheep  were  seen  here,  and  also  maize  and  potatoes. 
Presents  were  exchanged  with  the  Indians,  and  next 
day  a  watering  party,  which  Drake  accompanied,  row- 
ed towards  the  shore,  in  full  security  of  their  pacific 
dispositions.  Two  seamen  who  landed  to  fill  the  water- 
casks  were  instantly  killed,  and  the  rest  of  the  party 

*  Land  unknown.        t  Land  now  well  known. 


fSSi  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

narrowly  escaped  an  ambush  laid  for  them  in  case  they 
should  come  to  the  assistance  of  their  countrymen. 
They  were  fiercely  assailed  with  arrows  and  stones, 
and  every  one  was  wounded  more  or  less  severely. 
The  general  was  wounded  both  in  the  face  and  on  the 
head,  and  the  attack  was  continued  so  warmly  and 
close  that  the  Indians  seized  four  of  the  oars.  This  un- 
provoked attack  was  imputed  by  the  ship's  company  to 
the  hatred  which  the  inhabitants  of  Chili  bore  the  Span- 
iards, whom,  it  was  presumed,  they  had  not  yet  learned 
to  distinguish  from  other  Europeans.  In  this  view,  it 
was  forgiven  by  men  whose  prejudices  and  animosity 
w^ere  equally  strong  with  those  of  the  Indians. 

Sailing  along  the  coast,  with  the  wind  at  south,  on 
the  30th  of  November  they  anchored  in  a  bay  about  32° 
S.,  and  sent  out  a  boat  to  examine  the  shores,  which 
captured  and  brought  before  the  captain  an  Indian 
found  fishing  in  his  canoe.  This  man  was  kindly  treat- 
ed. A  present  of  linen  and  a  chopping-knife  gained 
his  affections,  and  he  bore  the  message  of  Drake  to  his 
countrymen,  who,  induced  by  the  hope  of  hke  gifts, 
brought  to  the  ship's  side  a  fat  hog  and  poultry.  It  was 
at  this  time  of  more  consequence  to  one  main  object  of 
the  voyagers,  who,  doing  much  for  the  glor}^  of  England 
and  Elizabeth,  wished  at  the  same  time  to  do  a  little  for 
themselves,  that  an  intelligent  Indian  repaired  to  the 
ship  who  spoke  the  Spanish  language,  and,  beheving 
them  mariners  of  that  nation,  unwittingly  gave  them 
much  valuable  information.  From  him  they  learned 
that  they  had  by  six  leagues  oversailed  Valparaiso,  the 
port  of  St.  Jago,  where  a  Spanish  vessel  then  lay  at 
anchor.  The  innocent  offer  of  Felipe,  when  he  saw 
their  disappointment,  to  pilot  them  back,  was  eagerly 
accepted.  On  the  4th  of  December  they  sailed  from 
Philip's  Bay,  as  they  named  this  harbour,  in  honour  of 
their  Indian  pilot,  and  next  day,  without  any  difficulty, 
captured  the  ship,  the  Grand  Captain  of  the  South  Seas, 
in  which  were  found  60,000  pesos  of  gold,  besides  jew- 
els, merchandise,  and  1770  jars  of  Chili  wine.  This 
was  a  joyful  beginning ;  each  peso  was  reckoned  worth 
eight  shillings.     The  people  of  the  town,  which  con- 


SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE.  33 

sisted  of  only  nine  families,  fled  ;  and  Drake's  followers 
revelled  in  the  unforbidden  luxury  of  a  general  pillage 
of  wine,  bread,  bacon,  and  other  things  most  acceptable 
to  men  who  had  been  so  long  at  sea,  both  for  present  re- 
freshment and  also  for  storing  the  ship.  In  every  new 
Spanish  settlement,  however  small,  a  church  rose  as  it 
were  simultaneously.  The  small  chapel  of  Valparaiso 
was  plundered  of  a  silver  chalice,  two  cruets,  and  its 
altar-cloth,  which,  to  prevent  their  desecration,  and  to 
obtain  a  blessing  on  the  voyage,  were  presented  to 
Fletcher,  the  pastor  of  this  ocean-flock.  They  sailed 
on  the  8th  with  their  prize,  taking,  however,  only  one  of 
the  crew,  a  Greek,  named  Juan  Griego,  who  was  capa- 
ble of  piloting  them  to  Lima.  Their  Indian  guide  Fe- 
lipe was  rewarded,  and  sent  on  shore  near  his  own 
home.  From  the  most  southern  point  of  this  coasting 
voyage,  Drake  had  been  continually  on  the  outlook  for 
the  Marigold  and  the  Elizabeth  ;  and  the  Hind  being  too 
unwieldly  to  keep  in  near  the  coast  in  the  search,  a  pin- 
nace was  intended  to  be  built  for  this  duty,  as  well  as 
lor  other  operations  which  the  captain-general  kept  in 
view.  A  convenient  place  for  this  purpose  had  been 
found  at  Coquimbo.  Near  the  spot  selected  the  Span- 
iards had  raised  or  collected  a  considerable  force ; 
and  a  watering  party  of  fourteen  of  the  English  was 
here  surprised,  and  with  some  difficulty  escaped  from  a 
body  of  three  hundred  horse  and  two  hundred  foot.  One 
seaman  was  killed,  owing,  however,  to  his  own  braggart 
temerity. 

In  a  quieter  and  safer  bay  the  pinnace  was  set  up, 
and  Drake  himself  embarked  in  it  to  look  after  the 
strayed  ships  ;  but  the  wind  becoming  adverse  he  soon 
returned.  They  quitted  this  harbour  on  the  19th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1579,  invigorated  by  a  season  of  repose,  by  the  re- 
freshments and  booty  obtained,  and  by  the  hopes  of 
richer  plunder  and  more  glorious  conquest.  With  few 
adventures  they  sailed  along  the  coast,  till  accidentally 
landing  at  Tarapaza  they  found  a  Spaniard  asleep  on 
the  shore,  with  thirteen  bars  of  silver  lying  beside  him, 
as  if  waiting  their  arrival.  Advancing  a  little  farther, 
on  landing  to  procure  water,  they  fell  in  with  a  Span- 
4 


Si  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

iard  and  an  Indian  boy  driving  eight  lamas,  each  of 
which  was  laden  with  two  leathern  bags  containing 
fifty  pounds  of  silver,  or  eight  hundred  pounds  in  all. 
The  lamas,  or  Peruvian  sheep,  are  described  by  the  old 
voyagers  as  of  the  size  of  an  ass,  with  a  neck  like  a 
camel,  and  of  great  strength  and  steadiness,  forming 
the  beast  of  burden  of  these  countries.  They  were 
indeed  the  mules  of  the  New  World,  but  a  much  more 
valuable  animal,  as  the  wool  is  fine  and  the  flesh  good. 
The  credulity  of  the  most  credulous  of  the  family  of  John 
Bull — his  sons  of  the  ocean — was  here  amusingly  dis- 
played. If  the  coast  of  Peru  was  not  literally  strewed 
with  gold,  pure  silver  was  found  so  richly  mixed  with 
the  soil  that  every  hundred  weight  of  common  earth 
yielded,  on  a  moderate  calculation,  five  ounces. 

The  eight  lamas  and  their   precious  burden  being 

brought  on  board,  the  Golden  Hind  next  entered  the 

port  of  Arica,  where  two  or  three  small  barks  then  lay. 

These,  when  rifled,  were  found  perfectly  unprotected, 

the  crews  being  on  shore,  unable  to  imagine  danger  on 

this  coast.     Arica  is  described  as  a  beautiful  and  fertile 

valley.      The  town   contained  about  twenty    houses, 

which,  the  Famous  Voyage  states,  "we  would  have 

ransacked  if  our  company  had  been  better  and  more 

numerous  ;  but  our  general,  contented  with  the  spoil  of 

the  ships,  put  to  sea,  and  sailed  for  Lima,"  in  pursuit  of 

a  vessel  very  richly  laden,  of  which  they  had  obtained 

intelligence.     The  ship,  of  which  they  were  now  in  hot 

pursuit,  got  notice  of  her  danger  in  time  to  land  the 

treasure  with  which  she  was  freighted, — eight  hundred 

bars  of  silver,  the  property  of  the  King  of  Spain.  Drake, 

now  preparing  for  active  measures,  rid  himself  of  every 

encumbrance,  by  setting  all  the  sails  of  his  prizes,  and 

turning  them  adrift  whithersoever  the  winds  might  carry 

them.     The  arrival  of  these  tenantless  barks  on  some 

wild  coast  or  lonely  island,  may  yet  form  the  theme  of 

Indian  tradition,  though  more  probably  they  must  all 

have  been  dashed  to  pieces. 

Tidings  of  the  English  being  upon  the  coast  had  by 
this  time  been  dispatched  over  land  to  the  governor  at 
Lima;    but  the  difficulty  of  travelling  in  these  stiU 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  35 

tangled  and  trackless  regions,  enabled  Drake  to  outstrip 
the  messenger,  and  on  the  13th  of  September  to  surprise 
the  Spanish  ships  lying  in  Callao,  the  port  of  Lima.  The 
spoil  was  trifling  for  the  number  of  vessels.  In  board- 
ing a  ship  from  Panama,  which  was  just  then  entering 
the  port,  an  Englishman  was  killed.  Another  account 
says  he  was  shot  from  a  boat  while  pursuing  the  crew, 
who  were  abandoning  the  vessel.  In  one  ship  a  chest 
of  ryals  of  plate  and  a  considerable  store  of  linens, 
silks,  and  general  merchandise  were  obtained.  From 
the  prisoners  Drake  learned  that  ten  days  before,  the 
Cacafuego,  laden  with  treasure,  had  sailed  for  Panama, 
the  point  from  whence  all  goods  were  carried  across  the 
isthmus.  This  information  at  once  determined  the 
course  of  our  navigator  ;  and  as  ships  from  Callao  to 
Panama  were  in  the  habit  of  touching  at  intermediate 
places,  he  reckoned  the  Cacafuego  already  his  prize. 
As  a  measure  of  precaution  the  mainmasts  of  the  two 
largest  prizes  found  here  were  cut  away,  the  cables  of 
the  smaller  ones  were  severed,  and,  the  goods  and  peo- 
ple being  previously  removed,  the  whole  were  abandon- 
ed to  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves  ;  while  Drake 
bore  northward  in  full  sail,  or  when  the  wind  slackened 
was  towed  on  by  the  boats,  each  man  straining  to  reach 
the  golden  goal.  But  this  rather  anticipates  the  course 
of  the  narrative. 

When  intelligence  of  Drake's  ship  at  last  reached 
Lima,  it  was  presumed  that  some  of  the  Spanish  crews 
had  mutinied,  and  that  the  Golden  Hind  was  a  Spanish 
vessel  turned  pirate,  so  little  was  an  attack  by  the  Eng- 
lish, on  this  side  of  the  continent  deemed  possible,  or 
that  the  ships  of  any  nation  save  Spain  could  pass  the 
intricate  and  fatal  Straits  of  Magellan.  On  being  ap- 
prized of  the  real  fact  and  of  the  danger  impending, 
Don  Francisco  de  Toledo,  the  viceroy  at  Lima,  imme- 
diately repaired  to  the  port  with  a  force  estimated  by 
Lopez  Vaz  at  two  thousand  horse  and  foot.  The  Golden 
Hind  still  remained  in  sight  of  the  port,  and  nearly  be- 
calmed. Two  vessels,  in  each  of  which  two  hundred 
.  fighting  men  were  embarked,  were  equipped  in  all  haste, 
and  the  capture  of  Drake,  the  pirate-heretic,  was  al- 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 


ready  confidently  reckoned  upon.  At  the  same  hour 
in  which  they  left  the  port  to  make  the  attack  a  fresh 
gale  sprung  up,  and  the  English  ship  pressed  onward. 
The  flight  and  pursuit  were  continued  for  some  time, 
as  it  was  not  tlie  policy  of  Drake,  with  his  very  inferior 
force,  to  risk  an  action.  By  an  oversight,  most  fortu- 
nate for  the  English,  the  Spaniards,  in  their  eagerness 
and  confidence  of  an  easy  conquest,  had  neglected  to 
take  provisions  on  board.  Famine  compelled  them  to 
abandon  the  pursuit ;  but  Don  Francisco  lost  no  time  in 
remedying  this  inadvertence.  A  force  of  three  ships, 
fully  equipped,  was  despatched  under  the  command  of 
Pedro  Sarmiento  de  Gamboa,  but  arrived  too  late. 
The  same  commander  afterward  long  watched,  and 
w^aited  in  vain,  the  return  of  Drake  by  the  straits.  On 
his  recommendation  they  were  afterwards  fortified  and 
a  colony  planted, — an  abortive  attempt,  which  cost 
Spain  much  treasure  and  many  lives. 

Near  Payti,  a  small  vessel,  in  which  some  silver  or- 
naments were  found,  was  rifled  and  dismissed ;  and  on 
passing  Payti,  from  the  crew  of  a  vessel  w^hich  was 
searched  they  learned  that  the  Cacafuego  had  the  start 
of  them  now  only  by  two  days.  Every  nerv^e  was  fresh 
braced  for  pursuit ;  but  the  future  advantage  hoped  for 
did  not  lead  them  in  the  mean  time  to  despise  present 
small  gains.  Two  more  vessels  were  intercepted, 
rifled,  and  turned  adrift,  the  crews  being  first  landed. 
In  one  of  these  some  silver  and  eighty  pounds  of  gold 
were  found,  and  a  golden  crucifix,  in  which  was  set  "a 
goodly  and  great  emerald."  They  also  found  a  good 
supply  of  useful  stores  and  a  large  quantity  of  cordage, 
which  made  most  part  of  the  cargo.  On  the  24th  Feb- 
ruary they  crossed  the  line,  the  Cacafuego  still  ahead 
and  unseen ;  and  Drake,  to  animate  the  hopes  and 
quicken  the  vigilance  of  his  company,  offered  as  a  re- 
ward to  whoever  should  first  descry  the  prize  the  gold 
chain  which  he  usually  wore.  The  reward  was  gained 
by  Mr.  Johrx  Drake,  who  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  1st  of  March,  from  the  mast-head,  discerned 
the  prize,  which  by  six  o'clock  was  boarded  and  taken. 
This  capture  was  made  off'  Cape  Francisco.     The  cap- 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  St 

tain,  a  Biscayan,  named  Juan  de  Anton,  was  so  little 
aware  of  his  danger,  that  seeing  a  vessel  coming  up  to 
him  under  a  press  of  sail,  he  concluded  that  the  viceroy 
had  sent  some  important  message,  and  struck  his  sails 
to  await  tlie  approach  of  the  Golden  Hind.  When 
aware  from  closer  inspection  of  his  mistal^e,  he  tried  to 
escape;  but  he  was  already  within  reach  of  Drake's 
guns,  and  possessed  no  defensive  weapons  of  any  kind. 
Yet,  with  the  brave  spirit  of  his  province,  the  Biscayan 
refused  to  strike  till  his  mizzenmast  was  shot  away  and 
he  himself  wounded  by  an  arrow. 

This  ship  proved  to  be  a  prize  worth  gaining.  It 
contained  twenty-six  tons  of  silver,  thirteen  chests  of 
ryals  of  plate,  and  eighty  pounds  of  gold,  besides  dia- 
monds and  inferior  gems, — the  whole  estimated  at  three 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  pesos. 

Among  the  spoils  were  two  very  handsome  silver 
gilt  bowls  belonging  to  the  pilot,  of  which  Drake  de- 
manded one ;  which  the  doughty  Spaniard  surrender- 
ing, presented  the  other  to  the  steward,  as  if  he  dis- 
dained to  hold  any  thing  by  the  favour  of  the  English. 

Had  Drake,  thus  richly  laden,  now  been  assured  of 
a  safe  and  an  easy  passage  to  England,  it  is  probable 
that  the  Golden  Hind  might  not  on  this  voyage  have  en- 
compassed the  globe.  The  advanced  season,  however, 
and  the  outlook  which  he  was  aware  the  Spaniards 
would  keep  for  his  return,  forbade  the  attempt  of  re- 
passing the  straits ;  while  the  glory  of  discovery,  and 
the  hope  of  taking  his  immense  treasure  safely  to  Eng- 
land, determined  him  in  the  resolution  of  seeking  a 
north-west  passage  homeward.  Though  not  in  general 
communicative,  his  plans  were  no  sooner  formed  than 
he  unfolded  them  to  the  ship's  company,  with  the  per- 
suasive eloquence  of  a  man  eminently  fitted  for  com- 
mand. The  crew  were  now  in  high  spirits,  and  full  of 
confidence  in  their  skilful,  bold,  and  successful  leader. 
His  counsel,  which  carried  all  the  weight  of  command, 
was  "  to  seek  out  some  convenient  place  to  trim  the  ship, 
and  store  it  with  wood,  water,  and  such  provisions  as 
could  be  found,  and  thenceforward  to  hasten  our  in- 
tended journey  for  the  discovery  of  the  said  passage, 
4* 


WB  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

through  which  we  might  with  joy  return  to  our  longed- 
for  homes. 

With  this  resolution  they  steered  for  Nicaragua,  and 
on  the  16th  March  anchored  in  a  small  bay  of  the  island 
of  Canno,  which  proved  a  good  station  to  water  and 
refit.  The  pinnace  was  once  more  on  active  duty,  and 
a  prize  was  brought  in  laden  with  honey,  butter,  sarsa- 
parilla,  and  other  commodities.  Among  the  papers  of 
the  prize  were  letters  from  the  King  of  Spain  to  the 
governor  of  the  Philippines,  and  sea-charts,  which  after- 
ward proved  of  use  to  the  English.  While  Drake  lay 
here  a  violent  shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt.  From 
Canno  they  sailed  on  the  24th  March,  the  captain-gene- 
ral never  loitering  in  any  port  beyond  the  time  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  repair  the  ship  and  take  in  water. 
On  the  6th  of  April  they  made  another  valuable  prize. 
Being  already  well  supplied  with  stores,  their  choice 
was  become  more  nice  and  difficult ;  and  selecting  Tonly 
silks,  linen,  delicate  porcelain,  and  a  falcon  of  finely 
wrought  gold,  in  the  breast  of  which  a  large  emerald 
was  set,  the  vessel  was  dismissed,  and  of  her  crew  only 
a  negro  and  the  pilot  detained,  who  steered  them  into 
the  harbour  of  Guatalco.  Landing,  according  to  their 
approved  good  practice,  to  ransack  the  town,  it  is  re- 
lated in  the  Famous  Voyage  that  they  surprised  a 
council  then  holding  on  certain  negroes*  accused  of  a 
plot  to  burn  the  place.  To  their  mutual  astonishment, 
judges  and  culprits  were  hurried  on  board  in  company, 
and  the  chief  men  were  compelled  to  write  to  the  towns- 
people to  make  no  resistance  to  the  English.  The  only 
plunder  found  in  ransacking  this  small  place,  in  which 
there  were  but  fourteen  persons  belonging  to  Old  Spain, 
consisted  of  about  a  bushel  of  ryals  of  plate.  One  of 
the  party,  Mr.  John  Winter,  seeing  a  Spaniard  taking 
flight,  pursued  and  took  from  the  fugitive  a  chain  of 
gold  and  some  jewels.  This  is  related  with  great  exulta- 
tion, as  a  feat  of  peculiar  dexterity  and  merit.  All  the 
Spaniards  on  board  the  Golden  Hind  were  now  set  at 


*  Probably  Indians,  tlie  name  Negro  or  Indian  being  used  indiscriminately 
by  tlie  early  voyagers. 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  39 

liberty.  The  Portuguese  pilot,  Nuno  Silva,  who  had 
been  brought  from  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  was  also 
dismissed,  and  probably  at  this  place  wrote  the  relation 
of  the  voyage  from  which  quotations  have  been  made  in 
this  memoir.  Silva' s  account  was  sent  to  the  Portu- 
guese viceroy  in  India,  and  long  afterward  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  English. 

Satiated  with  plunder  on  sea  and  shore,  Drake,  on  the 
16th  of  April,  sailed  on  that  bold  project  of  discovery  for- 
merly communicated  to  his  company,  and  by  the  3d  of 
June  had  gone  over  fourteen  hundred  leagues,  in  differ- 
ent courses,  without  seeing  land.     They  had  now  reach- 
^  ed  43°  north,  the  cold  was  becoming  very  severe,  and, 
in  advancing  two  or  three  degrees  farther,   so  intense, 
that   meat  froze  the  instant  it  was  removed  from  the 
fire,  and   the  ropes  and  tackling  of  the  ship  became 
rigid  from  the  influence  of  the  frost.     On  the  5th,  being 
driven  in  by  the  winds,  laild  was  seen,  and  they  anchor- 
ed in  a  small  bay,  too  unsheltered,  however,  to  admit  of 
their  remaining.     Drake  had  not  expected  to  find  the 
coast  stretching  so  far  westward.     The  wind  was  now 
become  adverse  to  holding  a  northerly  course,  although 
the  extreme  cold,  and  the  chill,  raw,  unwholesome  fogs 
which  surrounded  them  had  made  such  a  track  de- 
sirable.    The  land  seen  here  was  in  general  low  ;  but 
wherever  a  height  appeared  it  was  found  covered  with 
snow,  though  now  almost  midsummer.     The  land  seen 
was  the  western  coast  of  California.  On  the  17th  of  June 
they  anchored  in  a  good  harbour,  on  an  inhabited  coast. 
As  the  Hind  drew  near  the  shore  the  natives  approach- 
ed, and  an  ambassador  or  spokesman  put  off  in  a  canoe, 
who  made  a  formal  harangue,  accompanied  with  much 
gesticulation.      When  the  oration  was  concluded,  he 
made  a  profound  obeisance  and  retired  to  the  land.     A 
second  and  a  third  tim^he  returned  in  the  same  man- 
ner, bringing,  as  a  gift  or  tribute,   a  bunch  of  feathers 
neatly  trimmed  and  stuck  together,  and  a  basket  made 
of  rushes.     Of  these  rushes  it  was  afterward  found  that 
the  natives  fabricated  several  useful  and  pretty  things. 
The  females,  though  the  men  were  entirely  naked,  wore 
a  sort  of  petticoat  composed   of  rushes,   previously 


40  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

Stripped  into  long  threads  resembling  hemp.  They 
also  wore  deer  skins  round  their  shoulders  ;  and  some 
of  the  men  occasionally  used  furs  as  a  covering.  It 
was  remarked,  that  the  Indians  appeared  as  sensible  to 
the  extreme  severity  of  the  weather  as  the  English  sea- 
men,— cowering,  shivering,  and  keeping  huddled  to- 
gether, even  when  wrapped  up  in  their  furs.  The 
basket  brought  by  the  Indian  ambassador  or  orator  was 
filled  with  an  herb  which,  in  some  of  the  original  rela- 
tions of  the  voyage  is  called  tabah^  the  native  name,  and 
in  others  tobacco.  The  Indian  was  either  afraid  or  un- 
willing to  accept  of  any  present  from  the  English  in  re- 
turn for  this  simple  tribute,  but  picked  up  a  hat  which 
was  sent  afloat  towards  him.  The  kindness  of  Drake 
ultimately  gained  the  confidence  of  these  people. 

The  ship  had  some  time  before  sprung  a  leak,  and  it 
was  here  found  necessary  to  land  the  goods  and  stores 
that  she  might  be  repaired.  '  On  the  21st  this  was  done, 
though  the  natives  appeared  to  view  the  movement 
with  suspicion  and  dissatisfaction.  They,  however, 
laid  aside  their  bows  and  arrows,  when  requested  to  do 
so,  and  an  exchange  of  presents  further  cemented  the 
growing  friendship.  They  retired  apparently  satisfied ; 
but  had  no  sooner  reached  their  huts,  which  stood  at  a 
considerable  distance,  than  a  general  howling  and 
lamentation  commenced,  which  lasted  all  night.  The 
females  especially  continued  shrieking  in  a  wild  and 
doleful  manner,  which,  if  not  absolutely  appalhng  to  the 
English,  was  yet  to  the  last  degree  painful.  Drake, 
whose  presence  of  mind  never  forsook  him,  and  who 
was  seldom  lulled  into  false  security  by  appearances  of 
friendship,  mistrusting  the  state  of  excitement  into 
which  the  Indians  were  raised,  took  the  precaution  of 
intrenching  the  tents,  into  which  the  goods  and  the 
crew  had  been  removed  while  the  repairs  of  the  ship 
were  in  progress.  For  the  two  days  following  "  the 
night  of  lamentation,"  no  native  appeared.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  a  great  number  seemed  to  have 
joined  the  party  first  seen  ;  and  the  whole  assembled 
on  a  height  overlooking  the  fortified  station  of  the  ship's 
company,  and   appeared  desirous  of  approaching  the 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  41 

Strangers.  The  ceremonies  were  opened  by  an  orator 
or  herald  making  a  long  speech  or  proclamation,  with 
which  the  audience  were  understood  to  express  assent 
by  bowing  their  bodies  at  the  conclusion,  and  groaning 
in  chorus — oh  !  or  oh  !  oh  !  After  this  friendly  demon- 
stration, for  as  such  it  was  intended,  a  deputation  of  the 
assembly  stuck  their  bows  into  the  earth,  and,  bearing 
gifts  of  feathers  and  rush  baskets  with  tabah,  descended 
towards  the  fort.  While  this  was  passing  below,  the 
women,  mixed  with  the  group  on  the  height,  began  to 
shriek  and  howl,  as  on  the  "  night  of  lamentation,"  to 
tear  their  flesh  with  their  nails,  and  dash  themselves  on 
the  ground,  till  the  blood  sprung  from  their  bodies.  This 
is  said,  in  the  Famous  Voyage,  to  have  been  part  of  the 
orgies  of  their  idol  or  demon  worship.  Drake,  it  is 
said,  struck  with  grief  and  horror,  and  probably  not 
without  a  tincture  of  superstition,  ordered  divine  service 
to  be  solemnized.  The  natives  sat  silent  and  attentive, 
at  proper  pauses  breathing  their  expressive  "o/i/"  in 
token  of  assent  or  approbation.  With  the  psalms,  sung 
probably  to  one  of  the  simple  solemn  chants  of  the  old 
church,  they  appeared  affected  and  charmed  ;  and  they 
repeatedly  afterward  requested  their  visiters  to  sing. 
On  taking  leave  they  declined  the  gifts  tendered,  either 
from  superstitious  dread,  or  as  probably  on  the  same 
principle  which  makes  a  clown  at  a  fair  afraid  to  accept 
the  tempting  shilling  offered  by  a  recruiting  sergeant, — 
from  no  dislike  to  the  coin,  or  reluctance  to  drink  the 
king's  health,  but  from  great  distrust  of  the  motives  of 
the  giver.  The  voyagers,  with  amusing  self-complai- 
sance, ascribe  this  fear  or  delicacy  to  the  deep  venera- 
tion of  the  natives,  and  to  their  thinking  *'  themselves 
sufficiently  enriched  and  happy  that  they  had  free  ac- 
cess to  see  us." 

The  Indians  here  managed  their  foreign  relations  with 
a  ceremonial  that  might  have  sufficed  for  more  refined 
societies.  The  news  of  the  arrival  of  the  English  having 
spread,  on  the  26th  two  heralds  or  pursuivants  arrived 
at  head-quarters,  craving  an  audience  of  the  captain- 
general  on  the  part  of  their  hioh  or  king.  The  precursor 
of  majesty  harangued  a  full  half-hour,  his  associate  die- 


1^  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

tating  to,  or  prompting  him,  and  concluded  by  demand- 
ing tokens  of  friendship  and  safe  conduct  for  the  chief. 
These  were  cheerfully  given. 

The  approach  of  the  Jdoh  was  well  arranged,  and  im- 
posing in  effect.     First  came  the  sceptre  or  mace-bear- 
er as  he  is  called,  though  club-bearer  would  be  the  more 
correct  phrase.     This  officer  was  a  tall  and  handsome 
man,  of  noble  presence.     His  staffer  club  of  office  was 
about  five  feet  in  length,  and  made  of  a  dark  wood.     To 
this  were  attached  two  pieces  of  net- work  or  chain- work, 
curiously  and  delicately  wrought,  of  a  bony  substance, 
minute,  thin,  and  burnished ;  and  consisting  of  innumer- 
able links.     He  had  also  a  basket  of  tabah.     These  net- 
cauls  or  chains  were  supposed  to  be  the  insignia  of  per- 
sonal rank  and  dignity,  akin  to  the  crosses,  stars,  and 
ribands  of  civilized  nations,  the  number  of  them  worn  de- 
noting the  degree  of  consequence,  as  the  importance  of  a 
pasha  is  signified  by  the  number  of  his  tails.     The  king 
followed  his  minister,  and  in  his  turn  was  succeeded  by 
a  man  of  tall  stature,  with  an  air  of  natural  grandeur  and 
majesty  which  struck  the  English  visiters.     The  royal 
guard  came  next  in  order.     It  was  formed  of  one  hun- 
dred picked  men,  tall  and  martial-looking,  and  clothed 
in  skins.     Some  of  them  wore  ornamental  head-dresses 
made  of  feathers,  or  of  a  feathery  down  which  grew  upon 
a  plant  of  the  country.     The  king  wore  about  his  shoul- 
ders a  robe  made  of  the  skins  of  the  species  of  marmot 
afterward  described.     Next  in  place  in  this  national 
procession  came  the  common  people,  every  one  painted, 
though  in  a  variety  of  patterns,  and  with  feathers  stuck 
in  the  club  of  hair  drawn  up  at  the  crown  of  their  heads. 
The  women  and  children  brought  up  the  rear,  carrying 
each,   as  a  propitiatory  gift,  a  basket,  in  which  was 
either  tahah^  broiled  fish,  or  a  root  that  the  natives  ate 
both  raw  and  baked. 

Drake,  seeing  them  so  numerous,  drew  up  his  men  in 
order,  and  under  arms,  within  his  fortification  or  block- 
house. At  a  few  paces'  distance  the  procession  halted, 
and  deep  silence  was  observed,  while  the  sceptre-bear- 
er, prompted  as  before  by  another  official,  harangued  for 
a  full  half-hour.     His  eloquent  address,  whatever  it 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  43 

might  import,  receiving  the  concurrent  "oA/"  of  the  na- 
tional assembly,  the  same  orator  commenced  a  song  or 
chant,  keeping  time  in  a  slow,  solemn  dance,  performed 
with  a  stately  air,  the  king  and  all  the  warriors  joining 
both  in  the  measure  and  the  chorus.     The  females  also 
moved   in  the   dance,  but  silently.     Drake  could  no 
longer  doubt  of  their  amicable  feelings  and  peaceful  in- 
tentions.    They  were  admitted,  still  singing  and  moving 
in  a  choral  dance,  within  the  fort.     The  orations  and 
songs  were   renewed  and  prolonged ;  and  the  chief, 
placing  one  of  his  crowns  upon  the  head  of  the  captain- 
general,  and  investing  him  with  the  other  imagined  in- 
signia of  royalty,  courteously  tendered  him  his  whole 
dominions,  and  hailed  him  king!     Songs  of  triumph 
were  raised,  as  if  in  confirmation  of  this  solemn  cession 
of  territory  and  sovereignty.     Such  is  the  interpretation 
which  the  old  voyagers  put  upon  a  ceremony  that  has 
been  more  rationally  conjectured  to  resemble  the  inter- 
change or  exchange  of  names,  which  in  the  South  Sea 
islands  seals  the  bonds  of  friendship;  or  as  something 
equivalent  to  a  European  host  telling  his  visiter  that  he 
is  master  of  the  house.     "  The  admiral,"  it  is  shrewdly 
observed,  "accepted  of  this  new-offered  dignity  in  her 
majesty's  name,  and  for  her  use;  it  being  probable  that, 
from  this  donation,  whether  made  in  jest  or  earnest  by 
these  Indians,  some  real  advantage  might  hereafter  re- 
dound to  the  English  nation  and  interest  in  these  parts." 
We  are  expressly  informed  that  the  natives  afterward 
actually  worshipped  their  guests ;  and  that  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  check  their  idolatrous  homage.     They  roam- 
ed about  among  the  tents,  admiring  all  they  saw,  and 
expressing  their  attachment  to  the  English  in  their  own 
peculiar  fashion.     It  was  for  the  youngest  of  the  com- 
pany these  fondnesses  were  imbibed.     To  express  afFec- 
lion,  the  Indians  surrounded  and  gazed  upon  them,  and 
then  began  to  howl  and  tear  their  flesh  till  they  stream- 
ed in  their  own  blood,  to  demonstrate  the  liveliness  and 
strength  of  their  affection.     The  same  unnatural  and 
uncouth  shows  of  regard  continued  to  be  made  while  the 
English  remained  on  the  coast;  and  obeisances  and 
homage  were  rendered,  which,  being  considered  as  ap- 


44  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

preaching  to  sacrifice  or  worship,  were  strenuously  and 
piously  disclaimed.  These  people  are  described  as  an 
amiable  race ;  of  a  free,  tractable,  kindly  nature,  with- 
out guile  or  treachery.  To  mark  their  esteem  of  the 
English,  and  confidence  in  their  skill  and  superiority,  it 
may  be  noticed  that  they  applied  for  medicaments  for 
their  wounds  and  sores. 

The  men,  as  has  been  noticed,  were  generally  naked ; 
but  the  women,  besides  the  short  petticoat  woven  of 
peeled  bulrushes,  wore  deer  skins,  with  the  hair  on, 
round  their  shoulders.  They  were  remarked  to  be  good 
wives, — very  obedient  and  serviceable  to  their  hus- 
bands. The  men  were  so  robust  and  powerful  that  a 
burden  which  could  hardly  be  borne  by  two  of  the  sea- 
men, a  single  native  would  with  ease  carry  up  and 
down  hill  for  a  mile  together.  Their  weapons  were 
bows  and  arrows,  but  of  a  feeble,  useless  kind.  Their 
dwellings  were  constructed  in  a  round  form,  built  of 
earth,  and  roofed  with  pieces  of  wood  joined  together  at 
a  common  centre,  somev/hat  in  form  of  a  spire.  Being 
partly  under  ground,  they  were  close  and  warm.  The 
fire  was  placed  in  the  middle,  and  beds  of  rushes  were 
spread  on  the  floor. 

Before  sailing,  Drake  made  an  excursion  into  the  in- 
terior. Immense  herds  of  deer  were  seen,  large  and 
fat ;  and  the  country  seemed  one  immense  warren  of  a 
species  of  cony  of  the  size  of  a  Barbary  rat,  "  their  heads 
and  faces  like  rabbits  in  England ;  their  paws  like  a 
mole,  their  tails  like  a  rat.  Under  their  chin  on  each 
side  was  a  pouch,  into  which  they  gathered  meat  to  feed 
their  young,  or  serve  themselves  another  time."  The 
natives  ate  the  flesh  of  those  animals,  and  greatly  prized 
their  skins,  of  which  the  state-robes  worn  by  the  king 
at  his  interview  with  Drake  were  made. 

The  admiral  named  this  fair  and  fertile  country  New 
Albion,  and  erected  a  monument  of  his  discovery,  to 
which  was  nailed  a  brass  plate  bearing  the  name,  effigy, 
and  arms  of  her  majesty,  and  asserting  her  territorial 
rights,  and  the  date  of  possession  being  taken. 

Drake  had  spent  thirty-six  days  at  this  place, — a  long 
but  necessary  sojourn;  but  the  repairs  of  the  ship  being 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  45 

completed,  on  the  23d  of  July  he  bore  away  from  Port 
Drake,  the  kind-hearted  natives  deeply  bewailing  the 
departure  of  their  new  friends.  The  regret,  good-will, 
and  respect  were  indeed  mutual.  The  Indians  entreat- 
ed the  English  to  remember  them,  and  as  a  farewell 
offering  or  homage  secretly  provided  what  is  called  a 
sacrifice.  While  the  ship  remained  in  sight,  they  kept 
fires  burning  on  the  heights.  It  is  delightful  at  this  time 
to  hear  of  Europeans  leaving  grateful  remembrances 
of  their  visits  on  any  coast,  and  the  pleasure  is  enhan- 
ced by  being  able  to  claim  this  honour  for  our  country- 
men. It  was  from  some  fancied  resemblance  to  the 
white  cliffs  of  England  that  Drake  bestowed  on  the  coast 
he  had  surveyed,  the  name  of  New  Albion.* 

Next  day  a  store  of  seals  and  birds  were  caught  at 
some  small  islands  which  are  now  supposed  to  be  the 
Farellones  of  modern  charts. 

Thus  far  had  Drake  boldly  explored  in  search  of  a 
passage  homeward,  either  through  an  undiscovered 
strait,  or  around  the  northern  extremity  of  the  continent 
of  America;  but  now  this  design,  so  honourable  to  his 
enterprise  and  even  to  his  sagacity,  was  for  the  present 
abandoned ;  the  winds  being  adverse,  and  the  season 
too  much  advanced  to  prosecute  farther  so  perilous  an 
adventure.  Leaving  the  scene  of  his  discoveries  on  the 
western  coast  of  America,  which  are  reckoned  to  begin 
immediately  to  the  north  of  Cape  Mendocino  and  to  ex- 
tend to  48'^  N.,  Drake,  with  the  unanimous  consent  of 
his  company,  having  formed  the  design  of  returning 
home  by  India  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  sailed  west- 
ward for  sixty-eight  days  without  coming  in  sight  of 
land.  On  the  13th  of  September  he  fell  in  with  some 
islands  in  8°  N.  As  soon  as  the  Golden  Hind  appeared, 
the  natives  came  off  in  canoes,  each  containing  from 
four  to  fourteen  men,  bringing  cocoanuts,  fish,  and  fruits. 
Their  canoes  were  ingeniously  formed  and  prettily  or- 


*  After  passing  Punta  de  los  Reyes,  Captain  Beechey  awaited  the  return 
of  day,  off  some  white  cUiFs,  which  he  believed  must  be  those  which  made 
Sir  Francis  Drake  bestow  on  this  tract  of  country  the  name  of  New  Albion, 


i 


46  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

namented,  hollowed  out  of  a  single  tree,  and  so  high  at 
the  stern  and  prow  as  to  be  nearly  semicircular.  The 
islanders  were  not  yet  sufficiently  enlightened  in  mer- 
cantile affairs  to  have  learned  that  honesty  is  the  deal- 
er's best  policy.  Drake,  however,  instead  of  imitating 
the  conduct  of  Magellan,  and  instantly  shooting  them 
for  thieving,  or  burning  their  houses,  endeavoured  to 
bring  them  to  a  sense  of  propriety  merely  by  refusing  to 
traffic  with  those  w^ho  w^cre  found  dishonest.  This  ex- 
cited their  displeasure,  and  a  general  attack  of  stones 
was  commenced.  A  cannon,  not  shotted,  fired  over 
their  heads  to  scare  them  away  had  only  this  effect  for  a 
short  time.  The  general  was  at  last  compelled  to  adopt 
more  severe  measures  of  retaliation,  and  we  are  told  in 
vague  terms  that  "smart  was  necessaiy  as  well  as  ter- 
ror." The  natives  of  those  Islands  of  Thieves,  as  they 
were  named  by  the  English,  had  the  lobes  of  their  ears 
cut  out  into  a  circle,  which  hung  down  on  their  cheeks. 
Their  teeth  were  black  as  jet,  from  the  use  of  a  powder 
which  they  constantly  employed  for  the  purpose  of 
staining  them.  This  powder  they  carried  about  witli 
them  in  a  hollow  cane.  Another  peculiarity  observed 
was  the  length  of  their  nails,  which  was  above  an  inch. 
It  has  been  conjectured,  with  every  mark  of  probability, 
that  Drake's  Islands  of  Thieves  are  the  islands  named 
De  Sequeira,  discovered  by  Diego  da  Rocha,  and  the 
Pelew  Islands  of  our  own  times ;  if  so,  the  morals  of 
the  inhabitants  must  have  improved  greatly  in  the  long 
interval  which  elapsed  between  this  first  visit  of  the 
English  and  that  made  by  Captain  Wilson  in  the  Duffl 
The  wind  coming  fair,  on  the  3d  of  October  the  Golden 
Hind  stood  westward,  and  on  the  16th  of  the  month 
made  the  Philippines  in  7°  5'  north  of  the  fine.  They 
first  fell  in  with  four  islands  having  a  thick  population, 
or  the  appearance  of  it.  These  they  visited,  and  after- 
ward anchored  in  Mindanao.  Sailing  hence  on  the 
22d,  they  kept  a  southerly  course,  and  passed  between 
two  islands  about  six  or  eight  leagues  south  of  Minda- 
nao, supposed  to  be  the  Sarangan  and  Candigar. 

On  the  3d  of  November  the  Moluccas  were  seen,  and 
they  steered  for  Tidore ;  but  in  coasting  along  Motir  a 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  4^ 

boat  came  off,  from  which  Drake  learned  that  the  Por- 
tuguese,  expelled  from  Terrenate,  or  Ternate,  by  tb 
king  of  that  island,  had  fixed  their  head-quarters  at  Ti- 
dore.  In  this  boat  was  the  Viceroy  of  Motir,  whicl 
island  was  under  the  sovereignty  of  the  powerful  anc 
warlike  king  of  Ternate.  As  soon  as  the  viceroy  under- 
stood that  Drake  had  no  reason  either  to  love  or  trus' 
the  Portuguese,  he  entreated  him  to  change  his  destina- 
tion ;  and  the  ship  accordingly  steered  for  the  port  ol 
Ternate. 

Previous  to  coming  to  an  anchor  before  the  town,  a 
courteous  offer  of  friendship  was  made  by  the  general 
through  a  messenger  whom  he  sent  on  shore  with  a  vel- 
vet cloak  as  a  present  to  the  king,  and  who  was  instruct^ 
ed  to  say  that  the  English  came  hither  only  to  trade  and 
to  procure  refreshments.  The  viceroy  of  Motir  had 
previously  disposed  the  king  to  give  Drake  a  favourable 
reception.  To  the  general's  message  a  gracious  answei* 
was  returned.  All  that  the  territories  of  the  King  of 
Ternate  afforded,  were  at  the  disposal  of  the  English, 
and  that  prince  was  ready  to  lay  himself  and  his  whole 
dominions  at  the  feet  of  so  glorious  a  princess  as  the 
Queen  of  England.  By  some  of  the  voyagers  this  flour- 
ish of  oriental  hyperbole  is  most  literally  interpreted. 
The  English  envoy  was  received  with  great  pomp ;  and 
as  credentials,  or  safe-conduct,  a  signet  (we  are  not  told 
in  what  form)  was  transmitted  through  him  to  the  cap- 
tain-general. Before  the  ship  came  to  anchor  the  king 
put  off*  to  pay  it  a  visit  of  welcome  and  ceremony.  The 
royal  equipment  consisted  of  three  state  barges,  or  ca- 
noes, filled  with  the  most  distinguished  persons  of  hit! 
retinue.  They  wore  dresses  of  white  muslin, — "white 
lawn,  of  cloth  of  Calicut."  Over  their  heads  w^as  a 
canop3^  or  awning  of  perfumed  mats,  supported  on  a 
framework  of  reeds.  Their  personal  attendants,  also 
dressed  in  w^hite,  stood  next  them ;  and  beyond  these 
were  ranks  of  warriors  armed  with  dirks  and  daggers.,. 
These  again  were  encircled  by  the  rowers,  of  which 
there  were  eighty  to  each  barge,  placed  in  galleries 
raised  above  the  other  seats,  three  on  each  side.  They 
rowed,  or  rather  paddled,  in  cadence  to  the  clashing  of 


48  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

cymbals,  and  altogether  made  a  gallant  show.  The 
king,  who  advanced  in  the  last  barge,  was  saluted  with 
a  discharge  of  all  the  great  guns,  and  the  martial  music 
which  Drake  employed  on  occasions  of  ceremonial, 
struck  up.  The  canoes  paddled  round  and  round  the 
ship,  the  king  appearing  delighted  with  the  music,  and 
gratified  by  the  signs  of  wealth  and  magnificence  ex- 
hibited by  his  visiters.  He  was  himself  a  tall,  stout, 
graceful  man,  and  celebrated  as  a  conqueror  and  war- 
rior. B}^  policy  and  force  of  arms  he  had  not  only  ex- 
pelled the  Portuguese  from  this  island,  but  subdued 
many  others,  so  that  seventy  islands  now  owned  his 
sway.  He  professed  the  faith  of  Mohammed,  which 
was  now  become  the  religion  of  all  his  dominions.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark,  that  in  the  ceremonies  and  external 
observances  of  royalty  the  native  princes  of  these  Indian 
islands  might  have  vied  with  the  most  polished  courts 
of  Europe.  Elizabeth,  whose  board  was  daily  spread 
with  lowly  bends  and  reverences,  was  not  more  punc- 
tilious in  ceremonial  and  etiquette  than  the  sovereign  of 
Ternate.  His  courtiers  and  attendants  approached  the 
royal  presence  with  the  most  profound  respect,  no  one 
speaking  to  the  king  save  in  a  kneeling  posture.  As 
soon  as  the  ship  came  to  an  anchor  the  king  took  leave, 
promising  another  visit  on  the  following  da}^ 

That  same  evening  a  present  of  fowls,  rice,  sugar, 
cloves,  and  frigo  was  received,  and  "  a  sort  of  fruit," 
says  the  Famous  Voyage,  **they  call  sago,  which  is  a 
meal  made  out  of  the  tops  of  trees,  melting  in  the  mouth 
like  sugar,  but  eating  like  sour  curd;  but  yet  when 
made  into  cakes  will  keep  so  as  to  be  very  fit  for  eating 
at  the  end  of  ten  years."  It  is  pleasant  to  come  thus 
upon  the  first  simple  notice  of  those  productions  of  other 
climes  which  have  so  long  contributed  to  the  comfort, 
variety,  or  luxury  of  European  communities. 

Instead  of  coming  on  board  next  day  the  king  sent  his 
brother  to  bear  his  excuses,  and  to  remain  as  a  hostage 
for  the  safe  return  of  the  captain-general,  who  was  in- 
vited to  land.  The  invitation  was  not  accepted,  the 
English  having  some  doubts  of  the  good  faith  of  the 
fair-promising  sovereign  of  Ternate.    But  some  of  the 


SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE.  49 

gentlemen  went  on  shore ;  their  first  acquaintance,  the 
Viceroy  of  Motir,  remaining  as  a  hostage,  as  well  as  the 
king's  brother.  On  landing,  they  were  received  with 
the  pomp  which  had  been  intended  to  grace  the  entrance 
of  Drake  into  the  capital;  another  brother  of  the  king 
and  a  party  of  the  nobles  conducted  them  to  the  palace, 
which  stood  near  the  dismantled  fort  of  the  expelled 
Portuguese.  There  they  found  an  assembly  of  at  least 
a  thousand  persons,  sixty  of  them  being  courtiers  or 
privy-counsellors,  "very  grave  persons,"  and  four  Turk- 
ish envoys,  in  robes  of  scarlet  and  turbans,  who  were 
then  at  the  court  of  Ternate  concluding  a  treaty  of  com- 
merce. The  king  was  guarded  by  twelve  lances.  "A 
glorious  canopy  embroidered  with  gold  was  carried  over 
his  head."  His  garb  was  a  robe  ofclothof  gold,  hang- 
ing loose  about  his  person ;  his  legs  were  bare,  but  on 
his  feet  he  wore  slippers  of  Cordovan  leather.  Around 
his  neck  hung  a  weighty  chain  of  gold,  and  fillets  of  the 
same  metal  were  wreathed  through  his  hair.  On  his 
fingers  "w^ere  many  fair  jewels."  At  the  right  side  of 
his  chair  of  state  stood  a  page  cooling  him  with  a  fan 
two  feet  in  length  and  one  in  breadth,  embroidered  and 
adorned  with  sapphires,  and  fastened  to  a  staff  three 
feet  long,  by  which  it  was  moved.  His  voice  was  low, 
and  his  aspect  benign. 

Drake  did  not  afterward  land ;  and  the  offers  made 
of  exclusive  traffic  with  the  English  were,  it  appears, 
received  by  him  with  indifference. 

Having  procured  a  supply  of  provisions  and  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  cloves,  the  Golden  Hind  left  the  Mo- 
luccas on  the  9th  of  November,  and  on  the  14th  anchor- 
ed at  a  small  island  near  the  eastern  part  of  Celebes, 
which  they  named  Crab  Island.  This  place  being  un- 
inhabited and  affording  abundance  of  wood,  though  no 
water  was  found,  tents  were  erected  on  shore,  and 
fences  formed  around  them  ;  and  here  they  resolved 
effectually  to  repair  the  ship  for  her  homeward  voyage. 
This  proved  a  pleasant  sojourn.  The  island  was  one 
continued  forest  of  a  kind  of  trees,  large,  lofty,  and 
straight  in  the  stem,  nor  branching  out  till  near  the  top ; 
the  leaves  resembling  the  broom  of  England.     About 


50  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

these  trees  flicker  innumerable  bats  "as  big  as  hens." 
There  were  also  multitudes  of  shining  flies  no  bigger 
than  the  common  fly  in  England,  which,  skimming  up 
and  down  in  the  air,  between  the  trees  and  bushes, 
made  them  appear  "as  if  they  were  burning."  There 
were  also  great  numbers  of  land-crabs,  described  as  a 
sort  of  crayflsh,  "which  dig  holes  in  the  earth  like  co- 
nies, and  are  so  large  that  one  of  them  will  dine  four 
persons,  and  very  good  meat." 

At  a  small  neighbouring  island  water  was  procured, 
and  on  the  12th  of  December,  having  lain  at  Crab  Island 
about  a  month,  the  Hind  sailed  for  the  west,  and  soon 
got  entangled  among  islets  and  shoals,  which  induced 
them  to  steer  for  the  south,  to  get  free  of  such  dangerous 
ground.  At  this  time  occurred  the  most  imminent  peril 
and  providential  escape  that  attended  this  remarkable 
voyage, — an  incident  as  much  resembling  a  visible  in- 
terposition of  Divine  aid  where  human  hope  had  perish- 
ed as  any  to  be  found  among  the  almost  miraculous 
records  of  preservation  contained  in  the  relations  of 
maritime  adventure. 

After  being  teased  for  many  days,  on  the  9th  of  Janu- 
ary' they  flattered  themselves  that  the  shoals  were  at  last 
cleared.  On  that  same  evening,  early  in  the  first  watch, 
while  the  Golden  Hind  with  all  her  sails  set  was  run- 
ning before  a  fair  wind,  she  came  suddenly  upon  a 
shelving  rock,  and  stuck  fast.  Violent  as  was  the  shock 
she  had  sprung  no  leak,  and  the  boats  were  immediate- 
ly lowered  to  sound,  and  ascertain  if  an  anchor  could 
be  placed  in  such  a  situation  as  would  permit  the  ship  to 
be  drawn  ofl*  into  deep  water.  But  the  rock  in  which 
she  was  as  it  were  jammed,  shelved  so  abruptly  that  at 
the  distance  of  only  a  few  yards  no  bottom  could  be 
Ibund.  A  night  of  great  anxiety  was  passed ;  and  wlicn 
the  dawn  permitted  a  second  search  for  anchorage- 
ground,  it  only  ended  in  more  confirmed  and  bitter  dis- 
appointment. There  seemed  no  help  of  man  ;  yet  in 
the  midst  of  their  calamity  several  fortunate,  or  more 
properly  providential,  circumstances  intervened.  No 
leak  had  been  sprung ;  and  though  the  ebb-tide  left  the 
ship  in  only  six  feet  of  water,  while,  so  deeply  was  she 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  51 

treasure-laden,  thirteen  were  required  to  float  her,  a 
strong  and  steady  gale  blowing  from  the  side  to  which 
she  must  have  reeled  as  the  tide  gradually  receded, 
supported  her  in  this  dangerous  position.  In  this  dread- 
ful situation,  instead  of  giving  themselves  up  to  despair 
or  apathy,  Drake  and  his  company  behaved  with  the 
manliness,  coolness,  and  resolution  which  have  ever  in 
the  greatest  perils  characterized  British  seamen.  The 
crew  were  summoned  to  prayers,  and,  this  solemn  duty 
fulfilled,  a  last  united  effort  was  made  for  the  common 
safet}^  A  quantity  of  meal,  eight  of  the  guns,  and  three 
tons  of  cloves  were  thrown  overboard.  This  partial 
lightening  produced  no  visible  effect ;  the  ship  stuck  as 
fast  as  before.  The  simple  language  of  the  original 
narrative  is  so  much  more  forcible  and  touching  than 
any  modern  paraphrase,  that  we  at  once  adopt  it.  In 
a  single  sentence  it  displays  the  manly  and  self-depend- 
ing character  of  Drake,  and  the  veneration  and  implicit 
confidence  with  which  his  crew  regarded  him : — "  Of  all 
other  days,"  says  one  old  relation,  "on  the  9th  of  Jan- 
uary, in  the  yeere  1579  (1580,)  we  ranne  upon  a  rocke, 
where  we  stuck  fast  from  eight  of  the  clocke  at  nighte 
till  four  of  the  clocke  in  the  afternoon  of  next  day,  being, 
indeed,  out  of  all  hope  to  escape  the  danger ;  but  our 
generall,  as  hee  had  alwayes  shown  himself  couragious, 
and  of  a  good  confidence  in  the  mercie  and  protection  of 
God,  so  now  he  continued  in  the  same  ;  and  lest  he 
should  seem  to  perish  wilfully,  both  hee  and  wee  did  our 
best  endevour  to  save  ourselves,  which  it  pleased  God 
so  to  bless  that  in  the  ende  we  cleared  ourselves  most 
happily  of  the  danger."  It  was,  however,  by  no  effort 
of  their  own  that  they  were  finally  extricated,  though 
nothing  that  skill  and  courage  could  suggest  or  accom- 
phsh  was  wanting.  The  wind  slackened  and  fell  with 
the  tide,  and  at  the  lowest  of  the  ebb  veered  to  the  op- 
posite point,  when  the  vessel  suddenly  reeled  to  her 
side.  The  shock  loosened  her  keel,  and  at  the  moment 
of  what  appeared  inevitable  destruction  she  plunged 
into  the  deep  water  once  more  as  freely-  afloat  as  when 
first  launched  into  the  ocean.     The  thankfulness  of  the 


52  •  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

ship's  company  may  be  imagined.*  This  dangerous 
shoal  or  reef  is  not  far  from  the  coast  of  Celebes,  in  1^ 
56' S. 

Their  perilous  adventure  made  them  afterward  very 
wary  ;  and  it  was  not  till  some  weeks  had  elapsed  that, 
cautiously  exploring  their  way,  they  finally  extricated 
themselves  from  this  entangled  coast. 

On  the  8th  of  February  they  fell  in  with  the  island  of 
Baratane,  probably  the  island  now  called  Booton,  a 
pleasant  and  fruitful  place.  It  afforded  gold,  silver, 
copper,  and  sulphur.  The  fruits  and  other  natural  pro- 
ductions were  ginger,  long  pepper,  lemons,  cocoas,  cu- 
cumbers, nutmegs,  frigo,  sago,  &c.  &c.  Ternate  ex- 
cepted, this  island  afforded  better  and  greater  variety  of 
refreshments  for  the  mariner  than  any  land  at  which  our 
navigators  had  touched  since  they  had  left  England. 
The  inhabitants  were  worthy  of  the  fertile  region  they 
inhabited.  In  form  and  features  they  were  a  handsome 
people;  in  disposition  and  manners,  mild  and  friendly; 
fair  in  their  dealings,  and  obliging  in  their  behaviour. 
The  men  were  naked,  save  a  small  turban  and  a  piece 
of  cloth  about  their  waists ;  but  the  women  were  clothed 
from  the  middle  to  the  feet,  and  had  their  arms  loaded 
with  bracelets  fashioned  of  bone,  horn,  and  brass.  The 
men  universally  wore  ornaments  in  their  ears.  These 
islanders  received  the  English  with  kindness  and  civili- 
ty, and  gladly  supplied  their  wants. 

Leaving  Baratane  with  very  favourable  impressions 
of  the  country  and  the  people,  they  made  sail  for  Java, 
which  was  reached  on  the  12th  of  March.  Here  the 
navigators  remained  for  twelve  days  in  a  course  of  con- 


^  It  has  been  shrewdly  remarked,  that  these  pious  seamen  never  for  one 
moment  seem  to  have  entertained  the  idea  of  throwing  any  part  of  their 
immense  treasure  overboard,  which  would  have  materially  lightened  tho 
ship.  The  accoHnt  of  the  escape  given  in  "the  Famous  Voyage"  differs 
from  the  above,  which  is,  however,  regarded  as  the  most  authentic  relation 
of  this  almost  miraculous  preservation.  It  states,  that  after  the  ship  was 
lightened,  "the  wind  (as  it  were  in  a  moment  by  the  special  grace  of  God,) 
changing  from  the  starboard  to  the  larboard  side,  we  hoisted  our  sails,  and 
the  happy  gale  drove  our  ship  off  the  rocks  into  the  sea  again,  to  the  no  sn)all 
comfort  of  all  our  hearts;  for  which  we  gave  God  such  praise  and  tlianks  as 
so  great  a  benefit  required." 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  53 

stant  festivity.  The  island  was  at  this  time  governed 
by  five  independent  chiefs  or  rajahs,  who  lived  in  per- 
fect amity,  and  vied  with  each  other  in  showing  hospi- 
tality and  courtesy  to  their  English  visiters. 

The  social  condition  of  the  Javans  at  this  compara- 
tively early  period  exhibits  a  pleasing  and  attractive 
picture  of  semi-barbarous  life,  if  a  state  of  society  may 
be  thus  termed,  which  appears  to  realize  many  of  our 
late  Utopian  schemes  of  visionary  perfection.  The  Ja- 
vans were  of  good  size  and  well-formed,  bold,  and  war- 
like. Their  weapons  and  armour  were  swords,  buck- 
lers, and  daggers  of  their  own  manufacture,  the  blades 
admirably  tempered,  the  handles  highly  ornamented. 
The  upper  part  of  their  bodies  was  entirely  naked,  but 
from  the  waist  downwards  they  wore  a  flowing  garment 
of  silk  of  some  gay  and  favourite  colour.  In  ever}^  vil- 
lage there  was  a  house  of  assembly,  or  public  hall, 
where  these  social  and  cheerful  people,  whom  we  may 
call  the  French  of  the  Indian  islands,  met  twice  a  day 
to  partake  of  a  kind  of  picnic  meal  and  enjoy  the  plea- 
sures of  conversation.  To  this  common  festival  every 
one  contributed  at  his  pleasure  or  convenience,  bringing 
fruits,  boiled  rice,*  roast  fowls,  and  sago.  On  a  table 
raised  three  feet  the  feast  was  spread,  and  the  party 
gathered  round,  "every  one  delighting  in  the  company 
of  another."  While  the  Hind  lay  here  a  constant  in- 
tercourse and  interchange  of  kindnesses  and  civilities 
were  maintained  between  the  sea  and  shore  ;  the  rajahs 
coming  frequently  on  board  either  singly  or  together. 

But  the  delights  of  Java  could  not  long  banish  the 
remembrance  of  England,  to  which  every  wish  was  now 
directed.  Making  sail  from  Java,  the  first  land  seen 
was  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  they  passed  on  the 
15th  of  June.  The  Spaniards  had  not  more  studiously 
magnified  the  real  dangers  of  Magellan's  Straits  than 


*  The  Javan  cookery  of  rice,  as  described  by  Drake's  crew,  is  worthy  of 
a  place  in  English  cookery  books.  An  earthen  vessel  of  a  conical  form, 
open  at  the  widest  end,  and  perforated  with  holes,  was  filled  with  rice,  and 
plunged  into  a  larger  vessel  of  boiling  water.  The  rice,  swelling,  sooji 
stopped  the  holes,  and  the  mass  was  steamed  till  it  became  firm  and  hard 
like  bread,  when  it  was  eaten  with  spices,  fruit,  sugar,  moat,  oil,  &c.  &e. 


54  SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE. 

the  Portuguese  had  exaggerated  and  misrepresented  the 
storms  and  perils  which  surround  the  Cape ;  and  it  re- 
quired the  characteristic  intrepidity  and  consummate 
skill  of  Drake  to  venture  with  his  single  bark  on  this 
doubtful  and  almost  untried  navigation.  It  is,  however, 
probable  that  he  suspected  the  craft  which  suggested 
this  attempt  to  hoodwink  and  delude  all  other  maritime 
nations,  that  Portugal  might  long  retain  a  monopoly  of 
her  important  discovery.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  ship's 
company  were  surprised  that  close  by  the  Cape — "the 
most  stately  thing  and  goodliest  cape  seen  in  the  circum- 
ference of  the  whole  earth" — no  violent  tempests  or 
awful  perils  were  encountered ;  and  they  accordingly 
shrewdly  concluded  the  report  of  the  "  Portugals  most 
false." 

Deeming  it  unsafe  or  inexpedient  to  halt  here,  Drake 
stood  for  land  of  which  he  had  better  knowledge,  and 
on  the  22d  of  July  arrived  at  Sierra  Leone.  Water 
was  obtained,  and  the  refreshment  of  fruits  and  oysters, 
of  which,  we  are  told,  "  one  kind  was  found  on  trees 
spawning  and  increasing  wonderfully, — the  oyster  suf- 
fering no  bud  to  grow."  It  was  imagined  the  26th  of 
September,  1580,  when,  without  touching  at  other  land. 
Captain  Drake,  after  a  voyage  of  two  years  and  ten 
months,  came  to  anchor,  whence  he  had  set  out,  in  the 
harbour  of  Plymouth.  The  day  of  the  week  was  INIon- 
day,  though  by  the  reckoning  kept  by  the  voyagers 
Sunday,  and  the  27th  the  true  time  ;  the  same  loss  of  a 
day  having  befallen  them  which  had  puzzled  Magellan's 
crew, — a  myster}^  now  clear  to  the  most  juvenile  student 
in  geography. 

The  safe  return  of  the  expedition,  the  glory  attending 
so  magnificent  an  enterprise,  and  the  immense  mass  of 
w^ealth  brought  home,  made  the  arrival  of  Drake  be  hail- 
ed throughout  England  as  an  event  of  great  national 
importance.  Such  in  fact  it  was,  as  his  success  gave 
an  incalculable  impetus  to  the  rapidly-increasing  mari- 
time spirit  of  the  country. 

The  bravery,  the  exploits,  and  the  wonderful  adven- 
tures of  Drake,  immediately  became  the  theme  of  every 
tongue.     Courtiers  patronised  and  poets  praised  him  ; 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  55 

mid,  to  complete  his  celebrity,  envious  detractors  were 
not  wanting,  who  with  some  plausibility,  represented 
that  England  and  Spain,  though  cherishing  the  bitterest 
national  antipathy,  being  still  nominally  at  peace,  his 
enterprises  were  at  best  but  those  of  a  splendid  corsair ; 
and  that  his  spoliation  of  the  subjects  of  Spain  must 
provoke  reprisal  on  such  merchants  as  had  goods  and 
dealings  in  that  country.  It  was  urged  that,  of  all 
countries,  a  trading  nation  like  England,  should  care- 
fully avoid  offending  in  a  kind  which  laid  her  open  to 
speedy  punishment,  and  must  frustrate  the  advance- 
ment of  her  maritime  prosperity.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  friends  and  admirers  of  the  navigator  contended, 
that  he  of  all  men,  who  had  been  so  deep  a  sufferer 
from  their  perfidy,  was  entitled  to  take  the  punishment 
of  the  Spaniards  into  his  own  hands;  and  that  his  gal- 
lant enterprise,  while  it  inspired  foreign  nations  with  a 
high  opinion  of  the  maritime  talent  and  power  of  Eng- 
land, would  at  home  excite  the  noblest  emulation, — an 
effect  which  it  already  had,  the  island,  from  the  one 
•extreme  to  the  other,  being  now  inflamed  with  the  ar- 
dour that  his  splendid  achievements  had  kindled,  and 
which  was  soon  to  be  manifested  in  a  series  of  actions 
emanating  directly  from  his  expedition. 

In  the  mean  while  Drake  lost  no  time  in  repairing  to 
court.  Elizabeth,  who  with  all  her  faults,  never  favour- 
ed the  despicable,  was  more  purely  the  fountain  of  all 
favour  and  honour  than  any  preceding  sovereign,  and 
her  personal  regard  more  the  object  of  ambition.  Drake 
was  graciously  received,  but  not  yet  openly  counte- 
nanced. The  queen  permitted  the  first  fervours  of 
both  his  admirers  and  enemies  to  abate  before  she 
openly  declared  her  own  sentiments.  A  show  of  cold- 
ness was  also  a  necessary  part  of  the  subtle  game  she 
was  still  playing  with  Spain. 

The  complaints  of  the  Spaniards  were  violent  and 
loud ;  and  the  queen  deemed  it  prudent  to  place  the 
wealth  brought  home  under  sequestration  till  their 
claims  should  be  investigated ;  or,  more  correctly,  till 
the  complainers  could  be  either  baffled  or  wearied  out 


56  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

in  solicitation.  It  was  the  policy  of  Elizabeth  to  pro- 
tract the  long-impending  hostilities  between  the  coun- 
tries, and  among  other  means  the  plundered  gold  was 
employed.  As  a  foretaste,  or  a  bribe  to  purchase  peace 
a  little  longer,  several  small  sums  were  paid  to  the 
agent  for  Spanish  claims ;  but,  when  tired  of  the  game 
of  diplomacy,  which  the  queen  relished  as  much  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  play  as  the  value  of  the  stakes,  she 
suddenly  took  the  resolution  of  openly  countenancing 
the  daring  navigator,  whose  boldness,  discretion,  and 
brilliant  success,  were  so  happily  adapted  to  gain  her 
favour. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1581,  the  queen  went  in  state  to 
dine  on  board  the  Golden  Hind,  now  lying  at  Deptford ; 
and  Drake,  who  naturally  loved  show  and  magnificence, 
spared  no  pains  in  furnishing  a  banquet  worthy  of  his 
royal  guest.  After  dinner  the  queen  conferred  upon 
him  the  honor  of  knighthood, — enhancing  the  value  of 
the  distinction  by  politely  saying,  "  that  his  actions  did 
him  more  honor  than  the  title  which  she  conferred." 
The  queen  also  gave  orders  that  his  ship  should  be  pre- 
served as  a  monument  of  the  glory  of  the  nation  and  of 
the  illustrious  commander.  This  was  done,  and  when 
it  would  no  longer  hold  together,  a  chair  was  made  of 
one  of  the  planks,  and  presented  as  a  relic  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford.*  On  the  day  of  the  queen's  visit,  in 
compliment  to  her  majesty's  scholarship,  a  variety  of 
Latin  verses,  composed  by  the  scholars  of  Winchester 
College,  were  nailed  to  the  mainmast,  in  which  the 
praises  of  the  ship  and  the  queen  were  alternated  and 
intermingled.  The  Golden  Hind  afterward  became 
the  theme  of  the  muse  of  Cowley.  One  translation  of 
a  Latin  epigram  on  the  ship,  we  select  from  a  multitude 


*  The  particulars  of  this  "  stately  visit,"  would  unduly  swell  the  narrative. 
On  this  day  Elizabeth,  who,  like  King  William  IV.,  loved  to  be  surrounded 
by  her  subjects,  was  attended  in  her  progress  to  Deptford  by  an  immense 
concourse  of  people,  who  crowded  so  tliickly  upon  the  temporary  bridge, 
or  planks  placed  between  the  river's  bank  and  the  ship,  that  it  gave  way,  and 
some  hundreds  fell  into  the  water,  This  was  an  unlucky  adventure,  but  no 
one  was  either  killed  or  hurt,  which  the  ready-witted  princess  attributed  sole- 
ly to  the  good  fortune  of  Drake, 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  57 

of  verses,  as  its  quaintness  is  redeemed  by  its  ele- 


The  stars  above  will  make  thee  known, 
If  man  were  silent  here  ; 
The  Snn  himself  cannot  forget 
His  fellow-traveller. 

The  reputation  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  had  now  ob- 
tained that  court-stamp  which,  without  increasing  value, 
gives  currency.  Though  EHzabeth  had  so  far  tempo- 
rized as  to  sequestrate  for  a  time  the  wealth  brought 
home,  the  Spanish  complaints  of  the  English  sailing  in 
the  South  Sea,  she  scornfully  dismissed, — denying 
"  that,  b}^  the  Bishop  of  Rome's  donation,  or  any  other 
right,  the  Spaniards  were  entitled  to  debar  the  subjects 
of  other  princes  from  these  new  countries ;  the  gift  of 
what  is  another's  constituting  no  valid  right ; — that 
touching  here  and  there,  and  naming  a  river  or  cape, 
could  not  give  a  proprietary  title,  nor  hinder  other  na- 
tions from  trading  or  colonizing  in  those  parts  where  the 
Spaniards  had  not  planted  settlements."  One  objec- 
tionable part  of  Drake's  conduct  thus  obtained  royal 
vindication  ;  and  as  the  war,  long  impending,  was  no 
longer  avoidable,  his  alleged  depredations  were  forgot- 
ten even  by  his  envious  detractors,  and  his  fame  became 
as  universal  as  it  was  high.  Envy  itself  had  ever  been 
forced  to  acknowledge,  not  merely  his  maritime  skill 
and  genius  for  command,  but  the  humanity  and  benevo- 
lence that  marked  his  dealings  with  the  Indians,  and  the 
generosity  with  which  he  uniformly  treated  his  captives 
of  that  nation  of  all  others  the  most  hateful  to  English- 
men, and  in  some  respects  the  most  injurious  to  himself. 

Hostilities  with  Spain,  so  long  protracted  by  the  poli- 
cy of  Elizabeth,  were  now  about  to  commence  in  good 
earnest ;  and  Drake  may  be  said  to  have  struck  the  first 
blow.  War  was  not  formally  declared  when  he  pro- 
jected an  expedition  in  concert  with  Sir  Philip  Sidney  ; 
the  two  most  popular  men  of  their  time  being  to  com- 
mand, the  one  the  land,  and  the  other  the  sea  force.  On 
the  part  of  Sir  Philip  the  design  was  abandoned  at  the 
express  command  of  the  queen,  who  required  his  servi- 
6 


68  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

ces  in  the  Netherlands,  where  he  had  already  been 
usefully  employed  for  the  public  cause,  and  where,  in 
the  following  year,  he  met  his  early  and  glorious  death. 
Sir  Francis  Drake's  armament  consisted  of  twenty-five 
sail,  of  which  two  vessels  were  queen's  ships.  His 
force  amounted  to  two  thousand  three  hundred  seamen 
and  soldiers.  Under  his  command  were  several  officers 
of  experience  and  high  reputation.  His  lieutenant- 
general  was  Christopher  Carlile,  his  vice-admiral  the 
celebrated  navigator,  Martin  Frobisher ;  and  Captain 
Francis  KnoUys,  and  other  officers  of  celebrity,  were 
among  his  coadjutors  in  an  enterprise,  the  object  of 
which  was  to  unite  public  advantage  with  private 
emolument. 

The  fleet  stood  at  once  for  the  coast  of  Spain,  where 
Drake  meditated  a  bold  stroke  at  the  enemy's  naval 
force,  and  this  without  very  rigid  preliminary  inquiry 
whether  war  had  been  declared  or  not.  His  demand  to 
know  why  an  embargo  had  been  laid  upon  the  goods  of 
certain  English  merchants,  was  answered  in  terms  so 
pacific,  that  finding  it  impossible  to  fasten  a  quarrel 
upon  the  Spaniards  which  would  justify  reprisal,  the 
fleet  cruised  from  Sebastian's  to  Vigo,  capturing  some 
small  tenders.  They  next  stood  for  the  Cape  de  Verd 
Islands,  where,  landing  one  thousand  men  in  the  night, 
Drake,  with  a  handful  of  them,  surprised  and  took  St. 
Jago,  which  the  inhabitants  hastily  abandoned.  This 
was  on  the  17th  of  November,  1585,  and  the  day  of 
Elizabeth's  accession,  which  was  celebrated  by  the 
guns  of  the  castle  firing  a  salute,  to  which  those  of  the 
fleet  replied.  The  conquest  had  proved  easy,  but  the 
booty  was  in  proportion  inconsiderable,  consisting  chief- 
ly of  trifling  merchandise,  and  the  tawdry,  worthless 
wares  employed  in  trading  with  the  Indians  of  the 
islands  and  on  the  shores  of  the  continent  of  America. 
If  there  had  been  any  treasure  in  the  place,  it  was  either 
carried  away  or  eflectually  concealed  ;  and  the  threats 
of  the  invaders  to  burn  and  slay,  unless  the  terms  of 
ransom  which  they  dictated  were  complied  with,  pro- 
duced no  effect.  The  islanders  seemed  determined 
either  to  weary  or  to  starve  out  the  invaders ;  and  their 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  59 

easy  conquest  soon  became  no  desirable  possession. 
On  the  24th,  a  village  twelve  miles  in  the  interior, 
named  St.  Domingo,  was  taken ;  but  the  islanders  still 
kept  aloof;  and  posting  placards,  denouncing  the  for- 
mer cowardice  and  cruelty  of  the  Portuguese,  and  their 
present  pusillanimity,  the  English  prepared  to  depart. 
Then,  for  the  first  time,  a  force  appeared  hanging  off 
and  on,  as  if  to  annoy  their  retreat.  Burning  the  town, 
and  every  place  within  reach,  the  English  re-embarked 
in  good  order,  and  stood  for  the  West  Indies. 

In  palliation  of  what  may  appear  useless  severity,  it 
must  be  stated  that,  besides  refusing  the  terms  of  ran- 
som offered  them,  the  Portuguese  had  perpetrated  the 
most  wanton  cruelty  on  an  English  boy  who  had  strag- 
gled, and  whose  corpse  was  found  by  his  countrymen, 
torn,  disfigured,  and  dismembered, — as  if  he  had  rather 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  most  ferocious  tribe  of  canni- 
bals than  among  a  Christian  people.  The  islanders 
had  also,  five  years  before,  murdered,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  truce,  the  crew  of  a  Bristol  vessel  com- 
manded by  Captain  William  Hawkins.  The  vengeance 
which  may  afterward  be  taken  by  their  countrymen 
forms  a  strong  protection  to  a  single  ship's  company,  or 
to  a  weak  crew  on  a  distant  coast ;  and  if  there  may  not 
be  strict  equity,  there  is  at  least  commendable  policy  in 
a  commander  showing  that  neither  former  kindness  nor 
yet  treachery  to  the  people  of  his  nation  is  either  un- 
known or  forgotten. 

While  the  fleet  lay  here,  that  malignant  fever  which 
proves  the  scourge  of  soldiers  and  seamen  in  these 
climes  broke  out  with  great  inveteracy,  and  carried  off 
between  two  and  three  hundred  of  the  men. 

They  next  touched  at  St.  Christopher's  and  Domini- 
ca, where  they  had  a  friendly  interview  with  some  of 
the  aborigines,  at  which  the  toys  and  wares  of  St.  Jago 
were  liberally  exchanged  for  tobacco  and  cassada. 

Attracted  by  the  fame  of  *'  the  brave  city"  of  St.  Do- 
mingo, one  of  the  oldest  and  wealthiest  of  the  Spanish 
settlements  in  the  West  Indies,  it  was  determined  to 
carry  it.  Drake's  common  plan  of  attack  was  simple 
and  uniform  :  a  party  was  landed  in  the  night  to  make 


60  SIR  FRAXCIS  DRAKE ► 

the  assault  from  the  land  side,  while  the  ships  co-ope- 
rated from  the  water.  On  New-year's  day  the  English 
landed  ten  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  town,  and, 
forming  into  two  divisions,  made  the  attack  at  opposite 
gates ;  and  to  save  themselves  from  the  guns  of  the  cas- 
tle, rushed  forward,  sword  in  hand,  pellmell,  till  accord- 
ing to  agreement,  they  met  in  the  market  place  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  changed  the  fight  of  the  Span- 
iards into  precipitate  retreat.  Here  they  hastily  barri- 
caded themselves,  resolved  to  maintain  their  post,  and 
confidently  expecting  an  attack.  But  the  Spaniards 
gave  them  little  trouble.  Struck  with  panic,  they  next 
night  abandoned  the  castle  to  the  invaders,  and  escaped 
by  boats  to  the  other  side  of  the  haven.  The  following 
day  the  English  strengthened  their  position,  planting 
.  the  ordnance  which  they  took  within  their  trenches, — 
and,  thus  secured,  held  the  place  for  a  month,  collecting 
what  plunder  was  to  be  found,  while  they  negotiated 
with  the  Spaniards  for  the  ransom  of  the  city.  The 
terms  were  such  that  the  inhabitants  were  unable  to  re- 
deem the  town  ;  and  burning  and  negotiation  went  on 
simultaneously  and  leisurely.  Two  hundred  seamen, 
and  as  many  soldiers  forming  their  guard,  were  em- 
ployed daily  in  the  work  of  destruction ;  but  the  build- 
ings being  lofty  piles,  substantially  constructed  of  stone, 
their  demolition  proved  a  fatiguing  duty  to  the  men  ; 
and  after  much  labour,  spent  with  little  loss  to  the  ene- 
my and  no  profit  to  themselves,  the  ransom  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  ducats  was  finally  accepted  for  the  safety 
of  what  remained  of  the  city.  The  plunder  obtained 
was  very  inconsiderable,  for  the  size  and  imagined 
riches  of  the  place. 

A  little  episode  in  the  history  of  this  enterprise  against 
St.  Domingo  deserves  notice,  as  it  places  the  energetic 
character  of  Drake  in  a  striking  point  of  view.  A  negro 
boy,  sent  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  leading  people  while 
the  negotiation  for  ransom  was  pending,  was  met  by 
some  Spanish  officers,  who  furiously  struck  at  him,  and 
afterward  pierced  him  through  with  a  horseman's  spear. 
Dreadfully  wounded  as  he  was,  the  poor  boy  tried  to 
crawl  back  to  his  master,  and  while  relating  the  cruel 


•  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  61 

treatment  he  had  received,  he  fell  down  9,nd  expired  in 
the  presence  of  Drake.  The  insult  offered  to  his  flag 
of  truce,  and  the  barbarous  treatment  of  the  lad,  roused 
the  captain-general  to  the  highest  pitch  of  indignation. 
He  commanded  the  provost-marshal,  with  a  guard,  to 
carry  two  unfortunate  monks,  who  had  been  made  pris- 
oners, to  the  place  where  his  flag  was  violated,  there  to 
be  hanged.  Another  prisoner  shared  the  same  fate  ; 
and  a  message  was  sent  to  the  Spaniards,  announcing 
that  until  the  persons  guilty  of  this  breach  of  the  law  of 
nations  were  given  up,  two  Spanish  prisoners  should 
suffer  daily.  Next  day  the  offenders  were  sent  in ;  and, 
to  make  their  merited  punishment  the  more  ignominious 
and  exemplary,  their  own  countrymen  were  forced  to 
become  their  executioners. 

Among  other  instances  of  Spanish  boasting  and  vain- 
glory recorded  by  the  historians  of  the  voyage,  is  an 
account  of  an  escutcheon  of  the  arms  of  Spain,  found 
in  the  town-hall  of  the  city,  on  the  lower  part  of  which 
was  a  globe,  over  which  was  represented  a  horse  ram- 
pant, or  probably  volant,  with  the  legend  Non  sufficit 
orbis.*  This  vaunt  gave  great  offence  at  this  particular 
time  to  the  national  pride  of  the  English,  who  told  the 
negotiators,  that  should  their  queen  be  pleased  resolutely 
to  prosecute  the  war,  instead  of  the  whole  globe  not 
satisfying  his  ambition,  Philip  would  find  some  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  that  portion  of  it  which  he  already  pos- 
sessed. 

Their  next  attempt  was  directed  against  Carthagena, 
which  was  bravely  defended  and  gallantly  carried, 
Carlile  making  the  attack  on  the  land  side,  while  Drake's 
fleet  presented  itself  before  the  town.  The  governor, 
Alonzo  Bravo,  was  made  prisoner ;  and  after  holding 
the  place  for  six  weeks,  and  destroying  many  houses, 
the  trifling  ransom  of  eleven  thousand  ducats  was  ac- 
cepted for  the  preservation  of  the  rest  of  the  town.  The 
Spaniards  might  have  not  got  off"  on  such  easy  terms, 
but  that  the  fearful  pest,  the  deadly  bilious  fever,  which 

*  The  whole  world  is  not  enough  for  us. 
6* 


62  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

has  so  often  proved  fatal  to  English  expeditions  in  the 
very  same  locahty,  now  raged  in  the  fleet,  and  com- 
pelled the  commanders  to  revise  their  plans  and  lower 
their  demands.  About  seven  hundred  men  perished  in 
this  expedition  of  the  calenhira*  alone,  as  the  disease, 
since  described  by  Smollet  and  Glover  and  others,  was 
then  named.  Those  who  struggled  through  this  fright- 
ful malady,  if  we  may  fully  credit  the  early  accounts, 
v/ere  even  more  to  be  pitied  than  those  that  sunk  under 
the  disease.  Though  they  survived,  it  was  with  loss  of 
strength,  not  soon  if  ever  recovered  ;  and  many  suffered 
the  decay  of  memory  and  impaired  judgment ;  so  that, 
when  a  man  began  to  talk  foolishly  and  incoherently,  it 
became  a  common  phrase  in  the  fleet  to  say  that  such  a 
one  had  been  seized  with  the  calenture. 

The  design  of  attempting  Nombre  de  Dios  and  Pana- 
ma, "  there  to  strike  the  stroke  for  treasure,"  of  which 
they  had  hitherto  been  disappointed,  was  abandoned  in 
a  council  of  war ;  and  sailing  by  the  coast  of  Florida, 
they  burnt  St.  Helena  and  St.  Augustin,  two  forts  and 
small  settlements  of  the  Spaniards,  and  brought  ofi^ 
from  Virginia,  Mr.  Lane,  the  governor,  with  the  remains 
of  an  unfortunate  colony  sent  out  under  the  auspices  of 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in  the  former  year.f 


*  The  calenture,  ague,  bilious,  and  yellow  fever, — for  by  all  these  names 
is  the  Carthagena  fever  known, — has  never  been  more  truly  and  vividly  de- 
scribed than  in  Roderick  Random,  and  in  Smollett's  account  of  the  ''  Expe- 
dition against  Carthagena,"  where  the  sutferings  of  Drakes  expedition  were 
acted  over  again.  In  Raynal's  History  of  the  Indies,  we  find  the  same 
causes  assumed  for  this  fatal  distemper  to  which  it  was  attributed  by  Drake's 
company,  the  pestiferous  night-dews  of  a  climate  where  even  the  long-con- 
tinued rains  of  the  wet  season  never  cooled  the  air,  and  where  the  night  is 
as  hot  as  the  day  The  men  on  watch  were  found  peculiarly  liable  to  its 
attacks.  Though  there  is  some  difference  of  opinion  about  the  causes  of 
the  disease,  the  symptoms  were  the  same  in  1585  iis  in  our  own  day.  "  The 
disease,"  says  Raynal,  "manifests  itself  by  vomitings,  accompanied  by  so  vio- 
lent a  delirium,  that  the  patient  must  be  confined  to  prevent  him  from  tearing 
himself  to  pieces.  He  often  expires  in  the  midst  of  these  agitations,  which 
seldom  last  above  three  or  four  days."  He  adds  that  tlie  fever  of  Cartha- 
gena, like  the  small-pox  and  some  otlier  diseases,  is  never  taken  but  once — 
a  point,  however,  Uke  many  others,  on  which  doctors  differ  in  opinion. 

t  The  colony  carried  home  at  this  time  by  Drake,  with  the  tobacco  which 
they  brought  along  with  them,  first,  according  to  Camden,  introduced  the 
use  of  that  couunodity  into  Britain,  where  it  now  yields  about  £3,000,000  ol' 
yearly  revenue.   In  Virginia  they  had  learned  the  uses  of  the  herb.  It  how* 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  63 

It  was  in  July,  1586,  before  the  armament  returned, 
bringing  two  hundred  brass  and  forty  iron  cannon,  and 
about  sixty  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  prize-money,  of 
which  twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling  was  divided 
among  the  men,  and  the  remainder  allotted  to  the  ad- 
venturers. Though  the  private  gains  resulting  from 
the  expedition  were  trifling,  the  dismantling  of  so  many 
fortresses  at  the  be,ginning  of  a  war,  was  a  service  to 
the  country  of  no  inconsiderable  value.  It  was  but  the 
first  of  many  which  our  navigator  performed  in  its  pro- 
gress. 

The  next  exploit  of  Drake  was  wholly  for  the  public 
service.  The  rumour  of  that  formidable  armament 
fitted  out  by  Spain  to  invade  England,  and  first  in  fear, 
though  afterward  in  jest,  named  the  Invincible  Armada, 
had  spread  general  alarm.  In  a  noble  spirit  of  patrio- 
tism, the  merchants  of  London,  at  their  own  expense, 
fitted  out  twenty-six  vessels  of  different  sizes,  to  be 
placed  under  the  cofmmand  of  Drake,  to  anno}^  the  ene- 
my, and,  if  possible,  frustrate  or  delay  the  boasted  de- 
sign of  invading  England.  To  this  armament  the  queen 
added  four  ships  of  the  royal  fleet ;  and  with  this  consid- 
erable force  Drake  bore  for  Lisbon,  and  afterward  for  the 
harbour  of  Cadiz,  where  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  burn 
and  destroy  ten  thousand  tons  burthen  of  shipping, 
either  destined  for  the  threatened  invasion,  or  subservi- 
ent to  this  purpose.  Here  he  remained  for  a  short  time, 
annoying  the  enemy's  galleys,  which  he  destroyed 
piecemeal,  though  his  great  enterprise  had  been  accom- 
plished in  one  day  and  two  nights.  Drake,  having  thus 
happily  accomplished  his  public  duly,  was  impelled  by 
gratitude  and  gallantry  to  attempt  a  stroke  which  might 
enable  him  to  reward  the  spirited  individuals  who  had 
enabled  him  so  essentially  to  serve  their  common  coun- 
try. Having  private  information  that  the  St.  Philip,  a 
Portuguese  carrack  from  the  East  Indies,  was  about  this 
time  expected  at  Terceira,  he  sailed  for  the  Azores. 


ever  still  remains  undecided  whether  tobacco  was  introduced  into  England 
by  Raleigh  or  Drake.  To  Drake  the  introduction  of  potatoes  is  universal- 
ly ascribed. 


64  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

Before  he  fell  in  with  the  prize  the  fleet  became  short 
of  provisions  ;  but  by  dint  of  promises  and  threats, 
Drake  prevailed  with  his  company  to  bear  up  against 
privations,  and  soon  had  the  happiness  of  bringing  in 
triumph  to  England  the  richest  prize  that  had  ever  yet 
been  made,  and  the  first  fruits  of  the  numerous  captures 
to  which  his  success  soon  led  the  way,  both  among  the 
Dutch  and  English.  The  name  of  the  prize  was  hailed 
as  an  omen  of  future  victory  to  England.  Drake  is 
blamed  for  discovering  undue  elation  at  the  close  of 
this  triumphant  expedition.  He  is  said  to  have  become 
boastful  of  his  own  deeds,  though  the  only  ground  of 
charge  is  gayly  describing  his  bold  and  gallant  service 
as  "burning  the  Spanish  king's  beard."  But  surely 
this  may  well  be  forgiven  to  the  hero  who,  delaying  the 
threatened  Armada  for  a  year,  laid  the  foundation  of 
its  final  discomfiture.*  Nor  were  Drake's  eminent  ser- 
vices to  his  country  limited  to  warlike  operations.  In 
the  short  interval  of  leisure  which  followed  this  expedi- 
tion, he  brought  water  into  the  town  of  Plymouth,  of  which 
it  was  in  great  want,  from  springs  eight  miles  distant, 
and  by  a  course  measuring  more  than  twenty  miles. 

In  the  following  year  his  distinguished  services  re- 
ceived the  reward  to  which  they  were  fully  entitled,  in 
his  appointment  of  vice-admiral  under  Lord  Charles 
Howard,  of  Effingham,  high-admiral  of  England.  ' 


*  So  keenly  were  the  deeds  of  Drake  resented  by  the  court  of  Spain,  even 
before  this  great  stroke  at  the  maritime  power  and  strength  of  that  country, 
that,  when  terror  was  presumed  to  be  struck  into  the  very  heart  of  the  na- 
tion, and  the  queen  quailing  in  dismay,  expecting  the  formidable  armament 
every  day  to  put  to  sea,  the  Spanish  ambassador  had  the  temerity  to  pro- 
pound terms  for  her  acceptance,  wrapped  up,  in  the  pedantic  fashion  of  the 
time,  in  Latin  verses,  which  are  thus  translated : — 

"  These  to  you  are  our  commands : 
Send  no  help  to  the  Netherlands. 
Of  the  treasure  took  by  Drake, 
Restitution  you  must  make ; 
And  those  abbeys  build  anew 
Which  your  father  overthrew." 

To  this  insolent  demand  the  lion-hearted  Protestant  princess  replied  in 
the  same  vein : 

"  Worthy  king,  know  this  your  will 
At  Lattar  Lammas  we'll  fulfil." 


-       SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  65 

Drake  had  hitherto  been  accustomed  to  give  orders, 
not  to  obey  them ;  and  his  vivacity  under  command  had 
nearly  been  productive  of  serious  consequences.  Pos- 
itive information  had  been  received  of  the  saihng  of  the 
Invincible  Armada,  but  it  was  likewise  known  that  the 
fleet  had  been  dispersed  in  a  violent  tempest ;  and,  be- 
lieving that  the  attempt  would  be  abandoned  at  this 
time,  orders  were  despatched  to  the  lord-high-admiral 
to  send  four  of  his  best  ships  back  to  Chatham,  as  the 
frugal  government  of  Elizabeth  grudged  the  expense  of 
keeping  them  afloat  an  hour  longer  than  they  were  pos- 
itively required.  This  order  had  hardly  been  given, 
when  Howard  was  made  aware  by  the  information  of 
Thomas  Fleming,  the  captain  of  an  English  pinnace,  of 
the  close  approach  of  the  fleet ;  and  it  soon  after  passed 
Plymouth,  where  he  lay  taking  in  supplies  after  cruising 
on  the  Spanish  coasts  looking  out  for  it.  It  was  four  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  19th  of  July,  15S8,  when  the  intelli- 
gence of  Fleming  put  the  lord-high-admiral  upon  the 
alert ;  and  by  next  day  at  noon  his  ships  were  manned, 
warped  out,  and  in  fighting  trim.  At  the  same  hour  the 
Spanish  fleet  came  in  sight;  and  on  the  21st,  Howard, 
with  his  greatly  inferior  force,  ventured  the  attack 
which,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  the  valour  and  skill 
of  the  Enghsh,  was  continued  from  day  to  day  in  vari- 
ous quarters,  till  the  proud  Armada  was  swept  from  the 
English  channel.  On  the  night  of  the  21st,  Drake,  who 
had  been  appointed  to  carry  the  lantern,  forgot  this  duty, 
and  gave  chase  to  several  hulks  which  were  separated 
from  the  fleet,  and  thus  so  far  misled  the  high-admiral, 
that,  following  the  Spanish  lantern  under  the  idea  that 
it  was  carried  by  his  own  vice-admiral,  when  day 
dawned  he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy's 
ships.  The  high-admiral  instantly  extricated  himself; 
and  Drake  amply  atoned  for  this  oversight  by  the  dis- 
tinguished service  performed  by  his  squadron  in  har- 
rassing,  capturing,  and  destroying  the  Spaniards.  On 
the  day  following  this  erring  night  he  performed  a  me- 
morable action.  Among  the  fleet  was  a  large  galleon 
commanded  by  Don  Pedro  de  Valdez,  a  man  of  illustri- 
ous family  and  high  official  rank,  with  whom  nearly  fifty 


66  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.     >» 

noblemen  and  gentlemen  sailed.  His  ship  had  been 
crippled  and  separated  from  the  fleet,  and  Howard,  in 
hot  pursuit,  had  passed  it,  imagining  that  it  was  aban- 
doned. There  was  on  board  a  crew  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  persons ;  who,  when  summoned  to  surrender 
in  the  formidable  name  of  Drake,  attempted  no  resist- 
ance. Kissing  the  hand  of  his  conqueror,  Don  Pedro 
said,  they  had  resolved  to  die  in  battle,  had  they  not  ex- 
perienced the  good  fortune  of  falling  into  the  hands  of 
one  courteous  and  gentle,  and  generous  to  the  vanquish- 
ed foe  ;  one  whom  it  was  doubtful  whether  his  enemies 
had  greater  cause  to  admire  and  love  for  his  valiant  and 
prosperous  exploits,  or  dread  for  his  great  wisdom  and 
good  fortune ;  whom  Mars,  the  god  of  war,  and  Nep- 
tune, the  god  of  the  sea,  alike  favoured.  To  merit  this 
high  eulogium,  Drake  behaved  with  the  utmost  kindness 
and  politeness  to  his  involuntary  guests,  who  were  sent 
prisoners  to  England.  Two  years  after^vard  he  receiv- 
ed ^3500  for  their  ransom.  In  the  ship  55,000  ducats 
were  found,  and  liberally  divided  among  the  crew.  The 
broken  running  fight  between  the  fleets  was  renewed 
from  day  to  day,  and  from  hour  to  hour,  as  the  superior 
saihng  of  the  light  English  vessels  promised  advantage, 
till  the  Spaniards  were  driven  on  that  fine  of  conduct 
which  ended  in  the  complete  destruction  of  their  mighty 
armament.  In  the  fight  of  the  29th,  which  was  despe- 
rate on  both  sides,  Drake's  ship  was  pierced  with  forty 
shot,  two  of  which  passed  through  his  cabin.  Of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  ships  which  left  the  coast  of 
Spain  only  fifty-three  returned. 

In  the  following  year  Drake,  as  admiral,  commanded 
the  fleet  sent  to  restore  Don  Antonio  of  Portugal,  while 
Sir  John  Norris  led  the  land-forces.  Differences  arose 
between  the  commanders  about  the  best  mode  of  prose- 
cuting their  joint  enterprise.  The  failure  of  Norris' 
scheme  gives  probability  to  the  assertion  that  the  plan 
of  operations  suggested  by  Drake  would,  if  followed, 
have  been  successful.  It  is  at  least  certain  that  the  ex- 
pedition miscarried,  which  had  never  happened  to  any 
single-handed  undertaking  in  which  Drake  engaged. 
Don  Antonio,  taken  out  to  be  made  a  king  by  the  prow- 


I 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  67 

€ss  of  the  English,  returned  as  he  went.  Before  the 
queen  and  council  Drake  fully  justified  hi^  own  share 
of  the  affair,  and  the  confidence  placed  in  his  ability  and 
skill  remained  undiminished.  This  was  the  first  check 
that  the  fortunes  of  Drake  had  ever  received, — and  it 
would  have  been  happy  for  him,  it  has  been  said,  had 
he  now  withdrawn  his  stake.  The  principal  and  fatal 
error  of  his  succeeding  expedition  was  once  more  under- 
taking a  joint  command. 

The  war  in  1595,  though  it  languished  for  want  of 
fuel  to  feed  the  flame,  was  not  yet  giving  any  prospect 
of  drawing  to  a  conclusion ;  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Sir  John  Hawkins,  Drake  offered  his  services  in  an  ex- 
pedition to  the  West  Indies,  to  be  undertaken  on  a  scale 
of  magnificence  which  must  at  once  crush  the  Spanish 
power  in  that  quarter,  where  the  enemy  had  already 
been  so  often  and  effectually  galled  by  the  same  com- 
manders. Elizabeth  and  her  ministers  received  the 
proposal  with  every  mark  of  satisfaction.  The  fleet 
consisted  of  six  of  the  queen's  ships  and  twenty-one 
private  vessels,  with  a  crew,  in  seamen  and  soldiers, 
amounting  to  2500  men  and  boys.  They  sailed  from 
Plymouth  in  August,  having  been  detained  for  some 
time  by  the  reports  of  another  armada  being  about  to 
invade  England.  This  rumour  was  artfully  spread  to 
delay  the  fleet,  of  which  one  object  was  known  to  be 
the  destruction  of  Nombre  de  Dios  and  the  plunder  of 
Panama.  They  had  hardly  put  to  sea  when  the  demon 
of  discord,  which  ever  attends  conjunct  expeditions, 
appeared  in  their  councils.  Sir  John  Hawkins  wished 
at  once  to  accomplish  an  object  recommended  by  the 
queen ;  but  time  was  lost  in  an  attempt,  suggested  by 
Sir  Thomas  Baskerville,  to  invade  or  capture  the  Ca- 
naries, and  again  at  Dominica.  All  these  delays  were 
improved  by  the  enemy  in  the  colonies,  in  preparing 
for  the  reception  of  the  English.  A  few  days  before 
sailing,  information  had  been  sent  to  the  fleet  of  a  Span- 
ish galleon  richly  laden,  that  had  been  disabled  and 
separated  from  those  ships  which  annually  brought 
plate  and  treasure  from  the  Indies  to  Spain ;  and  the 
capture  of  this  vessel  was  recommended  to  the  com- 


68  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

manders  by  the  English  government  as  an  especial 
service.  The  galleon  now  lay  at  Porto  Rico  ;  but  be- 
fore this  time  five  frigates  had  been  sent  by  the  Span- 
iards to  convey  it  away  in  safety.  On  the  30th  of  Oc- 
tober, Sir  John  Hawkins  made  sail  from  the  coast  of 
Dominica  where  the  ships  had  been  careened,  and  had 
taken  in  water ;  and  on  the  same  evening  he  sustained 
the  misfortune  of  having  the  Francis,  one  of  his  vessels, 
captured  by  the  enemy's  frigates.  This  stroke,  which 
appeared  fatal  to  the  enterprise,  by  informing  the  Span- 
iards of  his  approach  and  putting  them  on  their  guard, 
gave  him  inexpressible  chagrin.  He  immediately  fell 
sick,  and  on  the  12th  of  November,  when  the  fleet  had 
got  before  Porto  Rico,  died  of  combined  disease  and 
grief  He  w^as  succeeded  by  Sir  Thomas  Baskerville, 
who  took  command  in  the  Garland,  the  queen's  ship  in 
which  Hawds:ins  had  sailed.  The  English  fleet,  medita- 
ting an  instant  attack,  now  lay  within  reach  of  the  guns 
of  Porto  Rico ;  and  while  the  officers,  on  the  night  of 
Sir  John  Hawkins's  death,  were  at  supper  together,  a 
shot  penetrated  to  the  great  cabin,  drove  the  stool  on 
which  Drake  sat  from  under  him,  killed  Sir  Nicolas 
Clifford,  and  mortally  wounded  Mr.  Brute  Browne  and 
some  other  officers.  An  attack,  this  night  decided  up- 
on, was  attempted  next  day,  with  the  desperate  valour 
which  has  ever  characterized  the  maritime  assaults  of 
the  English.  But  the  enemy  were  fully  prepared  ;  the 
treasure  had  been  carefully  conveyed  away,  and  also 
the  women  and  children.  The  fortifications  had  been 
repaired  and  placed  in  good  order ;  and  though  the  hot 
impetuous  attack  of  the  English  inflicted  great  suffering 
on  the  Spaniards,  to  themselves  there  remained  but  a 
barren  victory.  After  lying  two  or  three  days  before 
the  place,  it  was  judged  expedient  to  bear  off'  and  aban- 
don this  enterprise.  They  stood  for  the  main,  where 
Rio  de  la  Hacha,  La  Rancheria,  and  some  other  places 
were  taken,  and,  negotiations  for  their  ransom  laihng, 
burnt  to  the  ground.  The  same  course  was  followed 
with  other  petty  places;  but  Drake  began  seriously  to 
find,  that  while  giving  the  enemy  this  trifling  annoyance, 
he  was  gradually  reducing  his  own  force  without  gain- 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 


69 


ing  any  substantial  advantage.  His  health  was  injured 
by  this  series  of  disappointments,  and  from  the  first 
misunderstanding  with  Hawkins  his  spirits  had  been 
affected.  On  the  morning  of  the  assault  on  Porto  Rico, 
in  taking  leave  of  Mr.  Brute  Browne,  then  breathing  his 
last,  he  exclaimed,  '*  Brute,  Brute,  how  heartily  could 
I  lament  thy  fate,  but  that  I  dare  not  suffer  my  spirits  to 
sink  now." 


DEATH  OF  SIR  NICOLAS  CLIFFORD. 


The  Spanish  towns,  from  which  every  thing  of  value 
was  taken  away,  were  rather  abandoned  to  the  occupa- 
tion than  taken  by  the  arms  of  the  English.  In,  this 
way  Santa  Martha  and  Nombre  de  Dios  fell  into  their 
hands  with  scarce  a  show  of  resistance.  They  werq 
7 


70  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 

both  burnt.  On  the  29th  of  December,  two  days  after 
the  capture  of  Nombre  de  Dios,  Sir  Thomas  Baskerville, 
with  seven  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers,  attempted  to 
make  his  way  to  Panama  through  the  fatiguing  and  dan- 
gerous passes  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  the  Spaniards 
annoying  his  whole  line  of  march  by  a  desultory  fire  of 
musketry  from  the  woods.  At  certain  passes  fortifica- 
tions had  been  thrown  up  to  impede  their  progress ;  and 
coming  upon  these  unexpectedly,  they  were  exposed  to 
a  sudden  fire,  by  which  many  fell.  About  midway  the 
design  was  abandoned,  and  the  party  turned  back,  still 
exposed  in  the  retreat  to  the  fire  of  the  Spaniards  from 
the  woods.  Destitute  of  provisions,  and  suffering  great 
privation  and  fatigue,  they  returned  to  the  ships  depres- 
sed and  disheartened.  This  last  and  most  grievous  of 
the  train  of  disappointments  that  had  followed  Drake 
throughout  an  expedition  from  which  the  nation  expect- 
ed so  much,  and  wherein  he  had  embarked  much  of  his 
fortune  and  risked  his  high  reputation,  threw  the  admi- 
ral into  a  lingering  fever,  accompanied  by  a  flux,  under 
which  he  languished  for  three  weeks.  He  expired 
while  the  fleet  lay  off"  Porto  Bello.  The  death  of  Ad- 
miral Drake  took  place  on  the  28th  of  January,  1596, 
and  in  his  fifty-first  year.  His  remains  were  placed  in 
a  leaden  coffin,  and  committed  to  the  deep  with  all  the 
pomp  attending  naval  obsequies.  Unsuccessful  as  his 
latest  enterprises  had  been,  his  death  was  universally 
lamented  by  the  nation.  The  tenderness  of  pity  was 
now  mingled  with  admiration  of  the  genius  and  valour 
of  this  great  man,  **  whose  memory  will  survive  as  long 
as  the  world  lasts,  which  he  first  surrounded." 

Drake  is  described  as  low  in  stature,  but  extremely 
well  made  ;  with  a  broad  chest  and  a  round  compact 
head.  His  complexion  was  fair  and  sanguine ;  his 
countenance  open  and  cheerful,  with  large  and  lively 
eyes  ;  his  beard  full,  and  his  hair  of  a  light  brown. 
The  portrait  prefixed  to  this  fife  gives  the  idea  of  a  man 
of  that  prompt  and  decided  character  which  Sir  Francis 
Drake  discovered  in  every  action  of  his  life.  From  the 
lowest  point  and  rudiments  of  his  art,  Drake  was  a 
thorough-bred  seaman,  able  in  his  own  person  to  dis- 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE.  71 

charge  every  duty  of  a  ship,  even  to  attending  the  sick 
and  dressing  the  wounded.  In  repairing  and  watering 
his  ships,  as  readily  as  in  what  are  esteemed  higher 
offices,  he  at  all  times  bore  an  active  part ;  and  to  his 
zealous  superintendence  and  co-operation  in  these  sub- 
ordinate duties,  much  of  the  facility  and  celerity  of  his 
movements,  and  of  his  consequent  success,  is  to  be  at- 
tributed. The  sciences  connected  with  navigation,  as 
they  were  then  known,  he  thoroughly  understood,  and 
particularly  that  of  astronomy.  Whatever  he  attempt- 
ed on  his  own  judgment,  without  being  controlled  b}^ 
the  opinions  of  others,  he  accomplished  with  success. 
He  has  been  charged  with  ambition ;  but  it  is  well  re- 
marked, that  no  man's  ambition  ever  took  a  happier 
direction  for  his  country.  His  example  did  more  to  ad- 
vance the  maritime  power  and  reputation  of  England 
than  that  of  all  the  navigators  who  preceded  him.  He 
indicated  or  led  the  way  to  several  new  sources  of  trade, 
and  opened  the  career  of  commercial  prosperity  which 
his  countrymen  are  still  pursuing.  Among  the  many 
natural  gifts  of  this  lowly-born  seaman,  was  a  ready  and 
graceful  eloquence.  He  was  fond  of  amassing  wealth, 
but  in  its  distribution  was  liberal  and  bountiful.  Among 
other  deeds  of  enlightened  benevolence  was  his  estab- 
lishment, in  conjunction  with  Sir  John  Hawkins,  of  the 
CHEST  at  Chatham  for  the  relief  of  aged  or  sick  seamen, 
by  the  honourable  means  of  their  own  early  providence. 
Drake  sat  in  two  parliaments, — in  the  first  for  a  Cornish 
borough,  and  in  the  next  for  the  town  of  Plymouth  in 
the  thirty-fifth  of  Elizabeth.  Though  often  described 
as  a  bachelor,  it  is  ascertained  that  he  married  the 
daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  Sir  George  Sydenham,  of 
Coombe  Sydenham  in  Devonshire,  who  survived  him. 
He  left  no  children,  but  bequeathed  his  landed  estate  to 
his  nephew  Francis  Drake,  afterward  created  a  baronet 
by  James  the  First. 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH, 


THE    SECOND   ENGLISH   CIRCUMNAVIGATOR. 


Thomas  Cavendish  the  second  Englishman  that  circum- 
navigated the  globe,  was  of  an  ancient  and  honourable  family 
of  Suffolk,  the  ancestor  of  which  had  come  into  England  with 
the  Conqueror.  From  his  residence  near  a  maritime  town  he 
is  said  to  have  imbibed  an  early  inclination  to  the  sea. 

His  father  died  while  Cavendish  was  still  a  minor;  and 
coming  early  into  the  possession  of  his  patrimony  he  is  report- 
ed to  have  squandered  it  "in  gallantry,  and  following  the 
court,"  and  to  have  been  compelled  to  embrace  the  nobler  pur- 
suits to  which  his  subseq^uent  years  were  devoted  to  redeem 
his  shattered  fortunes, 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  73 

Though  the  relations  of  liis  voyages  are  ample  and  complete, 
very  little  is  known  of  his  personal  history.  In  the  year  1585, 
he  accompanied  Sir  Richard  Grenville's  expedition  to  Vir- 
ginia, in  a  vessel  equipped  at  his  own  expense.  This  voyage, 
undertaken  to  plant  the  unfortunate  colony  which  was  brought 
home  by  Sir  Francis  Drake  in  1586,  was  both  profitless  and 
difficult;  but  it  enabled  Cavendish  to  obtain  nautical  experi- 
ence, and  in  its  progress  he  had  seen  the  Spanish  West  India 
settlements,  and  conversed  with  some  of  those  who  had  ac- 
companied Drake  into  the  South  Sea.  The  youthful  ambi- 
tion of  Cavendish  was  thus  roused  to  emulate  the  glory  of  so 
eminent  a  navigator  in  this  rich  and  newly-opened  field  of  en- 
terprise. 

Grenville's  fleet,  which  sailed  for  Virginia  in  April,  returned 
in  October,  and  from  the  wrecks  of  his  fortune,  and  the  remains 
of  his  credit,  Mr.  Cavendish,  in  six  months  afterward,  had 
equipped  a  small  squadron  for  his  projected  voyage.  W^hile 
the  carpenters  were  at  work  he  procured  every  draught,  map, 
chart,  and  history  of  former  navigations  that  might  be  useful 
to  him ;  and  having,  through  the  patronage  or  recommenda- 
tion of  Lord  Hunsdon,  procured  the  queen's  commission,  he 
sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  21st  of  July,  1586.  His  light 
squadron  consisted  of  the  Desire,  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons  burthen,  in  which  he  sailed  himself  as  admiral 
and  commander  of  the  expedition  ;  the  Content  of  sixty  tons ; 
and  the  Hugh  Gallant,  a  light  bark  of  forty  tons.  A  crew  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  soldiers,  seamen,  and  officers 
manned  this  little  fleet,  which  was  provided  with  every  requisite 
for  a  long  voyage,  in  latitudes  with  which  the  navigation  of 
Drake  had  now  made  the  English  somewhat  familiar. 

If  so  much  interest  is  still  awakened  by  the  maritime  under- 
takings of  contemporary  navigators,  who  set  out  in  a  famihar 
track  under  the  guidance  of  former  experience  and  observation, 
with  the  advantage  of  instruments  nearly  perfect,  and  with  all 
appliances  and  means  to  boot,  how  much  more  must  attach  to 
the  relation  of  the  adventures  of  one  who,  like  Cavendish, 
could  have  no  hope  or  dependence  save  in  his  own  capacity 
and  courage ! 

The  squadron  first  touched  at  Sierra  Leone,  where  the  con- 
duct of  the  young  commander  was  not  wholly  blameless.  On 
a  Sunday  part  of  the  ships'  company  went  on  shore,  and  spent 
the  day  in  dancing  and  amusing  themselves  with  the  friendly 
negroes,  their  secret  object  being  to  gain  intelhgence  of  a  Por- 
tuguese vessel  that  lay  in  the  harbour,  and  which  Cavendish 
intended  to  capture.  This  was  found  impracticable,  and  next 
day  the  Enghsh  landed  to  the  number  of  seventy,  and  made 
7* 


74  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

an  attack  on  the  town,  of  which  they  burnt  one  hundred  and 
fifty  houses,  almost  the  whole  number,  and  plundered  ri^ht 
and  left.  It  was  but  little  that  they  found.  The  negroes  fled 
at  their  landing,  but  on  their  retreat  shot  poisoned  arrows  at 
the  marauders  from  the  shelter  of  the  woods.  This  African 
village  is  described  as  neatly  built,  enclosed  by  mud  walls,  antl 
kept,  both  houses  and  streets,  in  the  cleanest  manner.  The 
yards  were  paled  in,  and  the  town  was  altogether  trim  and 
comfortable,  exhibiting  signs  of  civilization,  of  which  at  this 
point  the  slave-trade  subsequently  destroyed  every  trace.  A 
few  days  afterward  a  party  of  the  sailors  landed  to  wash  linen ; 
and  repeating  the  visit  next  day,  a  number  of  negroes  lying  in 
ambush  in  the  woods  nearly  surprised  and  cut  them  off.  A 
soldier  died  of  a  shot  from  a  poisoned  arrow  ;  though  the  case  , 
as  described  appears  more  like  mortification  of  the  parts  than 
the  effects  of  poison.  Several  of  the  men  were  wounded,  but 
none  mortally  save  the  soldier.  On  the  3d  of  September,  a 
party  went  some  miles  up  the  river  in  a  boat,  caught  a  store  of 
fish,  and  gathered  a  supply  of  lemons  for  the  fleet,  which  sailed 
on  the  6th.  No  reason  is  assigned  for  the  unprovoked  de- 
vastation on  this  coast,  save  "  the  bad  dealing  of  negroes  with 
all  Christians." 

On  the  16th  of  December  the  squadron  made  the  coast  of 
America,  in  47^°  S.  The  land,  stretching  west,  was  seen  at 
the  distance  of  six  leagues,  and  next  day  the  fleet  anchored  in 
a  harbour  in  48°  S.  This  harbour  they  named  Port  Desire, 
in  honour  of  the  admiral's  ship.  Seals  were  found  here  of 
enormous  size,  which  in  the  forepart  of  their  body  resembled 
lions ;  their  young  was  found  delicate  food,  equal,  to  the  taste 
of  the  seamen,  to  lamb  or  mutton.  Sea-birds  were  also  found 
in  great  plenty,  of  which  the  description  given  seems  to  apply 
to  the  penguin.  In  this  excellent  harbour  the  ships'  bottoms 
were  careened.  On  the  24th  of  December,  Christmas-eve,  a 
man  and  boy  belonging  to  the  Content  went  on  shore  to  wash 
thir  hnen,  when  they  were  suddenly  surrounded  and  shot  at  by 
fifty  or  more  Indians.  Cavendish  pursued  with  a  small  party, 
but  the  natives  escaped.  "  They  are  as  wild  as  ever  was  a 
buck,"  says  an  old  voyager,  "  as  they  seldom  or  ever  see  any 
Christians."  Their  footprints  were  measured,  and  found  to 
be  eighteen  inches  in  length.  The  squadron  left  Port  Desire 
on  the  28th,  and  halted  at  an  island  three  leagues  off,  to  cure 
and  store  the  penguins  that  had  been  taken.  On  the  30th, 
standing  to  sea,  they  passed  a  rock  about  fifty  miles  from  the 
harbour  they  had  left,  which  resembled  the  Eddystone  Rock 
near  Plymouth.  About  the  first  day  of  the  year  they  saw  sev- 
eral capes,  to  which  no  names  are  given,  and  on  the  6tli,  with- 


THaMAS  CAVENDISH.  75» 

out  further  preparation,  entered  Magellan's  Straits,  which  the 
Spaniards  had  lately  attempted  to  fortify  and  colonize.  At 
twilight  the  squadron  anchored  near  the  first  Angostura ;  and 
in  the  night  lights  were  observed  on  the  north  side  of  the  strait,, 
which  were  supposed  to  be  signals.  Recognition  was  made 
by  lights  from  the  ships,  and  a  boat  was  sent  off  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  which  three  men  on  the  shore  made  signs  by  waving  a 
handkerchief.  These  were  part  of  the  survivors  of  a  wretched 
Spanish  colony. 

The  history  of  the  misfortunes  and  sufferings  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  different  parts  of  America  would  make  one  of  the  most 
melancholy  volumes  that  ever  was  penned ;  nor  could  any 
portion  of  it  prove  more  heart-rending  than  that  which  should 
record  the  miseries  of  this  colony,  left  by  Pedro  Sarmiento  in 
the  Straits  of  Magellan.  It  may  be  recollected,  that  on  the 
appearance  of  Drake  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  this  commander 
was  despatched  by  the  viceroy  to  intercept  the  daring  interlo- 
per on  his  return  by  the  straits.  Sarmiento  afterward  bestow- 
ed much  pains  in  examining  the  western  shores  of  Patagonia 
and  the  coast  of  Chili,  and  the  many  inlets,  labyrinths,  and  in- 
tricate channels  of  the  islands  and  broken  lands  of  Terra  del 
Fuego,  which,  as  he  conjectured,  must  communicate  with  the 
Straits  of  Magellan  by  one  or  more  passages.  After  a  long 
time  had  thus  been  consumed  fruitlessly  he  entered  the  straits^ 
and  passed  through  eastward  in  about  a  month,  minutely  ex- 
amining the  coast  on  both  sides.  When  this  discoverer  reach- 
ed Spain,  his  exaggerated  statements,  the  desire  of  checking 
the  progress  of  the  English  in  this  quarter,  and  an  apprehen- 
sion that  they  were  preparing  to  seize  this  master-key  to  the 
South  Seas  (the  passage  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  being 
still  monopolized  by  the  Portuguese,  and  that  by  Cape  Horn 
not  yet  discovered,)  induced  Philip  to  listen  to  the  proposals  of 
Sarmiento,  an  enthusiast  in  the  cause,  and  to  colonize  and 
fortify  this  important  outlet  of  his  American  dominions.  A 
powerful  armament  of  twenty-three  ships,  with  thirty -five  hun- 
dred men,  destined  for  different  points  of  South  America,  was 
in  the  first  place  to  estabUsh  the  new  colony.  This  expedi- 
tion, undertaken  on  so  magnificent  a  scale,  was  from  first  to 
last  unfortunate.  While  still  on  the  coast  of  Spain,  from  which 
the  fleet  sailed  on  the  25th  of  September,  1581,  five  of  the  ships 
were  wrecked  in  a  violent  gale,  and  eight  hundred  men  per- 
ished. The  whole  fleet  put  back,  and  sailed  a  second  time  in 
December.  Misfortunes  followed  in  a  thick  train.  Sickness 
thinned  their  numbers ;  and  at  Rio  Janeiro,  where  they  win- 
tered, many  of  the  intended  settlers  deserted.  Some  of  the 
ships  became  leaky,  the  bottoms  of  others  were  attacked  by 


76  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

worms,  and  a  large  vessel,  containing  most  of  the  stores  of  the 
colonists  of  the  straits,  sprung  aleak  at  sea,  and  before  assist- 
ance could  be  obtained  went  down,  three  hundred  and  thirty 
men  and  twenty  of  the  settlers  perishing  in  her.     Three  times 
was  Sarmiento  driven  back  to  the  Brazils  before  he  was  able 
to  accompUshhis  purpose;  and  it  was  February,  1584,  before 
he  at  last  arrived  in  the  strait  and  was  able  to  land  the  colo- 
nists.    Nor  did  his  ill  fortune  close  here.    His  consort,  Riviera, 
either  wilfully  abandoned  him,  or  was  forced  from  his  anchor- 
age by  stress  of  weather.     He  stood  for  Spain,  carrying  away 
the  greater  part  of  the  remaining  stores  which  were  to  sustain 
the  people  through  the  rigour  of  the  winter  of  the  south,  which 
was  now  commencing,  and  until  they  were  able  to  raise  crops 
and  obtain  provisions.     The  foundation  of  a  town  was  laid, 
which  was  named  San  Felipe  ;  and  bastions  and  wooden  edi- 
fices were  constructed.    Another  city,  named  Nombre  de  Jesus, 
was  commenced.     These  stations  were  in  favourable  points  of 
the  straits,  and  at  the  distance  of  about  seventy  miles  from 
each  other.     In  the  mean  while  the  southern  winter  set  in  with 
uncommon  severity.     In  April  snow  fell  incessantly  for  fifteen 
days.     Sarmiento,  who,  after  establishing  the  colonists  at  these 
two  points,  intended  to  go  to  Chili  for  provisions,  was  driven 
from  his  anchors  in  a  gale,  and  forced  to  seek  his  own  safety 
in  the  Brazils,  leaving  the   settlers  without  a  ship.     He  has 
been  accused  of  intentionally  abandoning  this  helpless  colony, 
which  he  was  the  instrument  of  establishing,  and  of  which  he 
was  also  the  governor.     The  accusation  appears  unjust,  as  he 
made  many  subsequent  efforts  for  its  rehef,  which  his  ill  for- 
tune rendered  abortive.     The  governors  at  the  different  settle- 
ments at  length  refused  to  afford  further  assistance  to  a  project 
which  had  lost  the  royal  favour;  and  in  returning  to  Spain  to 
solicit  aid,  Sarmiento  was  captured  by  three  ships  belonging  to 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh, — luckily,  in  all  probability,  for  himself,  as 
the  indignation  of  King  Philip  at  the  failure  of  so   expensive 
and  powerful  an  expedition,  and  at  the  misrepresentations  of 
this  officer,  might  not  have  been  easily  appeased.     Of  the 
wretched   colonists,  about  whom  neither  old  Spain  nor  her 
American   settlements   gave  themselves  any  further  trouble, 
many  died  of  famine  and  cold  during  the  first  winter.     The 
milder  weather  of  the  spring  and  summer  allowed  a  short  re- 
spite of  misery,  and  afforded  the  hope  of  the  return  of  Sarmien- 
to, or  some  ship  with  provisions  and  clothing.     But  the  year 
wore  away,  and  no  vessel  appeared,  and  the  colonists  at  San 
Felipe,  in  their  despair,  contrived  to  build  two  boats,  in  which 
all  that  remained  alive,  fifty  men  and  five  women,  embarked, 
with  the  hope  of  getting  out  of  the  straits.     One  of  their  boats 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  77 

was  wrecked,  and  the  design  was  abandoned,  as  there  were  no 
seamen  among  their  number,  nor  any  one  capable  of  conduct- 
ing the  perilous  navigation.  Their  crops  all  failed ;  the  na- 
tives molested  them  ;  and  out  of  four  hundred  men  and  thirty 
women  landed  by  Sarmiento,  only  fifteen  men  and  three  wo- 
men survived  when  Mr.  Cavendish  entered  the  straits.  In  San 
Felipe  many  lay  dead  in  their  houses  and  in  their  clothes,  the 
survivors  not  having  strength  to  bury  them ;  and  along  the 
shores,  where  these  miserable  beings  wandered,  trying  to  pick 
up  a  few  shellfish  or  herbs,  they  often  came  upon  the  body  of 
a  deceased  companion  who  had  perished  of  famine,  or  of  the 
diseases  caused  by  extreme  want. 

It  was,  as  has  been  said,  part  of  these  forlorn  wanderers 
whom  Cavendish  saw  on  the  morning  after  he  entered  the 
straits.  A  passage  to  Peru  was  offered  them,  but  they  at  first 
hesitated  to  trust  the  English  heretics ;  though  afterward,  when 
willing  to  accept  the  generous  offer,  their  resolution  came  too 
late  ;  and  before  they  could  be  mustered,  a  fair  wind  offering. 
Cavendish  sailed  on,  having  tantalized  these  wretched  Span- 
iards with  hopes  which  the  safety  of  his  own  crew  in  this  pre- 
carious navigation,  and  the  success  of  his  expedition,  did  not 
permit  him  to  fulfil.  The  offer  had  likewise  been  made  in 
ignorance  of  their  numbers.  If  Cavendish  be  blamed  for 
abandoning  these  wretched  victims  to  their  fate,  what  shall  be 
said  of  the  nation  which,  having  sent  out  this  colony,  left  it  to 
perish  of  famine  and  cold !  One  Spaniard  was  brought  off*, 
named  Tome'  Hernandez,  who  became  the  historian  of  the 
miserable  colony  of  the  straits. 

The  squadron  of  Cavendish,  after  passing  both  the  Angos- 
turas, as  the  Spaniards  named  the  narrowest  points  of  the 
straits,  anchored  first  at  the  island  of  Santa  Magdalena,  where 
in  two  hours  they  killed  and  salted  two  pipes  full  of  penguins ; 
and  afterward  at  San  Felipe,  the  now  desolate  station  of  the 
Spanish  colonists,  some  of  whom  the  English  found  still  lying 
in  their  houses,  "where  they  had  died  hke  dogs."  Here  they 
brought  on  board  six  pieces  of  ordnance  which  the  settlers  had 
buried.  This  place  Cavendish  named  Port  Famine ;  it  was 
fonnd  to  be  in  53^  S.  On  the  22d  a  few  natives  were  seen ; 
but  the  Spaniard,  Hernandez,  cautioned  the  Enghsh  against 
all  intercourse,  representing  them  as  a  treacherous  people, — a 
character  which  European  knives  and  swords  seen  in  their 
possession,  converted  into  darts,  confirmed ;  and  when  they 
again  approached.  Cavendish  carried  his  precautions  to  so  ex- 
travagant a  length  as  to  order  a  discharge  of  muskets,  by 
which  many  of  them  were  killed,  and  the  rest  took  to  flight, 
certainly  not  corrected  of  their  bad  propensities  by  this  harsh 


78  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

discipline.  They  were  represented  as  cannibals,  who  had 
preyed  upon  the  Spanish  colonists,  and  this  excused  all  wrong. 
For  the  next  three  weeks  the  fleet  lay  in  a  sheltered  port, 
unable  to  enter  the  South  Sea  from  a  continuance  of  strong 
westerly  wind ;  but  on  the  24th  of  February,  after  a  favourable 
though  a  tedious  passage,  they  finally  emerged  from  the  straits. 
To  the  south  was  a  fair  high  cape  with  a  point  of  low  land  ad- 
joining it, — on  the  other  side  several  islands  with  much  broken 
ground  around  them,  at  about  six  leagues  off  from  the  main- 
land. On  the  1st  of  March  the  stormy  Spirit  of  the  Straits, 
which  no  fleet  ever  wholly  escaped,  overtook  Cavendish  ;  and 
the  Hugh  Gallant  was  separated  from  the  larger  vessels,  one 
of  which  was  found  so  leaky  that  the  crew  were  completely  ex- 
hausted in  working  the  pumps  for  three  days  and  nights  with- 
out ceasing.  On  the  15th  the  Hugh  Gallant  rejoined  her 
consorts  at  the  Isle  of  Mocha,  on  the  coast  of  Chili :  they  were 
here  taken  for  Spaniards,  and  landing  on  the  main  experienced 
but  a  rough  reception  from  the  Indians,  who  bore  no  good-will 
to  the  natives  of  Spain.  But  a  similar  mistake  sometimes 
operated  to  their  advantage  ;  and  next  day,  when  the  captain 
with  a  party  of  seventy  men  landed  at  the  island  of  Santa  Ma- 
ria, they  were  received  as  Spaniards,  with  all  kindness  and 
humility,  by  the  principal  people  of  the  island  ;  and  a  store  of 
wheat,  barley,  and  potatoes,  ready  prepared,  and  presumed  by 
the  voyagers  to  be  a  tribute  to  the  conquerors,  was  unscrupu- 
lously appropriated.  To  this  the  islanders  added  presents  of 
hogs,  dried  dogfish,  fowls,  and  maize,  and  received  in  return 
an  entertainment  on  board  the  captain's  ship.  These  Indians 
are  represented  as  being  in  such  subjection,  that  not  one  of 
them  durst  eat  a  hen  or  hog  of  his  own  rearing,  aU  being  sa- 
cred to  their  taskmasters,  who  had,  however,  made  the  whole 
of  the  islanders  Christians.  When  they  came  to  understand 
that  their  guests  were  not  Spaniards,  it  was  believed  that  they 
attempted  to  invite  them  to  an  assault  upon  their  enslavers  ; 
but  for  want  of  an  interpreter  their  meaning  was  imperfectly 
comprehended.  The  squadron,  thus  refreshed  at  the  expense 
of  the  Spaniards,  sailed  on  the  18th,  but  overshot  Valparaiso, 
at  which  place  they  intended  to  halt.  On  the  30th  they  an- 
chored in  the  Bay  of  Quintero,  seven  leagues  to  the  north  of 
Valparaiso.  A  herdsman  asleep  on  a  hill-side  awaking,  and 
perceiving  three  strange  ships  in  the  bay,  caught  a  horse  gra- 
zing beside  him,  and  fled  to  spread  the  alarm.  Cavendish, 
unable  to  prevent  this  untoward  movement,  landed  with  a 
party  of  thirty  men,  and  Hernandez,  the  Spaniard  whom  he 
had  brought  from  the  straits,  and  who  made  strong  protesta- 
tion of  fidelity.     Three  armed  horsemen  appeared,  as  if  come 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  79 

to  reconnoitre.  With  these  Hernandez  conferred,  and  report- 
ed that  they  agreed  to  furnish  as  much  provision  as  the  Eng- 
hsh  required.  A  second  time  the  interpreter  was  despatched 
to  a  conference  ;  but  on  this  occasion,  forgetting  all  his  vows 
of  fidelity  to  his  benefactors,  he  leaped  up  behind  one  of  his 
countrymen,  and  they  sat  off  at  a  round  gallop,  leaving  Cav- 
endish to  execrate  Spanish  bad  faith.  The  English  filled 
some  of  their  water  casks,  and  attempted  in  vain  to  obtain  a 
shot  at  the  wild  cattle,  which  were  seen  grazing  in  great  herds. 
Next  day  a  party  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  marched  into  the  interi- 
or in  the  hope  of  discovering  some  Spanish  settlement.  They 
did  not  see  one  human  being,  native  nor  European,  though 
they  travelled  till  arrested  by  the  mountains.  The  country 
was  fruitful  and  well  watered  with  rivulets,  and  abounded  in 
herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  with  hares,  rabbits,  and  many 
kinds  of  wild-fowl.  They  also  saw  numerous  wild  dogs.  The 
party  did  not  sleep  on  shore.  The  boats  were  sent  next  day 
for  water,  which  was  found  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  beach. 
While  the  seamen  were  employed  in  filling  the  casks,  they 
were  suddenly  surprised  by  a  party  of  two  hundred  horsemen, 
who  came  pouncing  down  upon  them  from  the  heights,  and 
cut  off"  twelve  of  the  party,  some  of  whom  were  killed,  and  the 
rest  made  prisoners.  The  remainder  were  rescued  by  the 
soldiers,  who  ran  from  the  rocks  to  support  their  unsuspecting 
comrades,  and  killed  twenty-four  of  the  Spaniards.  Notwith- 
standing this  serious  misadventure.  Cavendish,  keeping  strict 
watch  and  ward,  remained  here  till  the  watering  was  comple- 
ted. Of  the  nine  prisoners  snatched  off"  in  this  affray,  it  was 
afterward  learned  that  six  were  executed  at  Santiago  as  pirates, 
though  they  sailed  with  the  queen's  commission,  and  though 
the  nation  to  which  they  belonged  was  at  open  war  with  Spain. 
The  disciphne  which  the  Spaniards  had  taught  the  natives 
was  again  found  of  use  to  our  navigators,  who,  after  leaving 
Quintero,  came  on  the  15th  to  Morro  Moreno,  or  the  Brown 
Mountain,  where  the  Indians,  on  their  landing,  met  them  with 
loads  of  wood  and  water,  which  they  had  carried  on  their 
backs  down  the  rocks.  These  slaves  of  the  Spaniards  were 
found  to  be  a  very  degraded  race,  almost  at  the  lowest  point  in 
the  scale  of  civihzation.  Their  dwelhngs  consisted  of  a  few 
sticks  placed  across  two  stakes  stuck  in  the  ground,  on  which 
a  few  boughs  were  laid.  Skins  spread  on  the  floor  gave  a 
higher  idea  of  comfort.  Their  food  consisted  of  raw  putrid 
fish  ;  yet  their  fishing-canoes  were  constructed  with  consider- 
able ingenuity.  They  were  made  of  skins  "like  bladders." 
Each  boat  consisted  of  two  of  these  skins,  which  were  inflated 
by  means  of  quills,  and  sewed  or  laced  together  with  gut,  so 


80  THOMAS    CAVENDISH. 

as  to  be  perfectly  water-tight.  In  these  they  fished,  paying 
large  tribute  of  their  spoils  to  their  conquerors.  When  any 
one  died,  his  bows  and  arrows,  canoes,  and  all  his  personal 
property,  were  buried  along  with  him,  as  the  English  verified 
by  opening  a  grave. 

On  the  23d  a  vessel,  with  a  cargo  of  Spanish  ^vine,  was 
captured  near  Arica,  and  also  a  small  bark,  the  crew  of  which 
escaped  in  their  boat.  This  vessel  was  permanently  added  to 
the  squadron,  and  named  the  George.  Another  large  ship, 
captured  in  the  road  of  Arica,  proved  but  a  worthless  prize, 
the  cargo  having  been  previously  taken  away,  and  the  ship  de- 
serted by  the  crew.  A  design  of  landing  and  storming  the 
town  was  abandoned,  as,  before  the  squadron  could  be  mus- 
tered, the  Spaniards  were  apprized  of  their  danger,  and  pre- 
pared to  stand  on  the  defensive.  A  third  vessel  was  taken 
close  by  the  town  ;  and  the  English  squadron  and  the  batte- 
ries even  exchanged  a  few  harmless  shots;  after  which  Caven- 
dish, in  hopes  of  relieving  some  of  the  English  prisoners  made 
at  Quintero,  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce  inviting  the  Spaniards  to 
redeem  their  vessels  ;  but  proposals  of  this  nature  were,  by 
order  of  the  viceroy  at  Lima,  in  all  cases  rejected. 

On  the  25th,  while  the  squadron  still  rode  before  the  town, 
a  vessel  from  the  southward  was  perceived  coming  into  the 
port.  Cavendish  sent  out  his  pinnace  to  seize  this  bark,  while 
the  townspeople  endeavored  from  the  shore  to  make  the  crew 
sensible  of  their  danger.  They  understood  the  signals,  and 
rowed  in  among  the  rocks,  while  a  party  of  horsemen  ad- 
vanced from  the  town  to  protect  the  crew  and  passengers. 
Among  these  were  several  monks,  who  had  a  very  narrow 
escape.  The  deserted  vessel,  when  searched,  aftbrded 
nothing  of  value;  and,  burning  their  prizes,  early  on  the  26th 
they  bore  away  northward  from  Arica.  Next  day  a  small 
vessel,  despatched  from  Santiago,  with  intelligence  to  the 
viceroy  that  an  Enghsh  squadron, — probably  Drake  himself, — 
was  upon  the  coast,  was  captured.  Great  severity  was  used 
to  make  the  crew  reveal  the  nature  of  their  despatches,  which 
were  thrown  overboard  while  the  Enghsh  gave  chase.  They 
had  solemnly  sworn  not  to  tell  their  errand  ;  but  their  fidelity 
was  barely  proof  against  the  torture  to  which  Cavendish 
thought  it  necessary  to  subject  them  to  extort  their  secret.  An 
old  Fleming,  whom  he  threatened  to  hang,  and  actually  caus- 
ed to  be  hoisted  up,  stood  the  test,  and  chose  rather  to  die 
than  to  perjure  himself  by  betraying  his  trust.  At  last  one  of 
the  Spaniards  confessed :  and,  burning  the  vessel,  Cavendish 
carried  the  crew  along  with  him,  as  the  safest  way  to  prevent 
tale-telling.  In  this  vessel  was  found  a  Greek  pilot  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  coast  of  Chili. 


THOMAS    CAVENDISH.  81 

On  the  3d  of  May  they  landed  at  a  small  Spanish  town, 
where  they  obtained  a  supply  of  bread,  wine,  figs,  and  fowls. 
This  cruise  was  continued  for  a  fortnight,  and  several  prizes 
were  made,  from  which  needful  supplies  were  obtained  ;  but 
none  that  aiforded  the  species  of  wealth  which  the  captors 
valued.  On  the  20th  they  landed  at  Paita,  to  the  amount  of 
seventy  men,  took  the  town,  drove  out  the  inhabitants,  and 
continued  the  pursuit  till  they  came  to  the  place  whither  the 
townspeople  had  conveyed  their  most  valuable  goods.  Here 
they  found  twenty -five  pounds  of  silver,  with  other  costly  com- 
modities. Cavendish,  however,  expecting  an  attack,  had  the 
prudence  not  to  allow  his  men  to  encumber  themselves  with 
much  spoil  on  their  return  to  the  ships.  The  town,  which  was 
regularly  built  and  very  clean,  consisted  of  two  hundred  houses. 
It  was  burnt  to  the  ground,  with  goods  to  the  value  of  five  or 
six  thousand  pounds.  A  ship  in  the  harbour  was  also  burnt, 
and  the  fleet  held  a  course  northward,  and  anchored  at  the 
island  of  Puna,  in  a  good  harbour.  A  Spanish  sloop  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  tons  burthen,  which  they  found  here,  was 
sunk.  They  landed  forthwith  at  the  dwelling  of  the  cacique, 
who  was  found  living  in  a  style  of  elegance  and  even  magnifi- 
cence rarely  seen  among  the  native  chiefs.  His  house  stood 
near  the  town,  by  the  water's  edge,  and  contained  many  hand- 
some apartments,  with  verandas  commanding  fine  prospects 
seaward  and  landward.  The  chief  had  married  a  beautiful 
Spanish  woman,  who  was  regarded  as  the  queen  of  the  island. 
She  never  set  her  foot  upon  the  ground,  holding  it  "  too 
low  a  thing  for  her,"  but  was  carried  abroad  on  men's  shoul- 
ders in  a  sort  of  palanquin,  with  a  canopy  to  shelter  her  from 
the  sun  and  wind,  and  attended  by  native  ladies  and  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  the  island.  The  cacique  and  his  lady  fled  on  the 
first  approach  of  the  English,  carrying  with  them  100,000 
crowns,  which,  from  the  information  of  a  captive  scout,  were 
ascertained  to  have  been  in  their  possession.  Induced  by  the 
information  of  the  Indian  captive.  Cavendish  landed  on  the 
main  with  an  armed  party,  intending  to  surprise  the  fugitives  ; 
but  they  once  more  fled,  leaving  the  meat  roasting  at  their  fires, 
and  their  treasures  could  not  be  discovered.  In  a  small 
neighbouring  island  the  cacique  had  previously  for  safety  de- 
posited his  most  valuable  furniture  and  goods,  consisting  of 
hangings  of  Cordovan  leather,  richly  painted  and  gilded,  with 
the  tackling  of  ships,  nails,  spikes,  <fec.,  of  which  the  English 
took  a  large  supply.  At  Puna  sail-cloth  from  sea-grass  was 
manufactured  for  the  use  of  the  ships  in  the  South  Sea.  The 
island  was  about  the  size  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  contained 
several  towns, — the  principal  one,  near  which  was  the  cacique's 
8 


83  THOMAS    CAVENDISH. 

palace,  consisted  of  two  hundred  houses,  with  a  large  church. 
This  the  English  burnt  down,  carrying  away  the  bells. 

The  Indian  chief  of  Puna  had  been  baptized  previous  to 
his  marriage,  and  the  Indians  were  all  obliged  to  attend  mass. 
Adjoining  the  dwelling  of  the  cacique  was  a  fine  garden  laid 
out  in  the  European  style,  with  a  fountain.  In  it  were  cotton- 
plants,  fig-trees,  pomegranates,  and  many  varieties  of  herbs 
and  fruits.  An  orchard,  with  lemons,  oranges,  &.C.,  ornament- 
ed the  other  side  of  this  pleasant  dwelling,  the  under  part  of 
which  consisted  of  a  large  hall,  in  which  goods  of  all  kinds 
were  promiscuously  stored.  Cattle  and  poultry  were  seen  in 
great  abundance,  with  pigeons,  turkeys,  and  ducks  of  unusual 
size.  Though  the  general,  both  from  personal  observation 
and  report,  was  aware  that  a  force  was  to  be  sent  against  him 
from  Guayaquil,  he  hauled  up  his  ship  to  have  lier  bottom 
cleaned,  keeping  vigilant  watch  in  the  chief's  house,  where  the 
English  had  estabhshed  their  head-quarters. 

The  ship  was  again  afloat,  and  the  squadron  about  to  sail, 
when,  by  one  of  those  mischances  which  prove  the  danger  of 
indulging  for  a  single  moment  in  false  security,  the  English 
sufi*ered  a  severe  loss.  On  the  2d  of  June,  before  weighing 
anchor,  a  party  were  permitted  to  straggle  about  the  town  to 
amuse  themselves  and  forage  for  provisions.  Thus  scattered, 
they  were  suddenly  assailed  in  detached  groups  by  a  hundred 
armed  Spaniards ;  and  of  the  twenty  thus  dispersed,  seven 
were  killed,  three  made  prisoners,  and  two  drowned,  while 
eight  escaped.  Forty-six  Spaniards  and  Indians  fell  in  this 
skirmish.  Cavendish  immediately  landed  with  an  armed 
band,  drove  the  Spanish  soldiers  from  the  town,  and  burnt  it 
completely  down,  together  with  four  ships  then  building.  He 
also  destroyed  the  gardens  and  orchards.  Persisting  in  main- 
taining his  ground,  Cavendish  next  day  laid  up  the  other  ship 
to  be  careened,  and  did  not  sail  till  the  5th,  when  they  went  to 
Rio  Dolce,  where  they  watered.  Here  they  sunk  the  Hugh 
Gallant,  all  the  hands  being  now  required  for  the  other  vessels. 
They  also  sent  on  shore  their  Indian  prisoners,  and,  without 
touching  at  any  other  land,  held  a  northerly  course  for  nearly 
a  month.  On  the  9th  of  July,  they  captured  a  new  ship  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  tons,  which,  first  taking  away  her 
ropes  and  sails,  they  immediately  burnt.  In  this  vessel  was 
a  Frenchman,  Michael  Sancius,  who  gave  mformation  of  the 
Manilla  ship  then  expected  from  the  Philippines.  This  was  a 
prize  worth  looking  after  ;  and  they  were  so  far  fortunate  as 
to  intercept  a  small  bark  sent  to  give  her  warning.  On  the 
27th,  by  daybreak,  they  entered  the  harbour  of  Guatuico,  and 
burnt  the  town,  the  church,  and  custom-house,  in  which  was 


THOMAS    CAVENDISH.  ««J 

found  a  quantity  of  die-stuffs  and  cocoas.  Some  trifling  ad- 
ventures marked  the  following  day,  in  which  they  by  mistake 
over-sailed  Acapulco.  Landing  at  Puerto  de  Navidad,  they 
burnt  two  ships,  each  of  two  hundred  tons,  then  on  the  stocks, 
and  made  prisoner  of  a  mulatto  who  carried  letters  of  advice 
of  their  progress  along  the  coast  of  New  Gallicia.  In  this 
manner  they  proceeded  northward,  often  landing  small  detach- 
ments, and  spreading  alarm  along  the  shores.  On  the  8th  they 
came  into  the  bay  of  Chacalla,  (supposed  Compostella,)  de- 
scribed as  being  eighteen  leagues  from  Cape  de  los  Corrientes, 
and  to  a  harbour  presumed  to  be  that  known  in  modern  ge- 
ography as  San  Bias.  Next  morning  an  officer  with  forty 
men,  and  Michael  Sancius  as  their  conductor,  marched  two 
leagues  into  the  interior,  by  "a  most  villanous  and  desert  path 
through  the  woods  and  wilderness,"  and  came  to  a  place  where 
they  found  three  Spanish  families,  a  carpenter  of  the  same 
nation,  a  Portuguese,  and  a  few  Indians.  Their  ordinary 
mode  of  proceeding  on  such  occasions  is  told  in  few  words: — 
*'  We  bound  them  all,  and  made  them  to  come  to  the  seaside 
with  us."  The  general,  however,  set  the  women  free  ;  and 
on  their  bringing  to  the  ships  a  supply  of  pine-apples,  lemons, 
and  oranges,  allowed  their  husbands  to  depart,  as  there  was 
nothing  to  be  obtained  from  them.  The  carpenter  and  the 
Portuguese  were  kept,  and  next  day  the  fleet  sailed.  On  the 
12th  of  September  they  reached  the  isle  of  St.  Andrew,  where 
they  laid  in  a  store  of  wood  and  of  dried  and  salted  wild-fowl. 
Seals  were  also  found,  and  iguanas, — a  species  "  of  serpent 
with  four  feet  and  a  long  sharp  tail,  strange  to  them  who  have 
not  seen  them,"  but  which,  nevertheless,  made  very  palatable 
food  to  the  keen  appetites  of  seamen.  In  their  frequent  exi- 
gencies these  hardy  voyagers  never  scrupled  to  act  upon  the 
opinion  of  the  old  Symeron  chief  in  the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 
When  Drake,  with  the  natural  disgust  of  an  Englishman, 
showed  some  tokens  of  aversion  to  otter's  flesh,  the  Indian  is 
reported  to  have  thus  addressed  him  : — "  Are  you  a  warrior, 
and  in  want,  and  yet  doubt  if  that  be  food  which  hath  blood 
in  it!" 

On  the  24th  of  September  they  put  into  the  Bay  of  Mazat- 
lan,  and  at  an  island  a  league  to  the  northward  careened  the 
ships,  new-built  the  pinnace,  and  by  digging  deep  in  the  sands 
found  water,  of  which  they  stood  much  in  need  ;  as  without 
this  seasonable  supply  they  must  have  been  compelled  to  turn 
back,  and  thus  might  have  missed  their  prey. 

The  squadron  sailed  from  this  island  on  the  night  of  the  9th 
of  October  for  the  Cape  of  St.  Lucas,  which  was  made  on  the 
14th.     Here  they  lay  in  wait  for  the  anticipated  prize,  cruising 


84  THOMAS    CAVENDISH. 

about  the  headland,  without  going  far  off,  till  the  4th  of  No- 
vember, on  the  morning  of  which  day  the  trumpeter  from  the 
masthead  descried  a  sail  bearing  in  for  the  cape.     Chase  was 
immediately  given,  and  continued  for  some  hours,  when  the 
English  came  up  with  the  Santa  Anna,  gave  her  a  broadside, 
poured  in  a  volley  of  musketry,  and  prepared  to  board.     The 
attempt  was  bravely  repelled  by  the  Spaniards,  who  courage- 
ously repulsed  the  assailants  with  the  loss  of  two  men  killed 
and  five  wounded.      The  most  formidable  weapons  of  the 
Spaniards  were  stones,  which,  from  behind  their  protecting 
barricades,  they  hurled  upon  the  boarders.     "  But  we  new- 
trimmed  our  sails,"  says  the  early  relation,  "  and  fitted  every 
man  his  furniture,  and  gave   them  a  fresh  encounter  with  our 
great  ordnance,   and  also  with  our  small  shot,  raking  them 
through  and  through,  to  the  kilhng  and  wounding  many  of 
their  men.     Their  captain  still,  like  a  valiant  man,  with  his 
company  stood  very  stoutly  into  his  close  fights,  not  yielding 
as  yet.     Our  general,  encouraging  his  men  afresh  with  the 
whole  voice  of  trumpets,  gave  them  the  other  encounter  with 
our  great  ordnance  and  all  our  small  shot,  to  the  great  discour- 
agement of  our  enemies,  raking  them  through  in  divers  places, 
kilhng  and  wounding  many  of  their  men.     They  being  thus 
discouraged  and  spoiled,  and  their   ship   being  in  hazard  of 
sinking  by  reason  of  the  great  shot  which  were  made,  whereof 
some  were  under  water,  within  five  or  six  hours'  fight  sent  out 
a  flag  of  truce  and  parleyed  for  mercy,  desiring  our  general  to 
save  their  lives  and  to  take  their  goods,  and  that  they  would 
presently  yield.     Our  general  of  his  goodness  promised  them 
mercy,  and  called  them  to  strike  their  sails,  and  to  hoise  out 
their  boat,  and  come  on  board ;  which  news  they  were  full  glad 
to  hear  of,   and  presently  struck  their  sails,  hoisted  out  their 
boat,  and  one  of  their  chief  merchants  came  on  board  unto  our 
general,  and,   falling  down  upon  his  knees,   offered  to  have 
kissed  our   general's  feet,  and  craved  mercy.     Our  general 
graciously  pardoned  both  him  and  the  rest,  upon  promise  of 
their  true  dealing  with  him  and  his  company  concerning  such 
riches  as  were  in  the   ship  ;  and   sent  for  their  captain  and 
pilot,  who  at  their  coming  used  the  hke  duty  and  reverence  as 
the  former  did.     The  general,  out  of  his  great  mercy  and  hu- 
manity, promised  their  lives  and  good  usage." 

The  Santa  Anna  was  a  prize  worth  the  trouble  bestowed  in 
securing  her.  She  was  of  seven  hundred  tons  burden,  and  the 
property  of  the  King  of  Spain.  Besides  a  rich  cargo  of  silks, 
satins,  damasks,  wine,  preserved  fruit,  musk,  &c.,  there  were 
on  board  122,000  pesos  in  gold.  The  provison  made  for  the 
passengers  was  also  of  the  best  kind,  and  afforded  luxuries  to 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  85 

the  English  ships'  companies  to  which  they  had  hitherto  been 
strangers.  Cavendish  carried  his  prize  into  a  bay  within  Cape 
Lucas,  named  by  the  Spaniards  Aguada  Segura,  or  The  Safe 
Watering-place,  where  he  landed  the  crew  and  passengers  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred  and  ninety  persons,  among  whom 
were  some  females. 

The  captain-general  deemed  it  impolitic  to  allow  these  per- 
sons to  proceed  direct  to  New  Spain,  and  the  place  on  which 
he  landed  them  afforded  water,  wood,  fish,  fowl,  and  abun- 
dance of  hares  and  rabbits.  He  presented  them  with  part  of 
the  ship's  stores,  with  wine,  and  with  the  sails  of  their  dis- 
mantled vessel,  to  construct  tents  for  their  shelter.  He  also 
gave  the  seamen  weapons  for  their  defence  against  the  natives, 
and  planks,  of  which  they  might  build  a  bark  to  convey  the 
whole  party  to  the  settlements. 

Among  the  passengers  by  the  Santa  Anna  were  two  lads, 
natives  of  Japan,  who  could  both  read  and  write  their  own 
language,  and  three  boys  from  Manilla.  These,  with  a  Por- 
tuguese who  had  been  in  Canton,  the  Philippines,  and  the 
islands  of  Japan,  Cavendish  carried  with  him,  and  also  a 
Spanish  pilot. 

The  division  of  the  spoils  occasioned  great  discontent,  par- 
ticularly among  the  crew  of  the  vice-admiral's  ship,  who  im- 
agined that  Cavendish  favoured  the  company  of  the  Desire. 
But  the  dissatisfaction  was  apparently  suppressed,  and  by  the 
17th  of  November,  "the  queen's  day,"  all  business  being  com- 
pleted, a  few  hours  were  devoted  by  the  loyal  EngUsh  to 
gayety  and  festivity  ;  and  a  discharge  of  the  great  guns  and  a 
display  of  fireworks  proclaimed  to  these  lonely  shores  the  glory 
of  JElizabeth  of  England.  As  the  completion  of  their  rejoic- 
ing, the  Santa  Anna,  with  all  of  her  goods  that  could  not  be 
stowed  into  the  English  ships,  was  set  on  fire,  and  left  burn- 
ing ;  and  firing  a  parting  salute  to  the  deserted  Spaniards,  the 
Desire  and  the  Content  bore  away  for  England,  which,  before 
they  could  again  arrive  at,  so  much  of  the  circumference  of 
the  globe  must  be  traversed.  Before  coming  to  St.  Lucas,  the 
George,  the  Spanish  prize,  had  been  abandoned  ;  and  now,  in 
coming  out  of  the  bay,  the  Content  lagged  astern,  and  was 
never  again  seen  by  her  consort. 

The  Desire,  thus  left  alone,  as  the  Golden  Hind  had  been 
before  her,  holding  her  solitary  course  across  the  Pacific,  on 
the  3d  of  January,  1588,  came  in  sight  of  Guahan,  one  of  the 
Ladrones.  For  forty-five  days  the  English  had  enjoyed  fair 
winds,  and  had  sailed  a  distance  roughly  estimated  at  between 
JBeventeen'and  eighteen  hundred  leagues.  When  within  five  or 
or  six  miles  of  Guahan,  fifty  or  more  canoes  full  of  people  came 
8* 


8^"  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

oiFto  meet  the  ship,  brinofinj^the  commodities  with  which  they 
were  now  in  the  habit  of  supplying  the  Spaniards,  namely,  fish, 
potatoes,plantains,  and  cocoas,  which  were  exchanged  for  pieces 
of  iron.  This  traffic  was  phed  so  eagerly  that  it  became  trouble- 
some ;  and  Cavendish,  who  was  never  distinguished  for  pa- 
tience or  forbearance,  with  five  of  his  men,  fired  to  drive  the 
natives  back  from  the  ship.  They  dived  so  nimbly  to  evade 
the  shot,  that  it  could  not  be  ascertained  what  execution  was 
done.  The  people  here  were  of  tawny  complexion,  corpulent, 
and  of  taller  stature  than  ordinary-sized  Englishmen.  Their 
hair  was  long,  but  some  wore  it  tied  up  in  one  or  two  knots  on 
the  crown  of  the  head.  The  construction  of  their  canoes 
greatly  excited  the  admiration  of  the  Enghsh  seamen,  formed, 
as  they  were,  without  any  "  edge-tool."  These  canoes  were 
from  six  to  seven  yards  in  length,  but  very  narrow,  and 
moulded  in  the  same  way  at  prow  and  stern.  They  had 
square  and  triangular  sails  of  cloth  made  of  bulrushes,  and 
were  ornamented  with  head  figures  carved  in  wood,  "  like  unto 
images  of  the  Devil."  They  appeared  in  the  canoes  entirely 
naked,  and  were  dexterous  divers  and  excellent  swimmers. 

On  the  14th  of  January  the  Desire  made  Gape  Spirito  Santo, 
the  first  point  of  the  Phihppines  which  was  seen ;  and  on  the 
same  night  entered  the  strait  now  named  the  Strait  of  San 
Bernardino.  Next  morning  they  came  to  anchor  in  a  fine  bay 
and  safe  harbour  in  the  island  then  named  Capul.  Though 
the  Spanish  settlement  at  Manilla  was  still  comparatively  re- 
Cent,  it  had  risen  and  flourished  so  rapidly  that  it  was  already 
become  a  place  of  great  wealth  and  commercial  importance. 
Besides  the  annual  fleet  to  New  Spain,  it  possessed  a  very 
considerable  trade  with  China  and  the  Indian  islands  in  the 
most  valuable  commodities.  The  people  with  whom  Manilla 
enjoyed  this  trade,  and  particularly  a  people  they  name  the 
Sanguelos,  are  described  by  {he  voyagers  as  "  of  great  genius 
and  invention  in  handicrafts  and  sciences;  every  one  so  ex- 
pert, perfect,  and  skilful  in  his  faculty,  as  few  or  no  Christians 
are  able  to  go  beyond  them  in  that  they  take  in  hand.  For 
drawing  and  embroidery  upon  satin,  silk,  or  lawn,  either  beast, 
fowl,  fish,  or  worm;  for  livehness  and perfectness, both  in  silk, 
silver,  gold,  and  pearl,  they  excel." 

As  soon  as  the  Desire  came  to  anchor  off^  Capul,  one  of  the 
chiefs,  of  whom  there  were  seven  in  the  island,  came  on  board, 
presuming  the  ship  to  be  Spanish.  His  people  brought  a 
supply  of  potatoes,  which  they  called  camotaes,  and  green 
cocoas.  The  rate  of  exchange,  or  the  prices,  would  now  be 
thought  high.  A  yard  of  linen  was  given  for  four  cocoas, 
and  the  same  quantity  for  about  a  quart  of  potatoes.     These 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  87 

roots  were  thought  good  either  boiled  or  roasted,  and  were 
much  reUshed  by  the  crew.  The  cacique  was  "carved" 
(tatooed)  in  various  streaks  and  devices.  He  was  requested 
to  remain  on  board,  and  a  message  of  invitation  being  sent  to 
the  other  chiefs,  they  also  repaired  to  the  ship,  bringing  hogs 
and  hens  to  exchange.  The  rate  which  was  uniform  was, 
for  a  hog  eight  ryals  of  plate,  and  for  a  fowl  one.  This  trade 
went  on  all  day,  and  the  ship,  after  her  long  run,  was  well  sup- 
pUed  with  refreshments.  On  the  same  night  a  fortunate  dis- 
covery was  made  by  the  Portuguese  taken  out  of  the  Santa 
Anna  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  the  Philippines  and  of 
China.  The  Spanish  Pilot  had,  it  appeared,  prepared  a  letter, 
which  he  hoped  secretly  to  convey  to  the  governor  at  Manilla, 
informing  him  of  the  English  ship,  which  it  would  not  be  diffi- 
cult to  surprise  and  overpower.  If  this  vessel  was  allowed  to 
escape  with  impunity,  he  pointed  out  that  the  settlement  might 
next  year  be  taken  by  those  who  had  now  the  audacity  with  so 
small  a  force  to  approach  its  vicinity.  He  described  in  what 
manner  the  English  ship  might  be  taken  where  she  now  rode* 
This  crime,  or  act  of  patriotism,  was  clearly  brought  home  to 
the  pilot,  who  was  next  morning  hanged  for  doing  his  duty  to 
his  native  country  and  sovereign. 

Cavendish  remained  here  nine  days  for  the  refreshment  of 
the  ship's  company,  and  to  obtain  a  store  of  provisions.  Some 
singular  customs  are  ascribed  to  the  natives  of  Capul.  They 
practised  circumcision.  By  an  opinion,  not  rare  "of  the 
heathen"  in  those  days,  nor  yet  altogether  exploded  among 
persons  better  instructed  than  the  early  navigators,  the  island- 
ers are  alleged  to  have  "wholly  worshipped  the  Devil,  and 
oftentimes  to  have  conference  with  him,  who  appeareth  unto 
them  in  a  most  ugly,  monstrous  shape."  On  the  23d  of  Janu- 
ary the  captain-general  caused  the  seven  chiefs  of  this  island, 
"  and  of  a  hundred  islands  more,"  to  appear  before  him,  and 
pay  him  tribute  in  hogs,  poultry,  cocoas,  and  potatoes ;  at 
which  ceremony  he  informed  them  of  his  country,  spread  the 
banner  of  England  from  his  masthead,  and  sounded  the 
drums  and  trumpets.  Due  homage  and  submission  were 
made  to  the  representative  of  England,  and  the  enemy  of 
Spain ;  and  this  being  all  that  was  required,  the  value  of  the 
tribute  was  paid  back  to  the  natives  in  money.  The  Indians, 
at  parting,  promised  to  assist  the  English  in  conquering  the 
Spaniards  at  any  future  time ;  and,  to  amuse  their  new 
friends,  showed  feats  of  swift  rowing  round  the  ship.  The 
general  fired  off  a  piece  of  ordnance  as  a  farewell,  and  the 
new  tributaries  went  away  contented  and  pleased.  The  "  hun- 
dred islands  more"  look  like  a  flourish  of  the  narrator,  thickly 


8&  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

as  islands  are  clustered  to£rether  at  this  place.  Next  day  they 
ran  along  the  coast  of  Manilla,  and  on  the  28th  chased  a 
frigate,  which  escaped  into  some  inlet.  Chase  was  given  by 
the  boat  in  those  places  which  were  so  shallow  that  the  ship 
could  not  approach.  The  crew  was  afterward  shot  at  by  a 
party  of  Spanish  soldiers  from  the  shore  ;  and  a  frigate  was 
manned  by  them  and  sent  in  pursuit,  which  chased  the  English 
boat  till  within  reach  of  the  guns  of  the  Desire.  The  boat's 
crew  had  previously  made  a  Spaniard  prisoner,  whom  they 
found  in  a  canoe  from  which  the  natives  escaped ;  and  next 
day  Cavendish  sent  a  message  by  him  to  the  captain  of  the 
Spanish  party,  who  at  different  stations  kept  watch  along  the 
coast,  desiring  that  officer  to  provide  a  good  store  of  gold,  as 
he  intended  to  visit  him  at  Manilla  in  a  few  years,  and,  if  his 
boat  had  been  larger,  would  have  visited  him  then. 

About  the  middle  of  February  Mr.  Cavendish  passed  near 
the  Moluccas,  but  did  not  touch  at  these  islands.  Fever  now 
visited  the  ship's  company,  which  had  hitherto  been  very 
healthy;  but  only  two  of  the  men  died,  and  one  of  these  had 
long  been  sick,  so  that  his  death  could  not  be  attributed  to  the 
climate  and  the  excessive  heat  which  occasioned  the  illness  of 
the  others.  On  the  1st  of  March  the  Desire  passed  through 
the  straits  at  the  west  end  of  Java  Minor,  and  on  the  5th  an- 
chored in  a  bay  at  the  west  end  of  Java  Major.  A  negro 
found  in  the  Santa  Anna  was  able  to  converse  with  some  na- 
tives who  were  here  found  fishing.  Through  this  interpreter, 
who  spoke  the  Morisco  or  Arabic  language,  they  were  inform- 
ed that  provisions  might  be  obtained ;  and  in  a  few  days  after- 
ward two  or  three  canoes  arrived  laden  with  fowls,  eggs,  fresh 
fish,  oranges,  and  limes.  That  the  ship  might  be  more  con- 
veniently victualled  they  stood  in  nearer  the  town,  and  were 
visited  by  the  king's  secretary,  who  brought  the  general  a  pres- 
ent, including,  among  other  things,  "wine  as  strong  as  aqua- 
vitfe,  and  as  clear  as  rock-water."  This  distinguished  official, 
who  promised  that  the  ship  should  be  supplied  in  four  days, 
was  treated  with  all  the  magnificence  that  Cavendish  could 
command.  The  wines  and  preserves  of  the  Spanish  prize 
were  produced  for  his  entertainment ;  and  the  English  musi- 
cians exerted  their  skill.  The  secretary,  who  remained  on 
board  all  night,  saw  the  watch  set  and  the  guns  fired  off,  and 
was  informed  that  the  ship's  company  were  Englishmen,  na- 
tives of  a  country  which  already  traded  with  China,  and  that 
they  were  come  hither  for  discovery  and  traffic.  The  Portu- 
guese had  already  established  a  factory  on  the  island,  where 
they  traded  in  cloves,  pepper,  sugar,  slaves,  and  other  mer- 
chandize of  the  East.     Two  of  these  Portuguese  merchants 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 


89 


afterward  visited  the  ship,  eager  to  obtain  news  of  their  coun- 
try and  of  Don  Antonio  their  prince.  They  were  informed 
that  he  was  then  in  England,  honourably  entertained  by  the 
queen ;  and  were  dehghted  to  hear  of  the  havoc  Cavendish 
had  made  among  the  Spanish  shipping  in  the  South  Sea,  as 
he  told  them  that  he  was  "  warring  upon  them  (the  Spaniards,) 
under  the  Ring  of  Portugal."  The  Europeans  who  met  on 
this  distant  coast  were  mutually  delighted  with  their  short  in- 
tercourse. Cavendish  banqueted  the  Portuguese  merchants, 
and  entertained  them  with  music  as  well  as  with  pohtical  in- 
telhgence ;  and  to  him  they  described  the  riches  of  Java,  and 
the  most  remarkable  customs  observed  by  the  natives.  The 
reigning  king  or  rajah  was  named  Bolamboam,  and  was  re- 
ported to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  age.  He  was  held 
in  great  veneration  by  his  subjects,  none  of  whom  durst  trade 
with  any  nation  without  his  license  under  pain  of  death.  The 
old  king  had  a  hundred  wives  ;  and  his  son  fifty.  In  Bolam- 
boam the  old  voyagers  give  a  perfect  picture  of  an  absolute 
prince.  The  Javans  paid  him  unlimited  obedience.  What- 
ever he  commanded,  be  the  undertaking  ever  so  dangerous  or 
desperate,  no  one  durst  shrink  from  executing  it;  and  their 
heads  were  the  forfeit  of  their  failure.  They  were  "  the  bravest 
race  in  the  south-eastern  parts  of  the  globe,  never  fearing 
death."  The  men  were  naked,  and  dark  in  colour;  but  the 
women  were  partly  clothed,  and  in  complexion  much  fairer. 
When  the  king  died  his  body  was  burned,  and  the  ashes  were 
preserved.  Five  days  afterward  his  queen,  or  principal  wife, 
threw  a  ball  from  her  with  which  she  was  provided,  and 
wherever  it  ran  thither  all  the  wives  repaired.  Each  turned 
her  face  eastward, — and,  with  a  dagger  as  sharp  as  a  razor, 
stabbed  herself  to  the  heart,  and,  bathed  in  her  own  blood,  fell 
upon  her  face,  and  thus  died.  "  This  thing,"  we  are  assured, 
"is  as  true  as  it  may  seem  to  any  hearer  to  be  strange."  The 
Portuguese  factors,  before  parting  with  Cavendish,  proposed 
that  their  acknowledged  king,  Don  Antonio,  should  come  out, 
and  here  found  an  empire,  which  should  comprehend  the  Mo- 
luccas, Ceylon,  China,  and  the  Phihppines.  They  were  as- 
sured that  all  the  natives  of  these  countries  would  declare  for 
him.  A  kind  reception  was  also  promised  to  the  English  at 
their  return  ;  and  Cavendish,  having  fully  satisfied  them  for 
the  supplies  furnished  to  his  ship,  fired  a  parting  salute  of 
three  guns,  and  on  the  16th  of  March  sailed  for  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope. 

The  rest  of  this  month  and  the  month  of  April  were  spent 
"  in  traversing  that  mighty  and  vast  sea  between  the  island  of 
Java  and  the  main  of  Africa,  observing  the  heavens,  the  Cro- 


9B  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

siers  or  South  Pole,  the  other  stars,  and  the  fowls,  which  are  . 
marks  unto  seamen ;  fair  weather,  foul  weather,  approaching 
of  lands  or  islands,  the  winds,  tempests,  the  rains  and  thun- 
ders, with  the  alteration  of  the  tides  and  currents."  On  the 
10th  of  May  a  storm  arose,  and  they  were  afterward  becalmed; 
and,  in  the  thick  hazy  weather  of  the  calm,  mistook  Cape 
False  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  they  passed  on  the 
16th,  having  run  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  in  nine 
weeks. 

On  the  8th  of  June  the  island  of  St.  Helena  was  seen,  and 
on  the  9th  they  anchored  in  the  harbour.  The  description  of 
this  station,  so  important  to  navigators,  would  apply  with  per- 
fect accuracy  even  at  this  day,  so  far  as  regards  external  ap-  -^i 
pearance  or  the  natural  productions  of  that  delicious  resting-  i 
place,  of  which  at  that  time  the  Portuguese  still  enjoyed  sole 
possession.  They  had  now  held  this  island  for  upwards  of 
eighty  years;  and,  though  it  had  never  been  regularly  coloni- 
zed, they  had  done  much  to  store  it  with  every  thing  necessa- 
ry to  the  refreshment  of  seamen  on  a  long  voyage.  Already  it 
abounded  in  all  sorts  of  herbs,  and  in  delicious  fruits.  Par- 
tridges, pheasants,  turkeys,  goats,  and  wild  hogs  were  also  ob- 
tained in  abundance. 

At  St.  Helena  Cavendish  remained  till  the  20th,  cleaning 
the  ship,  and  obtaining  refreshments,  when  the  Desire  once 
more  got  under  way  for  England.  About  the  end  of  August 
they  passed  the  Azores,  and  on  the  3d  of  September  met  a 
Flemish  hulk  from  Lisbon,  which  informed  them  of  the  defeat 
of  the  Spanish  Armada,  to  their  "  great  rejoicing."  In  the 
channel  they  were  overtaken  by  the  same  terrible  tempest  that 
made  such  havoc  among  the  Spanish  ships  which  were  driven 
round  the  coast  of  Ireland  and  to  the  north  of  Scotland  ;  but 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  complete  the  third  circumnavigation  of 
the  globe  at  Plymouth  on  the  9th  of  September,  1588, — two 
years  and  fifty  days  from  the  time  they  had  left  the  same  har- 
b9ur,  and  in  a  considerably  shorter  time  than  either  Drake  or 
Magellan  had  made  the  same  voyage. 

Very  copious  nautical  notes  and  remarks  on  this  voyage 
were  published  by  Mr.  Thomas  Fuller  of  Ipswich,  the  sailing- 
master  of  the  Desire.  They  must  have  been  of  great  value  at 
the  time,  but  have  been  superseded  by  more  modern  charts,  in 
forming  which,  though  the  observations  may  not  be  more  ac- 
curate, the  navigators  have  had  the  advcmtage  of  more  perfect 
instruments.  The  only  geographical  discovery  made  by  Cav- 
endish in  this  navigation  was  Port  Desire,  on  the  Patagonian 
coast,  the  landmarks  of  which  Fuller  has  accurately  described, 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH,  91> 

though  it  has  frequently  been   made  the  subject  of  dispute 
among  modern  voyagers. 

The  fame  of  the  exploits  of  Cavendish,  and  of  the  great 
wealth  which  he  had  brought  home,  *'  enough  to  buy  a  fair 
earldom,"  almost  rivalled  the  accounts  of  Drake's  wonderful 
voyage.  Among  other  rumours  it  was  said,  that  when  he  en- 
tered the  harbour  of  Plymouth  his  sails  were  all  of  silk.  In 
the  tempest  which  overtook  them  in  the  channel  the  sails  were 
lost;  and  it  is  probable  that  Cavendish  might  have  been  com- 
pelled to  employ  some  of  his  rich  Indian  damasks  in  the  home- 
ly office  of  rigging  his  vessel;  though  it  is  conjectured,  with 
more  feasibility,  that  his  new  suit  of  sails  were  canvass  fabrica- 
ted of  the  silk-grass  used  in  the  South  Seas,  which,  being  very 
lustrous,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  silk. 

The  earliest  leisure  of  Cavendish  was  employed  in  writing 
to  his  patron.  Lord  Hunsdon,  giving  an  account  of  his  pros- 
perous expedition.  Whatever  blame  may  in  a  more  enhght- 
ened  age  be  imputed  to  this  navigator  for  the  wanton  outrages 
committed  on  the  Spanish  settlements  and  on  the  subjects  of 
Spain,  he  appears  to  have  thought  himself  entitled  to  credit  for 
their  performance.  Instead,  therefore,  of  trying  to  conceal 
these  deeds,  in  setting  forth  his  services  for  her  majesty,  he 
makes  them  his  boast ;  and  doubtless  they  were  highly  esteem- 
ed. No  better  recapitulation  of  the  events  of  this  celebrated 
voyage  can  be  found  than  that  contained  in  his  letter  to  Lord 
Hunsdon.  "  It  hath  pleased  Almighty  God,"  says  the  writer, 
"  to  suffer  me  to  circumpass  the  whole  globe  of  the  world,  en- 
tering in  at  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  and  returning  by  the  Cape 
de  Buena  Esperan9a* ;  in  which  voyage  I  have  either  discov- 
ered or  brought  certain  intelligence  of  all  the  rich  places  of 
the  world  which  were  ever  discovered  by  any  Christian.  I 
navigated  along  the  coast  of  Chili,  Peru,  and  New  Spain, 
where  I  made  great  spoils.  I  burnt  and  sunk  nineteen  sails  of 
ships  small  and  great.  All  the  villages  and  towns  that  ever  I 
landed  at  I  burned  and  spoiled.  And  had  I  not  been  discov- 
ered upon  the  coast,  I  had  taken  great  quantity  of  treasure. 
The  matter  of  most  profit  unto  me  was  a  great  ship  of  the  king's 
which  I  took  at  California  ;  which  ship  came  from  the  Phihp- 
pines,  being  one  of  the  richest  of  merchandise  that  ever  passed 
those  seas From  the  Cape  of  California,  being  the  utter- 
most part  of  all  New  Spain,  I  navigated  to  the  islands  of  the 
Philippines,  hard  upon  the  coast  of  China,  of  which  country  I 
have  brought  such  intelligence  as  hath  not  been  heard  of  in 

*  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 


92  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

these  parts :  the  stateliness  and  riches  of  which  I  fear  to  make 

report  of,  lest  I  should  not  be  credited I  found  out  by  the 

way  homeward  the  island  of  Santa  Helena,  where  the  Portu- 
guese used  to  relieve  themselves  ;  and  from  that  island  God 
hath  suffered  me  to  return  into  England.  All  which  services, 
with  myself,  I  humbly  prostrate  at  her  majesty's  feet,  desiring 
the  Almighty  long  to  continue  her  reign  among  us ;  for  at  this 
day  she  is  the  most  famous  and  victorious  princess  that  liveth 
in  the  world." 

The  second  and  final  expedition  of  Cavendish  to  the  South 
Seas  was  as  remarkable  for  ill  fortune  as  his  first  voyage  had 
been  distinguished  by  uninterrupted  prosperity.  This  fortu- 
nate voyage,  however,  which  gave  such  strong  confirmation  to 
the  hopes  excited  by  the  adventure  of  Drake,  encouraged  many 
to  a  similar  attempt,  and  during  the  two  years  following  his 
return  several  expeditions  were  fitted  out  from  England,  though 
none  of  them  proved  successful. 

In  three  years  after  his  return.  Cavendish,  having,  accord- 
ing to  some  accounts,  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  riches  he 
had  acquired  in  the  South  Sea,  planned  an  expedition  for 
China,  by  Magellan's  Stiaits,  and  upon  an  extensive  scale. 
It  is  asserted,  with  as  much  probability,  that  his  wealth  was 
laid  out  in  equipping  the  new  squadron,  with  which  he  put  to 
sea  on  the  26th  of  August,  1591.  It  consisted  of  "  three  tall 
ships"  and  two  barks.  As  admiral  of  the  fleet.  Cavendish 
sailed  in  the  Leicester  galleon ;  and  his  old  ship,  the  Desire, 
was  commanded  by  the  celebrated  pilot,  navigator,  and  fortu- 
nate discoverer.  Captain  John  Davis.  The  Roebuck,  com- 
manded by  Mr.  Cook,  the  Black  Pinnace,  and  a  small  bark 
named  the  Dainty,  which  belonged  to  Mr.  Adrian  Gilbert,  a 
gentleman  of  Devonshire,  who  had  been  among  the  promoters 
of  the  discovery  of  the  North-west  Passage,  completed  the 
fleet.  The  two  Japanese  youths  captured  in  the  Acapulco 
ship  on  the  former  voyage  accompanied  Cavendish  in  this. 

tJnder  the  equinoctial  line  they  were  becalmed  for  twenty- 
seven  days,  burning  beneath  a  hot  sun,  and  exposed  to  the 
deadly  night  vapours,  which  threw  many  of  the  men  into  the 
scurvy.  Their  first  capture  was  a  Portuguese  vessel,  on  the 
2d  of  December,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  It  was  laden  with 
sugar,  small  wares,  and  slaves. 

On  the  5th  they  pillaged  Placenzia,  a  small  Portuguese  set- 
tlement ;  and  on  the  16th  surprised  the  town  of  Santos,  where 
the  inhabitants  were  at  mass  when  the  party  landed.  Though 
Cavendish,  both  from  principle  and  from  natural  disposition, 
never  lost  an  opportunity  of  spoiling  the  enemy,  the  object  of 
this  attack  was  to  obtain  provisions ;  but  this  design,  from  the 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  9S 

negligence  of  the  captain  of  the  Roebuck  was  completely  frus- 
trated. The  Indians  carried  every  thing  away ;  and  next  day 
the  prisoners  in  the  church  were  either  set  free  or  contrived  to 
escape,  four  old  men  being  retained  as  hostages  till  the  sup- 
plies came  in.  They  never  appeared ;  and  the  consequence 
of  mismanagement  and  delay  was,  that  in  lying  five  weeks  be- 
fore this  place  the  provisions  were  wasted  which  should  have 
sustained  them  in  passing  the  straits,  and  the  voyage  was  de- 
layed, by  this  and  other  causes,  till  they  found  themselves,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  southern  winter,  distant  from  the  straits, 
and  short  of  stores. 

On  the  22d  of  January  they  left  Santos,  burnt  St.  Vincent 
on  the  23d,  and  next  day  bore  for  the  Straits  of  Magellan ; 
Port  Desire,  which  Cavendish  had  discovered  on  his  former 
voyage,  being  appointed  as  a  rendezvous  in  case  of  separation. 
On  the  7th  of  February  the  fleet  was  overtaken  by  a  violent 
gale,  and  next  day  they  were  separated.  Davis,  in  the  Desire, 
made  for  the  appointed  harbour,  and  in  the  way  fell  in  with  the 
Roebuck,  which  had  suffered  dreadfully.  On  the  6th  of  March 
these  two  ships  reached  Port  Desire  together,  and  in  ten  days 
afterward  were  joined  by  the  Black  Pinnace.  The  Dainty, 
the  volunteer  bark,  returned  to  England,  having  stored  herself 
with  sugar  at  Santos  while  the  other  ships  lay  idle  ;  her  cap- 
tain was  in  the  mean  while  on  board  the  Roebuck,  and  was 
left  without  any  thing  save  the  clothes  which  he  wore. 

In  the  gale,  which  scarcely  abated  from  the  7th  of  February 
to  the  middle  of  March,  Cavendish  suffered  severely,  and  his 
officers  and  men  had  shown  a  disposition  to  mutiny ;  so  that, 
on  rejoining  the  other  ships  on  the  I8th,  he  left  the  Leicester 
galleon  in  displeasure,  and  remained  in  the  Desire,  with  Cap- 
tain Davis.  Cavendish  did  not  at  this  time  complain  more 
bitterly  of  the  gentlemen  of  his  own  ship  than  he  afterward 
violently  accused  Davis  of  having  betrayed  and  abandoned 
him.  His  subsequent  misfortunes  affected  his  temper,  and,  it 
may  be  presumed,  perverted  his  sense  of  justice.  Though  his 
company  had  not  recovered  the  excessive  fatigue  and  exhaus- 
tion caused  by  the  late  continued  tempest,  the  galleon  sailed 
with  the  fleet  on  the  20th,  and  after  enduring  fresh  storms,  all 
the  ships  made  the  straits  on  the  8th  of  April,  and  on  the  14th 
passed  in.     In  two  days  they  had  beat  inward  only  ten  leagues. 

An  account  is  given  in  Purchas'  Pilgrims  of  this  most  dis- 
astrous voyage,  drawn  up  at  sea  by  Cavendish,  in  his  last  ill- 
ness. It  is  addressed  to  Sir  Tristram  Gorges,  whom  the  un- 
fortunate navigator  appointed  his  executor,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  affecting  narratives  that  ever  was  written, — the  confes- 
sion, wrung  in  bitterness  of  heart,  from  a  high-spirited,  proud, 
9 


94  THOMAS  CAVENDISH* 

and  headstrong  man,  who,  having  set  his  all  upon  a  cast,  and 
finding  himself  undone,  endured  the  deeper  mortification  of 
believing  he  had  been  the  dupe  of  those  he  imphcitly  trusted. 
Though  we  cannot  admit  the  force  of  many  of  his  allegations, 
nor  the  justice  of  his  unmeasured  invective,  it  is  impossible  to 
withhold  sympathy  from  his  extreme  distress.  *'  We  had  been 
almost  four  months,"  says  this  melancholy  relation,  "between 
the  coast  of  Brazil  and  the  straits,  being  in  distance  not  above 
six  hundred  leagues  ;  which  is  commonly  run  in  twenty  or 
thirty  days ;  but  such  was  the  adverseness  of  our  fortune,  that 
in  coming  thither  we  spent  the  summer,  and  found  the  straits, 
in  the  beginning  of  a  most  extreme  winter,  not  durable  for 

Christians After  the  month  of  May  was  come  in,  nothing 

but  such  flights  of  snow,  and  extremity  of  frosts,  as  in  all  my 
life  I  never  saw  any  to  be  compared  with  them.  This  ex- 
tremity caused  the  weak  men  (in  my  ship  only)  to  decay;  for, 
in  seven  or  eight  days,  in  this  extremity,  there  died  forty  men 
and  sickened  seventy,  so  that  there  were  not  fifteen  men  able 
to  stand  upon  the  hatches."  Another  relation  of  the  voyage 
written  by  Mr.  John  Jane,  a  friend  of  Captain  Davis,  even 
deepens  this  picture  of  distress.  The  squadron,  beating  for 
above  a  week  against  the  wind  into  the  straits,  and  in  all  that 
time  advancing  only  fifty  leagues,  now  lay  in  a  sheltered  cove 
on  the  south  side  of  the  passage,  and  nearly  opposite  Cape 
Froward,  where  they  remained  till  the  15th  of  May,  a  period 
of  extreme  suff*ering.  "  In  this  time,"  says  Jane,  "we  endur- 
ed extreme  storms  with  perpetual  snow,  where  many  of  our 
men  died  of  cursed  famine  and  miserable   cold,*  not  having 


*  Purchas' Pilgrims  comprehends  "  The  admirable  and  strange  adventures 
of  Master  Anthony  Knyvet,  who  went  with  Master  Cavendish  in  his  second 
voyage,"  which  for  marvels,  if  not  for  invention  and  imagination,  may  rival 
the  adventures  of  Sinbad  the  Sailor.  Knyvet  wandered  from  the  ship  on 
the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  was  for  many  years  among  the  "  Cannibals."  Many 
is  the  wonderful  escape  from  death  which  he  makes.  In  the  straits,  pulling 
off  his  stockings  One  night,  all  his  toes  came  with  them;  but  this  is  not  so 
bad  as  the  fortune  of  one  Harris,  who,  blowing  his  nose  with  his  fingers, 
throws  it  into  the  fire,  and  never  recovers  it  again,  as  Knyvet  seems  to  have 
done  his  toes  by  the  good  offices  of  a  surgeon  whom  Cavendish  employed, 
and  who  cured  with  muttering  words.  In  the  straits  he  saw  both  giants  and 
pigmies.  The  footmarks  of  the  giants  at  Port  Desire  were  four  times  the 
length  of  an  Englishman's  foot.  In  the  straits  their  stature  was  fifteen  and 
sixteen  spans  long ;  and  at  Port  Famine,  or  San  Felipe,  the  desolate  station 
of  the  Spanish  colony,  four  or  five  thousand  pigmies,  with  mouths  reaching 
from  ear  to  ear,  were  seen  at  one  time,  whose  height  was  from  four  to  five 
spans.  Some  of  Kny  vet's  marvels  relate  to  the  singular  subject  of  demoni- 
ac possession  and  satanic  influence  among  the  tribes  with  whom  he  sojourn- 
ed. These  accounts,  and  others  of  tlie  elder  voyagers  are  not  materially 
different  from  those  which  we  receive  of  the  South  Sea  islanders  at  tlie 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  95 

wherewith  to  cover  their  bodies,  nor  to  fill  their  belly,  but  liv- 
ing by  muscles,  water,  and  weeds  of  the  sea,  with  a  small  relief 
from  the  ship's  stores  of  meal  sometimes."  Nor  was  this  the 
worst;  "  All  the  sick  men  in  the  galleon  were  most  uncharita- 
bly put  on  shore  into  the  woods,  in  the  snow,  wind,  and  cold, 
when  men  of  good  health  could  scarcely  endure  it,  where  they 
ended  their  lives  in  the  highest  degree  of  misery."  Though 
Cavendish  was  still  on  board  the  Desire,  it  is  impossible  to 
free  him  of  the  blame  of  this  inhuman  abandonment  of  the 
sick.  A  consultation  was  now  held,  at  which  Davis,  who  had 
had  great  experience  of  the  severities  of  the  seasons  in  the 
north-west  voyages,  declared  for  pushing  forward,  as  the 
weather  must  speedily  improve ;  while  Cavendish  preferred 
the  attempt  of  reaching  China  by  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  For  this  voyage,  however,  the  other  commanders 
thought  there  were  neither  provisions  nor  equipments.  At 
length,  on  a  petition  by  the  whole  company  being  presented  to 
Cavendish,  he  agreed  to  return  to  the  coast  of  Brazil  for  sup- 
plies, and,  thus  furnished,  again  to  attempt  the  straits. 

On  the  15th  of  May  they  accordingly  sailed  eastward,  and 
on  the  midnight  of  the  20th,  Davis  in  the  Desire,  and  the  Black 
Pinnace,  were  separated  from  the  galleon,  to  which  Cavendish 
had  now  returned.  They  never  met  again,  and  Cavendish,  to 
the  last  moment  of  his  unhappy  life,  accused  Davis  of  having 
wilfully  abandoned  him.  This  treacherous  desertion,  if  such 
it  was, — and  by  the  friends  of  Davis  it  is  strenuously  denied, 
took  place  in  the  latitude  of  Port  Desire,  for  which  harbour 
Davis  stood  in,  and  also  the  Black  Pinnace,  expecting,  as  they 
at  least  pretended,  to  find  the  general.  Here  they  took  in 
water,  and  obtained  at  ebb-tide  muscles,  and  with  hooks  made 
of  pins  caught  smelts,  and  thus  spared  their  slender  stock  of 
provisions. 

An  effort  made  by  Davis  to  go  in  search  of  the  captain- 
general  in  the  pinnace  was  overruled,  it  is  alleged,  by  the  ship's 
company,  who  would  not  permit  its  departure.  They  are 
even  charged  with  open  mutiny,  and  two  ringleaders  are 
named. 

To  clear  himself  of  all  suspicion,  Davis,  on  the  2d  of  June, 
drew  up  a  relation  of  the  voyage,  of  the  separation,  and  of  the 
f^tate  of  the  two  ships  lying  here,  which  all  the  men  subscribed. 


present  time,  and  which  we  are  assured  by  Ellis  some  of  the  early  missiona- 
ries were  disposed  to  believe.  On  his  return  to  England,  Master  Knyvet 
told  Purchas,  that  he  once  heard  an  Indian  conferring  with  the  Spirit  which 
possessed  him,  and  threatening  that,  if  it  did  not  use  him  better,  he  would 
turn  Christian;  the  Spirit  took  the  hint  and  left  hinj. 


'0S  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

It  certainly  goes  far  to  exonerate  him.  They  remained  in  Port 
Desire  till  the  6th  of  August,  keeping  watch  on  the  hills  for  the 
galleon  ancj  the  Roebuck  ;  one  part  of  the  company  foraging 
for  provisions  of  any  kind  that  could  be  obtained,  while  others 
made  nails,  bolts,  and  ropes  from  an  old  cable,  and  thus  sup- 
plied  their  wants  in  the  best  manner  they  could  devise.  There 
are,  however,  surmises,  that  all  this  labour  was  undertaken 
that  Davis  might  be  able  to  accomplish  his  great  object  of 
passing  the  straits,  whatever  became  of  the  general,  and  what- 
ever might  have  been  his  wishes  or  orders.  After  this  refitting 
was  accomplished,  it  was  accordingly  resolved  to  await  the 
coming  of  Cavendish  in  the  straits,  for  which,  having  at  Pen- 
guin Isle  salted  twenty  hogsheads  of  seals,  they  sailed  on  the 
night  of  the  7th  of  August,  "  the  poorest  wretches  that  ever 
were  created." 

Several  times  they  obtained  a  sight  of  the  South  Sea,  and 
were  driven  back  into  the  straits.  While  tossed  about,  they 
were  on  the  14th  driven  in  "  among  certain  islands  never  be- 
fore discovered  by  any  known  relation,  lying  fifty  leagues  or 
better  off  the  shore,  east  and  northerly  from  the  straits." 
These  were  the  Falkland  Islands,  of  which  Captain  Davis 
certainly  has  the  honour  of  being  the  original  discoverer,  as  he 
had  already  been  of  the  straits  which  still  go  by  his  name,  and 
of  other  ports  in  the  north  seas.  This  discovery  was  shortly 
afterward  claimed  by  Sir  Richard  Hawkins,  who  gave  these 
islands  the  name  of  Hawkins'  Maiden  Land,  "for  that  it  was 
discovered  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  my  sovereign  lady, 
and  a  maiden  queen."  The  discovery  of  these  islands  has 
been  claimed  by  the  navigators  of  other  countries,  and  a  varie- 
ty of  names  have  been  imposed  upon  them.  Burney  christens 
them  anew  "  Davis'  Southern  Islands,"  a  distinction  to  which 
that  celebrated  navigator  is  fully  entitled,  though  it  will  not  be 
easy  to  change  a  name  so  established  as  that  of  the  Falkland 
Islands.  On  the  2d  of  October  they  got  into  the  South  Sea 
once  more,  and  in  the  same  night  encountered  a  severe  gale, 
which  continued  with  unabated  violence  for  many  days.  On 
the  4th  the  pinnace  was  lost:  on  the  5th  the  foresail  was  split 
and  all  torn  ;  "  and  the  mizzen  was  brought  to  the  foremast  to 
make  our  ship  work,  the  storm  continuing  beyond  all  descrip- 
tion in  fury,  with  hail,  snow,  rain,  and  wind,  such  and  so 
mighty  as  that  in  nature  it  could  not  possibly  be  more ;  the  sea 
such  and  so  lofty  with  continual  breach,  that  many  times  we 
were  doubtful  whetlier  our  ship  did  sink  or  swim."  The  rela- 
tion proceeds  thus,  with  earnest  pathetic  simplicity  : — "  The 
10th  of  October,  being,  by  the  account  of  our  captain  and  mas- 
ter, very  near  the  shore,  the  vreather  dark,  the  storm  furious, 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  97 

and  most  of  our  men  having  given  over  to  travail,  we  yielded 
ourselves  to  death  without  farther  hope  of  succour.     Our  cap- 
lain  (Davis)  sitting  in  the  gallery  very  pensive,  I  came   and 
brought  him  some  Rosa   Solis  to  comfort  him,  for  he  was  so 
cold  he  was  scarce  able  to  move  a  joint.     After  he  had  drunk, 
and  was  comforted  in  heart,  he  began  for  the  ease  of  his  con- 
science to  make  a  large  repetition  of  his  forepassed  time,  and 
with  many  grievous  sighs  he  concluded  in  these  words : — '  Oh 
most  glorious  God,  with  whose  power  the  mightiest  things 
among  men  are  matters  of  no  moment,  I  most  humbly  beseech 
thee,  that  the  intolerable  burden  of  my  sins  may  through  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  be  taken  from  me ;  and  end  our  days 
with  speed,  or  show  us  some  merciful  sign  of  thy  love  and  our 
preservation.'*     Having   thus   ended,  he   desired    me  not  to 
make  known  to  the  company  his  intolerable  grief  and  anguish 
of  mind,  because  they  should  not  thereby  be   dismayed;  and 
suddenly,  before  I  went  from  him,  the  sun  sliined  clear;    so 
that  he  and   the  master  both  observed  the  true  elevation  of 
the  Pole,  whereby  they  knew  by  what  course  to  recover  the 
strait."     The  narrative  goes  on  to  relate  a  wonderful  instance 
of  preservation  in  doubling  a  cape  at  the  mouth  of  the  strait  on 
the  11th  of  October. 

They  at  last  put  back  into  the  strait  in  a  most  pitiable  con- 
dition, the  men  "  with  their  sinews  stiff,  their  flesh  dead,"  and 
in  a  state  too  horrible  to  be  described.  They  found  shelter 
and  rest  in  a  cove  for  a  few  days,  but  famine  urged  them  on, 
and  the  weather,  after  a  short  interval  of  calm,  became  as 
stormy  as  before.  "  The  storm  growing  outrageous,  our  men 
could  scarcely  stand  by  their  labour;  and  the  straits  being  full 
of  turning  reaches,  we  were  constrained,  by  the  discretion  of 
the  captain  and  master  in  their  accounts,  to  guide  the  ship  in 
the  hell-dark  night  when  we  could  not  see  any  shore."  In 
this  extremity  they  got  back  to  Port  Desire,  and  obtained  wood 
and  water  ;  and  in  Penguin  Island  found  abundance  of  birds. 
One  day,  while  most  of  the  men  were  absent  on  their  several 
duties,  a  multitude  of  the  natives  showed  themselves,  throwing 
dust  upon  their  heads,  "  leaping  and  running  like  brute  beasts, 
having  vizards  on  their  faces,  like  dogs'  faces,  or  else  their 
faces  are  dogs'  faces  indeed.  We  greatly  feared  lest  they 
should  set  the  ship  on  fire,  for  they  would  suddenly  make  fire, 
whereat  we  much  marvelled.t     They  came  to  windward  of  our 


*  Our  readers  will  remember  the  admirable  use  which  De  Foe  has  made 
of  this  scene. 

tin  New  Guinea  Captain  Cook  saw  a  peculiar  mode  of  "suddenly  ma- 
king fire,"  probably,  however,  very  different  from  this.     "Three  Indians 

9* 


9S 


THOMAS    CAVENDISH. 


ship,  and  set  the  bushes  on  fire,  so  that  we  were  in  a  very 
stinking  smoke ;  but  as  soon  as  tliey  came  within  reacli  of  our 
shot  we  shot  at  them,  and  striking  one  of  them  in  the  thigh 
they  all  presently  fled,  and  we  never  saw  them  more."  At 
this  place  a  party  of  nine  men  were  killed  by  the  Indians,  or 
were  presumed  to  be  so,  as  they  went  on  shore,  and  were  nev- 
er again  heard  of.  The  relation  points  out,  that  "  these  were 
the  mutineers,  and  this  the  place  at  which  they  had  formerly 
devised  mischief"  against  Davis  and  his  officers.  Here  they 
made  salt  by  pouring  salt-water  in  the  hollows  of  the  rocks, 
which  in  six  days  was  granulated  from  evaporation  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun.  They  found  abundance  of  food,  in  eggs,  pen- 
guins, seals,  and  young  gulls;  and  with  train-oil  fried  scurvy- 
grass  with  eggs,  "which  (herb)  took  away  all  kinds  of  swell- 
ings, whereof  many  had  died,  and  restored  us  to  perfect  health 
of  body,  so  that  we  were  in  as  good  case  as  when  we  left  Eng- 
land." "  Thus  God  did  feed  us,  as  it  were,  with  manna  from 
heaven." 

On  the  22d  of  December  they  sailed  for  Brazil  with  a  stock 
of  fourteen  thousand  dried  penguins,  of  which  they  had  an 
ample  allowance,  though  their  other  provision  was  scantily 
dealt  out.  In  the  beginning  of  February,  in  attempting  by 
violence  to  obtain  some  provisions  at  the  Isle  of  Placenzia,  on 
the  coast  of  Brazil,  thirteen  of  the  men  were  killed  by  the  In- 
dians and  Portuguese ;  and  of  an  original  company  of  seventy 
only  twenty-seven  were  now  left  in  the  Desire.  They  were 
again  the  sport  of  baffling  winds  ;  the  water  ran  short,  and  in 
the  warm  latitudes  the  penguins,  their  sole  dependence  for 
food,  began  to  corrupt,  "  and  ugly  loathsome  worms  of  an  inch 
long  were  bred  in  them."  The  account  of  this  plague  is  pain- 
fully striking.  "  This  worm  did  so  mightily  increase  and  de- 
vour our  victuals,  that  there  was  in  reason  no  hope  how  we 
should  avoid  famine,  but  be  devoured  of  the  wicked  creatures. 
There  was  nothing  that  they  did  not  devour,  iron  only  except- 
ed,— our  clothes,  hats,  boots,  shirts,  and  stockings.  And  for 
the  ship,  they  did  eat  the  timbers  ;  so  that  we  greatly  feared 
they  would  undo  us  by  eating  through  the  ship's  side.  Great 
was  the  care  and  dihgence  of  our  captain,  master,  and  compa- 
ny to  consume  these  vermin;  but  the  more  we  laboured  to  kill 
them,  the  more  they  increased  upon  us ;  so  that  at  last  we 


rushed  out  of  a  wood  with  a  hideous  shout,  at  about  the  distance  of  one 
hundred  yards ;  and  as  they  ran  towards  us  the  foremost  threw  sonietliing 
out  of  l)is  hand,  whicii  burnt  exactly  Hke  gunpowder,  but  made  no  report. 
What  these  fires  were  we  could  not  imagine."  "We  saw  fire  and  smoke 
resembling  those  of  a  musket,  and  of  no  longer  duration." 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  99 

could  not  sleep  for  them,  for  they  would  eat  our  flesh  like  mos- 
quitoes." The  men  now  fell  into  strange  and  horrible  diseases, 
and  some  became  raging  mad.  A  supply  of  water  was,  how- 
ever, obtained  from  the  heavy  rains  which  fell ;  and  this  was 
the  only  solace  of  this  most  miserable  voyage.  Eleven  died 
between  the  coast  of  Brazil  and  Bear  Haven  in  Ireland  ;  and 
of  the  sixteen  that  survived  only  five  were  able  to  work  the 
ship.  If  the  design  of  Davis  had  been  treacherously  to  aban- 
don Mr.  Cavendish,  he  was  subjected  to  speedy  and  severe 
retribution. 

To  this  unfortunate  commander  we  must  now  return  ;  and 
brief  space  may  suffice  to  relate  a  series  of  calamities  which 
might  weary  the  attention  and  exhaust  the  sympathies  of  even 
the  most  compassionate  reader.  The  conjecture  which  Caven- 
dish formed  of  the  proceedings  of  Davis  and  the  captain  of  the 
Black  Pinnace  was  perfectly  correct.  He  states  in  his  letter 
that  he  believed  they  would  return  to  Port  Desire, — a  safe 
place  of  anchorage  for  ships  of  small  burthen,  though  not 
such  as  he  could  safely  approach, — and  there  refresh  them- 
selves, lay  in  a  store  of  seals  and  birds,  and  seize  a  favourable 
season  to  pass  the  straits.  And  they  did  so.  In  speaking  of 
Davis  and  of  his  conduct.  Cavendish  exclaims,  "  And  now  to 
come  to  that  villian  that  hath  been  the  death  of  me  and  the 
decay  of  this  whole  action, — I  mean  Davis, — whose  only 
treachery  in  running  from  me  hath  been  utter  ruin  of  all,  if  any 
good  return  by  him,  as  ever  you  love  me,  make  such  friends 
as  he,  least  of  all  others,  may  reap  least  gain.  I  assure  my- 
self you  will  be  careful  in  all  friendship  of  my  last  requests. 
My  debts  which  be  owing  be  not  much  ;  but  I  (most  unfortu- 
nate villain!)  was  matched  with  the  most  abject-minded  and 
mutinous  company  that  ever  was  carried  out  of  England  by 
any  man  living." — "  The  short  of  all  is  this, — Davis'  only 
intent  was  utterly  to  overthrow  me,  which  he  hath  well  per- 
formed." 

After  the  Desire  and  the  Black  Pinnace  separated  from  the 
fleet,  the  Leicester  galleon  and  Roebuck  shaped  their  course 
for  Brazil,  keeping  sight  of  each  other.  In  36^  S.  they  en- 
countered a  dreadful  storm,  and  were  parted.  For  some  time 
the  galleon  lay  at  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  St.  Vincent's ;  and 
while  here  a  party,  almost  in  open  defiance  of  the  orders  of 
Cavendish,  landed  to  forage  for  provisions,  and  plunder  the 
houses  of  the  Portuguese  farmers  on  the  coast.  They  were 
wholly  cut  off*,  to  the  number  of  twenty-four  men  and  an  offi- 
cer ;  and  the  only  boat  which  Cavendish  had  now  left  was 
thus  lost. 


100  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

The  Roebuck  about  this  time  returned  without  masts  or 
sails,  and  "  in  the  most  miserable  case  ever  ship  was  in." 
The  captain-general  felt  the  want  of  the  boats  and  pinnace 
doubly  severe,  from  being  unable  in  the  larger  ships  to  enter 
the  harbours,  which  were  often  barred,  to  be  revenged  on  the 
"  base  dogs"  who  had  killed  his  men.  At  some  risk  he  made 
an  attempt  to  go  up  the  river  before  the  town,  that  he  might 
have  the  gratification  of  razing  it ;  but  was  compelled  by  his 
company  to  desist  from  an  attempt  which  "  was  both  desperate 
and  most  dangerous."  With  some  difficulty  they  got  back 
into  deep  water,  and  with  the  boat  of  the  Roebuck  and  a  crazy 
boat  seized  from  the  Portuguese,  a  party  landed,  which  de- 
stroyed a  few  of  the  farm-houses,  and  got  some  provisions. 
It  was  now  the  intention  of  Cavendish  to  break  up  the  Roe- 
buck, and  with  the  Leicester  galleon,  as  Davis  never  appeared, 
return  to  the  straits  alone.  But  of  this  purpose  he  did  not 
venture  to  inform  his  company,  lest  they  might  have  broken 
out  into  open  mutiny.  So  great  was  their  horror  of  returning, 
"that  all  of  the  better  sort,"  he  says,  "  had  taken  an  oath  upon 
the  Bible  to  die  rather  than  go  back."  St.  Helena  was  there- 
fore the  point  now  talked  of;  and  in  the  mean  while  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  seize  three  Portuguese  ships  in  the  harbour 
of  Spirito  Santo.  The  plan  of  attack  was  unsuccessful.  Of 
eighty  armed  men  who  left  the  ship  on  this  ill-starred  expedi- 
tion, about  thirty-eight  were  killed  and  forty  wounded.  Among 
the  killed  was  Captain  Morgan,  an  officer  whom  Cavendish 
highly  esteemed,  who  in  this  expedition  was  taunted  into  the 
commission  of  acts  of  foolhardy  daring  by  the  insulting 
speeches  of  those  whom  he  led  ;  a  weakness  which,  despite  of 
their  better  judgment,  has  often  proved  fatal  to  brave  men,  as 
well  as  to  the  rash  persons  themselves  whose  ignorance  and 
vanity  tempt  them  to  become  the  critics  and  censors  of  enter- 
prises of  which  they  cannot  comprehend  the  danger.  Inabili- 
ty to  endure  the  imputation  of  cowardice  is  indeed  one  of  the 
most  lamentable  infirmities  of  noble  minds.  On  the  present 
occasion  some  of  the  seamen  swore,  "  that  they  never  thought 
other  than  that  Morgan  was  a  coward  that  durst  not  land  upon 
a  bauble  ditch  ;"  upon  which,  willfully  running  upon  what  he 
saw  to  be  certain  destruction,  he  declared  that  he  would  land 
happen  what  would,  and  though  against  the  counsel  of  his 
commander,  who  remained  in  the  ship.  The  consequences 
have  been  told. 

One  circumstance  strongly  moved  the  generous  indignation 
of  Cavendish.  A  party  with  the  great  boat  called  to  another, 
which  were  attempting  to  storm  a  fort,  to  come  and  help  them 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  101 

to  hasten  off,  as  they  were  exposed  to  a  galling  fire.  The 
numbers  that  rushed  into  the  boat  ran  her  aground,  and  ten 
men  were  obhged  to  leave  her,  who,  to  save  themselves  from 
the  Indian  arrows  which  flew  thick,  again  ran  in  under  the 
fort,  and  poured  in  a  volley  of  musketry.  Meiwiwhile  the  boat 
was  got  afloat,  "  and  one  that  was  master  of  the  Roebuck 
(the  most  cowardly  villain  that  ever  was  born  of  a  woman !) 
caused  them  in  the  boat  to  row  away,  and  so  left  those  brave 
men  a  spoil  to  the  Portugals.  Yet  they  waded  up  to  their 
necks  in  the  water  to  them  ;  but  those  merciless  villains  in  the 
boat  would  have  no  pity  on  them.  Their  excuse  was,  that 
the  boat  was  so  full  of  water  that  had  they  come  in  she  would 
have  sunk  with  them  all  in  her.  Thus  vilely  were  those  poor 
men  lost." 

By  the  fatal  adventure  which  he  has  thus  narrated.  Caven- 
dish, already  in  want  of  every  necessary,  was  left  with  hardly 
as  many  efficient  men  as  could  raise  the  anchor.  To  add  to 
his  already  accumulated  misfortunes  the  Roebuck  forsook  him, 
the  company  of  that  ship  being  resolved  to  return  home  ;  and 
though  the  wounded  lay  in  his  vessel,  they  carried  off  the  two 
surgeons  and  a  great  part  of  the  common  stores.  In  these  dis- 
tressing circumstances  he  got  to  the  small  uninhabited  island 
of  St.  Sebastian,  where  he  mended  the  old  boats,  and  obtained 
a  seasonable  supply  of  water,  of  which  they  were  in  great 
want.  Again  Cavendish  spoke  of  returning  to  the  straits, 
and  used  all  the  arts  of  persuasion  with  his  company,  but  in 
vain.  He  showed  them  that  they  could  "  relieve  themselves 
by  salting  seals  and  birds,  &.c.  ;  and  further,  should  they  get 
through  the  straits,  (which  they  might  easily  perform,  con- 
sidering they  had  the  chiefest  part  of  the  summer  before  them,) 
they  could  not  but  make  a  most  rich  voyage ;  and  that  we 
should  be  the  most  infamous  in  the  world,  being  within  six 
hundred  leagues  of  the  place  where  we  so  much  desired, — to 
return  home  again  so  far  being  most  infamous  and  beggarly. 
These  persuasions,"  continues  Cavendish,  "  took  no  place 
with  them ;  but  most  boldly  they  aU  affirmed  that  they  had 
sworn  they  would  never  again  go  to  the  straits  ;  neither  by  no 
means  would  they.  And  one  of  the  chiefest  of  tins  faction 
most  proudly  and  stubbornly  uttered  these  words  to  my  face, 
in  presence  of  all  the  rest ;  which  I  seeing,  and  finding  mine 
own  faction  to  be  so  weak,  (for  there  were  not  any  favoured 
my  side  but  my  poor  cousin  Locke,  and  the  master  of  the 
ship,)  I  took  this  bold  companion  by  the  bosom,  and  with  mine 
own  hands  put  a  rope  about  his  neck,  meaning  resolutely  to 
strangle  him,  for  weapon  about  me  I  had  none.  His  com- 
panions, seeing  one  of  their  chief  champions  in  this  case,. 


10i  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

and  perceiving  me  go  roundly  to  work  with  him,  they  all  came 
to  the  master  and  desired  him  to  speak,  affirming,  they  would 
all  be  ready  to  take  any  course  I  thought  good  of;  so  I,  hear- 
ing this,  stayed  myself,  and  let  the  fellow  go." 

Having  now,boldly  avowed  his  intention  of  returning  to  the 
straits.  Cavendish  landed  on  the  island  with  a  party  of  his 
soldiers  and  the  carpenters,  to  new-build  the  boat,  while  the 
sailors  on  board  mended  and  patched  up  the  rigging  and 
tackle  of  the  ship.  But  he  still  suspected  his  men  of  treache- 
ry, and  of  tlie  intention  of  deserting,  and  was  in  constant  anx- 
iety to  get  them  once  more  on  board,  that  the  ship  might  depart 
for  the  straits.  Before  this  could  be  accomplished,  Cavendish, 
whom  Fortune  never  wearied  of  persecuting,  sustained  another 
severe  mischance.  The  wounded  men  were  on  shore  on  the 
island,  which  lay  about  a  mile  from  the  mainland,  from 
whence  the  Portuguese  watched  all  the  proceedings  of  the 
ship's  company  during  the  building  of  the  boat.  Before  all 
the  wood  and  water  were  got  in,  and  while  some  soldiers  and 
seamen  were  still  on  the  island,  an  Irishman,  "  a  noble  villain," 
contrived  to  go  over  to  the  continent  upon  a  raft,  and  betray 
his  defenceless  comrades  to  the  Portuguese.  This  was  done 
in  the  night-time  ;  and  besides  those  employed  on  the  island, 
and  the  sick,  there  chanced  to  be  several  men  ashore,  who 
frequently  stole  away  from  the  ship  at  night  to  enjoy  the  free- 
dom of  the  land.  AH  were  indiscriminately  butchered.  One 
of  the  few  remaining  sails  which  lay  here  was  also  seized,  and 
in  their  distressed  circumstances  proved  another  serious  loss. 
"  Thus,"  says  the  luckless  adventurer,  "  I  was  forced  to  de- 
part. Fortune  never  ceasing  to  lay  her  greatest  adversities  upon 
me.  And  now  I  am  grown  so  weak  that  I  am  scarce  able  to 
hold  the  pen  in  my  hand ;  wherefore  I  must  leave  you  to  in- 
quire of  the  rest  of  our  most  unhappy  proceedings.  But  know 
this,  that  for  the  strait  I  could  by  no  means  get  my  company 
to  give  their  consent  to  go.  In  truth,  I  desired  nothing  more 
than  to  attempt  that  course,  rather  desiring  to  die  in  gomg  for- 
ward than  basely  in  returning  back  again  ;  but  God  would  not 
suffer  me  to  die  so  happy  a  man."  These  "  unhappy  pro- 
ceedings" to  which  he  refers,  may,  so  far  as  they  are  known, 
be  very  briefly  noticed.  An  attempt  was  made  to  reach  the 
island  of  St.  Helena,  for  which  the  company  had  reluctantly 
consented  to  steer  only  on  Cavendish  solemnly  declaring  that 
to  England  he  would  never  go ;  and  that,  if  they  refused  to 
take  such  courses  as  he  intended,  the  *'  ship  and  all  should 
sink  in  the  seas  together."  This  for  a  time  made  them  more 
tractable  ;  but  having  beat  to  20°  S.  they  refused  to  proceed 
farther,  choosing  rather  to  die  where  they  were,  "than  be 


THOMAS  CAVENDISH.  103 

Starved  in  searching  for  an  island  which  could  never  be  found 
again."  They  were,  however,  once  more  induced  to  proceed 
southward,  and  in  dreadful  weather  beat  back  to  28°  S.,  and 
stood  for  St.  Helena,  which  was  most  unhappily  missed,  owing 
to  contrary  winds  and  the  unskilfulness  of  the  sailing-master. 
One  more  effort  this  unfortunate  commander  made  to  induce 
his  mutinous  crew  to  regain  the  island,  alarming  them  with 
the  scarcity  of  provisions ;  but  they  unanimously  replied, 
"  that  they  would  be  perished  to  death  rather  than  not  make 
for  England." 

It  is  believed  that  Mr.  Cavendish  did  not  long  survive  the 
events  recorded  above ;  and  it  is  certain  that  he  died  before 
the  ship  reached  England.     His  letter,  from  which   we  have 
quoted,  was  not  closed  when  the  galleon  reached  8^  N.     From 
its  commencement, — and  it  must  have  been  written  at  many 
different  sittings, — Cavendish  had  considered  himself  a  dying 
man.     It  opens  with  great  tenderness  : — "  Most  loving  friend, 
there  is  nothing  in  this  world  that  makes  a  truer  trial  of  friend- 
ship, than  at  death  to  show  mindfulness  of  love  and  friendship, 
which  now  you  shall  make  a  perfect  experience  of;  desiring 
you  to  hold  my  love  as  dear,  dying  poor,   as  if  I  had  been 
most  infinitely  rich.     The   success   of  this  most  unfortunate 
action,  the  bitter  torments  whereof  lie   so  heavy  upon  me,  as 
with  much  pain  am  I  able  to  write  these  few  lines,  much  less 
to  make  discourse  to  you  of  all  the  adverse  haps  that  have  be- 
fallen me  in  this  voyage,  the  least  whereof  is  my  death."     He 
adverts  to  the  illness  of"  a  most  true  friend,  whom  to  name  my 
heart  bleeds,"  who,  like  himself  became  the  victim  of  the  com- 
plicated distresses  of  this  voyage.     After  the  crowning  misfor- 
tune of  missing  St.  Helena,  he  says,  "  And  now  to  tell  you  of 
my  greatest  grief,  which  was  the  sickness  of  my  dear  kinsman 
John  Locke,  who  by  this  time  was  grown  in  great  weakness, 
by  reason  whereof  he  desired  rather  quietness  and  contented- 
ness  in  our  course,  than  such  continual  disquietness  as  never 
ceased  me.     And  now  by  this,  what  with  grief  for  him  and 
the  continual  trouble  I  endured  among  such  hellhounds,  my 
spirits  were  clean  spent,  wishing  myself  upon  any  desert  place 
in  the  world,  there  to  die,  rather  than  thus  basely  return  home 
again.     Which  course,  I  swear  to  you,  I  had  put  in  execution, 
had  I  found  an  island  which  the  cards  (charts)  make  to  be  in 
8°  S.  of  the  line.     I  swear  to  you  I  sought  it  with  all  diligence, 
meaning  there  to  have  ended  my  most  unfortunate  life.     But 
God  suffered  not  such  happiness  to  light  upon  me,  for  I  could 
by  no  means  find  it ;  so,  as  I  was  forced  to  go  towards  Eng- 
land, and  having  got  eight  degrees  by  the  north  of  the  line,  I 
lost  my  most  dearest  cousin.     And  now  consider,  whether  a 


101  THOMAS  CAVENDISH. 

heart  made  of  flesh  be  able  to  endure  so  many  misfortunes,  all 
falling  upon  me  without  intermission.  And  I  thank  my  God, 
that  in  ending  me  he  hath  pleased  to  rid  me  of  all  farther 
troubles  and  mishaps."  The  rest  of  the  letter  refers  to  his  pri- 
vate concerns,  and  especially  to  the  discharge  of  his  debts  and 
the  arrangement  of  his  affairs  for  this  purpose, — an  act  of 
friendship  which  he  expected  from  the  kindness  of  the  gentle- 
man he  addressed.  It  then  takes  an  affecting  farewell  of  life, 
and  of  the  friend  for  whom  he  cherished  so  warm  an  aff'ection. 
In  his  two  voyages.  Cavendish  experienced  the  greatest  ex- 
tremes of  fortune ;  his  first  adventure  being  even  more  brilhant 
and  successful  than  the  last — chiefly  through  the  bad  disci- 
pline and  evil  dispositions  of  his  company — was  disastrous  and 
unhappy.  Cavendish  was  still  very  young  when  he  died.  No 
naval  commander  ever  more  certainly  sunk  under  the  disease 
to  which  so  many  brave  men  have  fallen  victims, — a  broken 
heart.  In  many  things  his  conduct  discovered  the  rashness 
and  impetuosity  of  youth,  and  the  want  of  that  temper  and 
self-command  which  are  among  the  first  qualities  of  a  naval 
chief.  The  reproach  of  cruelty,  or  at  least  of  culpable  indif- 
ference to  the  claims  of  humanity,  which,  from  transactions 
in  both  voyages,  and  especially  in  the  first,  must  rest  upon  his 
memory,  ought  in  justice  to  be  shared  with  the  age  in  which 
he  lived,  and  the  state  of  moral  feelmg  among  the  class  to 
which  he  belonged  by  birth.  By  the  aristocracy  "  the  vulgar," 
"  the  common  sort,"  were  still  regarded  as  creatures  of  a  dif- 
ferent and  inferior  species  ;  while  among  seamen  the  destruc- 
tion of  Spaniards  and  "  Portugals"  was  regarded  as  a  positive 
virtue.  By  all  classes,  negroes,  Indians,  and  gentiles  were 
held  in  no  more  esteem  than  brute  animals, — human  life  as 
existing  in  beings  so  abject  being  regarded  as  of  no  value  what- 
ever. But  if  Cavendish  was  tinged  with  the  faults  of  his  class, 
he  partook  largely  of  its  virtues, — high  spirit,  courage,  and  in- 
trepidity. Those  who  might  be  led  to  judge  of  some  points 
of  his  conduct  with  strictness,  will  be  disposed  to  lenity  by  the 
recollection  of  his  suff*erings.  As  an  English  navigator  his 
name  is  imperishable. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 


Captain  William  Dampier,  whose  eventful  life  forms  the 
next  subject  of  our  work,  was  so  long  and  so  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  Bucaniers  of  America,  that  a  brief  account  of 
this  extraordinary  brotherhood  is  almost  indispensably  neces- 
sary as  an  introduction  to  the  adventures  and  discoveries  of 
this  eminent  navigator. 

The  term  Bucanier  is  said  to  be  derived  from  boucan,  a 
word  employed  by  the  €arib  Indians  to  designate  meat  taken 
in  hunting;  the  first  bucaniers  having  been  eminently  devoted 
to  the  pursuits  of  the  chase. 

The  association  which  was  distinguished  by  this  name,  owed 
its  origin  to  the  selfish  and  monopolizing  policy  of  the  Span- 
iards, who  desirous  of  appropriating  the  commerce  with  their 
West  India  colonies,  entirely  to  themselves,  adopted  a  system 
of  interference  with  the  vessels  of  every  other  nation  that 
ventured  near  the  tropic,  thus  giving  rise  to  the  well  known 


106  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

maxim  of  the  Bucaniers,  "No  peace  beyond  the  Line."  The 
Bucaniers  consisted  chiefly  of  French  and  Enghsh  traders, 
who  smuggled  goods  into  the  Spanish  possessions  in  Soutli 
America  and  the  West  Indies,  and  who  from  trafficking  on  the 
coast,  and  occasionally  foraging  for  provisions  for  their  vessels 
on  these  uninhabited  shores,  from  time  to  time  adopted  the 
hunter's  life,  and  ranged  at  will  throughout  the  forests  and 
wilds  of  the  New  World.  In  time  of  peace  this  assemblage  of 
bold  and  dissolute  men  followed  their  occupation  of  hunters, 
smugglers,  and  pirates,  and  in  time  of  war  held  commissions 
as  privateers  from  the  governments  of  their  respective  coun- 
tries; indeed  Dampier  and  others  always  spoke  of  the  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  brotherhood  as  privateers,  while  they 
named  their  vocation  of  piracy  privateering.  The  Bucaniers, 
from  individual  efforts  of  hostility  to  Spain,  and  from  acts  of 
single  commanders  with  a  few  volunteers  under  their  control, 
at  length  attained  to  such  a  system  of  organization,  as  to  form 
distinct  settlements  in  the  West  India  islands,  and  became  dis- 
tinguished by  laws,  manners,  and  customs,  peculiar  to  tliem- 
selves,  originating  in  the  necessities  and  exigencies  of  their 
condition.  They  held  their  property  in  common,  and  as  they 
had  no  domestic  ties,  neither  wife,  nor  child,  nor  sister,  nor 
brother,  being  known  among  them,  the  want  of  family  relations 
was  supplied  by  strict  comradeship,  one  partner  attending  to 
household  duties  while  the  other  was  engaged  in  the  peculiar 
duties  of  their  vocation.  Their  chief  virtue  was  courage  ;  the 
fear  of  the  gallows  which  had  frequently  converted  the  thief 
into  a  murderer,  made  the  Bucanier  a  hero  and  a  savage. 
They  were  remarkable  for  extraordinary  hardihood,  and  the 
habit  and  power  of  extreme  endurance,  but  their  long  seasons 
of  entire  privation  were  always  followed  by  scenes  of  the  most 
brutal  excess.  Their  grand  principle  was  fidelity ;  and  the 
maxim  of  "honour  among  thieves,"  was  never  more  scrupu- 
lously observed  than  among  them.  The  most  able  and  brave 
was  chosen  their  commander,  but  all  the  fighting  men  assisted 
at  their  councils.  The  same  power  which  chose  their  leader 
could  displace  him,  and  this  was  frequently  done.  They 
sometimes  settled  personal  quarrels  by  duels,  but  offences 
against  the  fraternity  were  visited  by  different  punishments,  as 
death,  abandonment  on  a  desert  island,  and  simple  expulsion 
from  the  fraternity. 

A  party  being  agreed  upon  for  a  cruise,  the  day  and  place 
of  embarkation  was  fixed,  and  every  man  repaired  on  board 
the  ship  with  a  specified  quantity  of  powder  and  shot.  The 
next  concern  was  to  procure  provisions,  which  consisted 
chiefly  of  pork.     Many  of  the  Spaniards  raised  large  herds  of 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  107 

swine  for  the  supply  of  the  planters,  and  from  their  yards 
abundance  was  procured,  with  no  trouble  save  that  in  which 
the  ferocious  Bucaniers  dehghted— robbery  often  accompanied 
with  murder.  Turtle  slightly  salted,  was  another  article  of 
the  food  which  they  stored,  and  for  beeves  and  wild  hogs  they 
trusted  to  their  fire-arms.  Bread  they  seldom  tasted,  and  at 
sea  never  thought  about,  though  in  later  periods  they  some- 
times procured  supplies  of  cassada,  maize  and  potatoes.  Of 
this  food  every  man  ate  generally  twice  a  day,  or  at  his  own 
pleasure,  and  without  limitation  ;  there  being  in  this  respect 
no  distinction  between  the  commander  and  the  meanest  sea- 
man. The  vessel  fairly  victualled,  a  final  council  was  held 
which  determined  the  destination  of  the  cruise  and  the  plan  of 
operations ;  and  articles  were  generally  drawn  up  and  sub- 
scribed which  regulated  the  division  of  the  spoils.  The  car- 
penter, the  sail-maker,  the  surgeon,  were  in  the  first  place  paid 
out  of  the  common  stock.  Wounds  were  next  considered ; 
the  value  of  the  right  arm,  the  most  useful  member  of  the 
Bucanier's  body,  being  reckoned  equal  to  six  slaves,  and  the 
eye  and  fingers  to  one  slave.  The  remainder  was  equally 
shared,  save  that  the  captain  besides  his  specific  agreement, 
had  five  shares  and  his  mate  two.  Boys  had  half  a  share. 
The  first  maxim  in  the  code  of  the  Bucanier,  dictated  by  neces- 
sity was,  "  no  prey,  no  pay."  The  dress  of  these  rufiians  was 
well  suited  to  their  ferocious  and  brutal  character.  It  consist- 
ed of  a  shirt  dipped  in  the  blood  of  the  cattle  hunted  and  kill- 
ed; trousers  prepared  in  the  same  rude  manner;  buskins 
without  stockings,  a  cape  with  a  small  front,  and  a  leathern 
girdle,  into  which  were  stuck  knives,  sabres,  and  pistols. 
Such  was  the  bloody  and  complete  equipment  of  a  Bucanier. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  of  these  merciless  villains, 
w^ere  Pierre  Francois,  Pierre  Legrand,  Bartholomew  Portu- 
gues,  Lewis  Scot,  the  first  land-pirate,  Mansvelt,  John  Davies, 
Lolonnois,  and  Montbar,  distinguished  among  the  fraternity 
by  pre-eminence  in  crime,  and  the  infamous  Captain  Sir  Hen- 
ry Morgan. 

Pierre  Legrand  with  a  boat  carrying  four  small  pieces,  and 
twenty  men  captured  a  Spanish  galleon,  the  vice-admiral  of  the 
fleet.  The  manner  in  which  the  capture  was  made  affords  a 
fair  specimen  of  bucaniering  daring  and  warfare.  The  boat, 
in  which  the  men  lay  concealed,  had  been  seen  by  the  galleon 
all  day,  and  one  of  the  men  had  warned  the  captain  of  his 
suspicion  of  a  nest  of  pirates  lurking  in  the  distant  speck. 
The  Spaniard  haughtily  and  carelessly  replied,  "And  what 
then?  shall  I  be  afraid  of  so  pitiful  a  thing?  no,  though  she 
were  as  good  a  ship  as  my  own."     He  probably  thought  no 


108 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 


more  of  the  circumstance  till  seated  at  cards  with  his  friend* 
the  same  evening,  he  saw  the  Bucaniers  rush  into  his  cabin, 
having  already  overpowered  the  crew.  Nor  had  the  task 
proved  difficult. 

Pierre  and  his  company  had  kept  aloof  till  dusk,  when  they 
made  for  the  galleon  with  all  the  force  of  oars.  The  game  wa» 
for  death,  ignominious  death,  slavery  in  the  mines,  or  for  vic- 
tory and  fortune.  To  render  their  courage  desperate,  Pierre 
had  ordered  the  surgeon  to  bore  holes  in  the  side  of  the  boat,, 
that  no  other  footing  might  he  left  to  hi&  men  than  the  decks 
of  the  Spaniard.  This  was  directly  performed  while  each 
man  armed  with  a  sword  and  pistols,  climbed  the  sides  of  the 
ship.  While  one  party  rushed  into  the  cabin,  and  presented 
their  pistols  to  the  officers,  who  sat  at  cards,  another  seized 
the  gun  room,  cutting  down  whoever  stood  in  their  way.  As 
the  Spaniards  had  been  completely  surprised,  but  little  opposi- 
tion was  offered ;  the  ship  surrendered  and  was  carried  into 
France. 

Bartholomew  Portugues,  cruising  from  Jamaica,  with  a  boat 
carrying  four  small  pieces  and  thirty  men,  captured  a  ship  of 
twenty  great  guns,  with  a  crew  of  seventy  men. 

Mansvelt  conceived  the  design  of  forming  an  independent 
Bucanier  establishment,  holding  neither  of  France,  England, 
nor  Holland,  which  should  afford  a  place  of  safe  retreat  to  the 
freebooters  of  every  nation,  but  he  died  before  he  could  carry 
his  design  into  effect. 

But  in  the  annals  of  the  sea-rovers  no  names  are  to  be  found 
more  terrible  than  those  of  Lolonnois  and  Montbar.  The 
former  was  a  monster  in  human  form,  rather  than  a  merely 
cruel  man.  This  Bucanier  commander  of  whom  almost  in- 
credible atrocities  are  related,  is  said  to  have  frequently  thrown 
overboard  the  crews  of  the  ships  which  he  took.  He  is  said 
to  have  struck  off  the  heads  of  eighty  prisoners  with  his  own 
hand,  refreshing  himself  by  sucking  the  blood  of  the  victims 
as  it  trickled  down  his  sabre.  It  is  even  related,  that  in  trans- 
ports of  frantic  cruelty,  he  has  been  known  to  tear  out  and  de- 
vour the  hearts  of  those  who  fell  by  his  hand,  and  to  pluck  out 
the  tongues  of  others.  To  this  monster  cruelty  was  an  affair  of 
calculation  as  weU  as  of  delight.  At  length  after  experiencing 
a  train  of  disasters,  this  infamous  wretch  fell  into  the  hands  of 
certain  Indians  of  the  Darien,  a  fierce  and  cruel  tribe,  who 
were  not  unacquainted  with  the  atrocities  of  the  Bucaniers. 
By  them  he  was  torn  alive  limb  from  limb, — his  body  con- 
sumed, and  the  ashes  scattered  abroad,  to  the  intent  that 
no  trace,  nor  memory  might  remain  of  such  an  infamous 
creature. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  109 

The  character  of  Montbar  is  more  romantic  if  not  more 
humane.  Montbar  was  a  native  of  Languedoc,  in  France, 
who  from  reading  in  his  youth  of  the  horrible  cruehies  of  the 
Spaniards  upon  the  Mexicans  and  Caribs,  imbibed  a  hatred 
of  the  whole  Spanish  nation,  which  possessed  him  like  a  frensy. 
It  is  however  somewhat  strange  that  the  impulse  which  led 
this  singular  person  to  join  the  ranks  of  the  Bucaniers  urged 
him  to  the  commission  of  worse  cruelties  than  those  which  he 
reprobated.  His  comrades  were  often  merciless  from  the  lust 
of  gold ;  but  Spanish  blood  was  the  sole  passion  of  Montbar. 
It  is  related  by  Raynal,  that  while  at  college,  in  acting  the 
part  of  a  Frenchman  who  quarrels  with  a  Spaniard,  he  assault- 
ed the  youth  who  personated  an  individual  of  that  hated  na- 
tion with  such  fury  that  he  had  well  nigh  strangled  him.  His 
imagination  was  perpetually  haunted  by  the  shapes  of  multi- 
tudes of  persons  butchered  by  monsters  from  Spain,  who  called 
upon  him  to  revenge  them.  While  on  his  passage  outward 
to  league  himself  with  the  brethren  of  the  coast,  the  inveterate 
enemies  of  Spain,  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  fell  in  with  a 
Spanish  ship,  and  captured  it.  No  sooner  had  the  French- 
men boarded  the  vessel,  than  Montbar,  with  his  sabre  drawn, 
twice  rushed  along  the  decks,  cutting  his  frantic  way  through 
the  ranks  of  Spaniards,  whom  he  swept  down.  While  his 
comrades  divided  the  booty  acquired  by  his  prowess,  Montbar 
gloated  over  the  mangled  limbs  of  the  detested  people  against 
whom  he  had  vowed  everlasting  and  deadly  hate.  From  this 
and  similar  actions  he  acquired  the  name  of  the  Exterminator. 

Captain  Sir  Henry  Morgan,  as  he  is  called,  was  of  a  most 
sordid  and  brutal  character,  selfish  and  cunning  without  any 
spark  of  the  reckless  generosity  which  sometimes  graced  the 
freebooter  and  contrasted  with  his  crimes.  The  enterprises  of 
Morgan,  who  was  at  once  ambitious  and  greedy,  display  ca- 
pacity, coolness  and  daring.  His  next  attempt  combined  all 
these  quahties  in  a  remarkable  degree.  With  nine  ships  and 
boats  and  four  hundred  and  sixty  of  his  countrymen,  he  re- 
solved to  assault  Porto  Bello ;  but  did  not  venture  to  disclose 
so  bold  a  design  till  it  was  no  longer  advisable  to  conceal  it. 
To  those  who  then  objected  that  their  force  was  inadequate  to 
the  attack,  Morgan  boldly  replied,  "  That  though  their  num- 
bers were  small,  their  hearts  were  good ;  and  the  fewer  the 
warriors  the  larger  the  shares  of  plunder."  This  last  was  an 
irresistible  argument ;  and  this  strongly -fortified  city  was  car- 
ried by  a  handful  of  resolute  men,  who  never  scrupled  at  cru- 
elty needful  to  the  accomphshment  of  their  object,  and  often 
revelled  in  the  wantonness  of  unnecessary  crime.  The  first 
fort  or  castle  was  deliberately  blown  up  by  fire  being  set  to  the 
10* 


110  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

powder  magazine,  after*  many  miserable  prisoners,  whose 
mangled  limbs  soon  darkened  the  air,  had  been  huddled  inta 
one  room.  Resistance  was  still  attempted  by  the  Spaniards, 
which  greatly  exasperated  the  besiegers,  as  it  was  into  the 
forts  which  held  out,  that  the  wealthy  inhabitants  had  retired 
with  their  treasures  and  valuables.  One  strong  fort  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  carry  without  delay  ;  and  bioad  scaling-ladders  be- 
ing constructed,  Morgan  compelled  his  prisoners  to  fix  them 
to  the  walls.  Many  of  those  employed  in  this  office  were 
priests  and  nuns  dragged  for  this  purpose  from  the  cloisters. 
These,  it  was  thought,  their  countrymen  would  spare ;  while 
under  their  protection  the  Bucaniers  might  advance  without 
being  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  castle.  In  these  trying  cir- 
cumstances, forgetting  the  claims  of  country,  and  the  sacred 
character  of  the  innocent  persons  exposed  to  sufferings  so  un- 
merited, the  Spanish  governor  consulted  only  his  official  duty ; 
and  while  the  unhappy  prisoners  of  the  Bucaniers  implored 
his  mercy,  continued  to  pour  shot  upon  all  who  approached 
the  walls,  whether  pirates,  or  the  late  peaceful  inhabitants  of 
the  cloisters,  his  stem  answer  being  that  he  would  never  sur- 
render alive.  Many  of  the  friars  and  nuns  were  killed  before 
the  scaling-ladders  could  be  fixed;  but  that  done,  the  Buca- 
niers, carrying  with  them  fire  balls  and  pots  full  of  gunpowder^ 
boldly  mounted  the  walls,  poured  in  their  combustibles,  and 
speedily  effected  an  entrance.  All  the  Spaniards  demanded 
quarter  except  the  governor,  who  died  fighting,  in  presence  of 
his  wife  and  daughter,  declaring  that  he  chose  rather  to  die  a* 
a  brave  soldier,  than  be  hanged  like  a  coward.  The  next  act 
in  the  horrid  drama  of  bucaniering  conquest,  followed  rapidly  ; 
pillage,  cruelty,  brutal  license, — ^the  freebooters  giving  them- 
selves up  to  so  mad  a  course  of  riot  and  debauchery  that  fifty 
resolute  men  might  have  cut  them  off  and  regained  the  town^ 
had  the  panic  struck  Spaniards  been  able  to  form  any  rational 
plan  of  action,  or  to  muster  a  force.  During  these  fifteen  days 
of  demoniac  revel,  interrupted  only  by  torturing  the  prisoners 
to  make  them  give  up  treasures  which  they  did  not  possess, 
many  of  the  Bucaniers  died  from  the  consequences  of  their  own 
brutal  excesses,  and  Morgan  deemed  it  expedient  to  draw  off 
his  force.  Information  had  by  this  time  reached  the  Governor 
of  Panama ;  and  though  aid  was  distant  from  the  miserable 
inhabitants  of  Porto  Bello,  it  might  still  come.  Morgan, 
therefore,  carried  off  a  good  many  of  the  guns,  spiked  the  rest, 
fully  supplied  his  ships  with  every  necessary  store,  and  having 
already  plundered  all  that  was  possible,  insolently  demanded 
an  exhorbitant  ransom  for  the  preservation  of  the  city  and  for 
his  prisoners,  and  prepared  to  depart  from  the  coast.    These 


I 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  Ill 

terms  he  even  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Panama,  who  was  ap- 
proachmg  the  place,  and  whose  force  the  Biicaniers  intercept- 
ed in  a  narrow  pass,  and  compelled  to  retreat.  The  inhabi- 
tants collected  among  themselves  a  hundred  thousand  pieces 
of  eight,  which  Morgan  graciously  accepted,  and  retired  to  hi& 
ships. 

The  astonishment  of  the  Governor  of  Panama  at  so  small 
a  force  carrying  the  town  and  the  forts,  and  holding  them  so 
long,  induced  him,  it  is  said,  to  send  a  message  to  the  Buca- 
nier  leader,  requesting  a  specimen  of  the  arms  which  he  used. 
Morgan  received  the  messenger  with  civility,  gave  him  a  pis- 
tol and  a  few  bullets,  and  ordered  him  to  bid  the  president  to 
accept  of  so  slender  a  pattern  of  the  weapons  with  which  he 
had  taken  Porto  Bello,  and  to  keep  it  for  a  twelvemonth,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  (Morgan)  proposed  to  come  to  Panama 
to  fetch  it  away.  The  governor  returned  the  loan  with  a  gold 
ring,  and  requested  Morgan  not  to  give  himself  the  trouble  of 
travelling  so  far,  certifying  to  him  that  he  would  not  fare  so' 
well  as  he  had  done  at  Porto  Bello, 

On  this  subject  Morgan  formed  and  afterward  acted  upon 
his  own  opinions.  In  the  mean  while  the  spoils  were  divided 
at  the  Keys  of  Cuba.  The  booty  amounted  to  250,000  pieces 
of  eight,  besides  goods  of  all  kinds,  including  silks,  linen,  cloth, 
and  many  things  that  found  a  ready  market  in  Jamaica,  for 
which  Bucaniers'  paradise  the  fleet  next  sailed,  to  fit  them- 
selves for  a  fresh  expedition  by  a  month's  carousing,  and  the 
prodigal  expenditure  of  the  fruits  of  their  toils  and  crimes. 

This  exploit,  in  which  so  few  men,  and  those  armed  only 
with  pistols  and  sabres,  had  taken  a  large  fortified  city,  raised 
the  character  of  Morgan  as  a  commander  higher  than  ever ; 
and  his  invitation  to  the  Brethren  of  the  Coast  to  meet  him  at 
the  Isla  de  la  Vaca,  or  Cow  Island,  which  was  appointed  as  a 
rendezvous  preparatory  to  another  cruise,  was  so  eagerly  ac- 
cepted that  he  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  considerable 
force.  A  large  French  bucaniering  vessel,  which  refused  to 
join  this  expedition,  he  obtained  by  fraud.  Inviting  the  com- 
mander and  several  of  the  best  men  to  dine  with  him,  under 
some  frivolous  pretext  he  made  them  prisoners.  But  Morgan 
did  not  reap  much  advantage  from  this  act  of  treachery. 
While  the  men  whom  he  had  placed  in  the  ship  were  carous- 
ing, celebrating  the  commencement  of  another  cruise,  it  sud- 
denly blew  up,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  Enghshmen  and 
the  French  prisoners  perished  together.  This  accident,  so 
disastrous  to  Morgan,  was  imputed  to  the  revengeful  spirit  of 
the  Frenchmen  confined  in  the  hold.  The  true  character  of 
the  sordid  Bucanier  was  never  more  strongly  displayed  than  in 


lid  WILLIAM    DAiMPIER. 

the  way  which  Morgan  tried  to  make  the  best  for  himself  of 
this  mischance.  When  eight  days  of  mourning  had  elapsed, 
he  made  the  dead  bodies  be  fished  up,  stripped  of  clothes, 
linen,  and  of  the  gold  rings  which  Bucaniers  often  wore,  and 
then  be  thrown  back  into  the  sea  to  feed  the  sharks. 

Morgan  had  now  a  fleet  of  fifteen  ships,  some  of  which  he 
owed  to  the  kindness  of  the  Governor  of  Jamaica,  who  conni- 
ved at,  or  took  a  share  in,  such  adventures.  His  force  consist- 
ed of  1000  fighting-men.  Several  of  his  vessels  were  armed, 
and  his  own  carried  14  guns.  With  these,  which,  however, 
through  discontent,  diminished  a  full  half  on  the  way,  he  sha- 
ped his  course  for  the  devoted  cities  of  Gibralter  and  Maracai- 
bo,  formerly  visited  by  Lolonnois,  which  were  once  more  ta- 
ken and  plundered.  At  the  former  place  the  cruelties  of  Mor- 
gan exceeded,  if  that  were  possible,  the  enormities  of  the 
French  pirate.  Such  of  the  inhabitants  as  fled  to  the  woods 
and  were  retaken,  were  tortured  with  fiendlike  ingenuity  to 
make  them  discover  their  wealth.  It  would  be  painful  and 
revolting  to  dwell  upon  the  black  record  of  the  atrocities  per- 
petrated here. 

So  much  time  had  been  consumed  at  Gibraltar,  that  Mor- 
gan, when  about  to  withdraw,  found  himself  in  a  snare,  from 
which  it  required  all  his  talent  and  presence  of  mind  to  extri- 
cate the  Bucanier  fleet.  Coolness  and  readiness  were,  how- 
ever, the  famiUar  qualities  of  men  whose  lives  were  a  series  of 
perils  and  escapes,  and  whose  natural  element  was  danger ; 
and  they  never  were  more  admirably  displayed  than  by  Mor- 
gan and  his  men  at  this  time. 

In  the  interval  spent  by  the  Bucaniers  in  pillage  and  debau- 
chery at  Gibraltar,  the  Spaniards  had  repaired  the  fort  which 
protected  the  passage  of  the  lake  or  lagune  of  Maracaibo,  and 
stationed  three  men  of  war  at  the  entrance,  whose  vigilance  it 
was  conceived  impossible  the  pirates  could  escape.  These 
vessels  carried,  one  twenty,  another  thirty,  and  the  third  forty 
guns.  Putting  a  bold  face  upon  his  embarassing  situation, 
Morgan,  with  the  audacity  natural  to  him,  and  which  was  one 
of  his  instruments  of  success,  sent  a  message  to  the  Spanish 
admiral,  demanding  a  ransom  as  the  only  condition  on  which 
the  city  could  be  preserved.  To  this  insolent  vaunt  the  Span- 
iard replied,  that  though  the  Bucanier  commander  had  taken 
the  castle  from  a  set  of  cowards,  it  was  now  in  a  good  state  of 
defence  ;  and  that  he  not  only  intended  to  dispute  the  egress 
from  the  lagune,  but  to  pursue  the  pirates  everywhere.  If, 
however,  they  chose  to  give  up  the  prisoners  and  the  slaves 
they  had  taken,  they  would  be  permitted  to  pass  forth  unmo- 
lested.    This  reply  was  as  usual  submitted  to  a  full  council  of 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  113 

Bucaiiiers,  and  at  this  assembly  one  of  their  number  suggested 
the  stratagem  by  which  Morgan  in  the  first  place  destroyed  the 
Spanish  men  of  war.  One  of  the  Bucanier  vessels  was  pre- 
pared as  a  fireship,  and  at  the  same  time  was  made  to  wear 
the  appearance  of  a  vessel  ready  for  action.  Logs  were  pla- 
ced in  rows  on  the  decks,  on  which  clothes,  hats,  and  Montero 
caps  were  placed ;  and  these  decoy-figures  were  also  armed 
with  swords  and  muskets.  When  this  was  done,  the  plate, 
jewels,  female  prisoners,  and  whatever  was  of  most  value  to 
the  Bucaniers,  were  placed  in  their  large  boats,  each  of  which 
carried  twelve  armed  men.  These  boats  were  to  follow  the 
fireship,  which  led  the  van  ;  an  oath  was  exacted  from  each 
Bucanier  of  resistance  to  the  last,  and  the  refusal  of  quarter 
from  the  Spaniards ;  and  ample  rewards  were  promised  for 
valour  and  firmness.  Next  evening  the  fleet  sailed,  and  about 
dusk  came  up  with  the  Spanish  ships  riding  at  anchor  in  the 
middle  of  the  lagune.  The  Bucanier  vessels  also  anchored, 
resolved  to  await  here  the  eff'ect  of  their  stratagem,  and  either 
to  fight,  escape,  or  perish.  No  attack  was  offered  that  night, 
and  they  lay  in  quiet  till  dawn,  when  the  anchors  were  weigh- 
ed, and  they  steered  directly  towards  the  Spanish  ships,  which 
advanced  as  if  to  meet  them.  The  fireship,  still  in  advance, 
with  all  her  decoys  of  armed  men  as  before,  came  up  with  the 
largest  of  the  Spanish  vessels  and  grapled  to  her, — then  the 
deception  was  first  discovered,  but  too  late  for  escape.  The 
conflagration  commenced.  The  Spanish  ship  caught  fire  in 
the  tackhng  and  timbers,  and  the  forepart  of  her  hull  soon  went 
down.  The  second  Spanish  vessel  escaped  under  the  guns  of 
the  castle,  and  was  sunk  by  her  own  company  as  a  fate  pre- 
ferable to  falling  a  prey  to  the  Bucaniers.  The  third  vessel 
was  taken.  The  crew  of  the  burning  ship  endeavored  to  es- 
cape to  the  shore,  and  all  chose  rather  to  perish  in  the  sea 
than  accept  of  the  quarter  offered  by  the  pirates.  The  tri- 
umphant Bucaniers,  without  losing  a  moment,  gave  chase, 
and  immediately  landed,  resolving  forthwith  to  attempt  the 
castle  ;  but  as  they  were  ill  armed  for  such  an  assault,  and 
the  place  was  well  fortified  and  manned,  they  desisted  from 
the  attempt,  and  returned  to  their  ships,  having  lost  in  that 
day's  work  thirty  men  killed  and  many  more  wounded. 

Though  the  Spanish  ships  were  destroyed,  the  castle  still 
remained  to  be  passed  ;  and  the  Spaniards  had  laboured  all 
night  in  completing  its  defences.  Morgan  again  had  recourse 
to  stratagem.  All  day  long,  in  sight  of  the  garrison,  he  affect- 
ed to  be  sending  boats  filled  with  men  to  a  point  of  the  shore 
concealed  from  view  of  the  castle  by  trees.     These  men  re- 


ii4  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

turned  on  board  lying  flat  in  the  boats,  where,  in  going  back, 
only  the  rowers  were  visible.  They  mounted  their  ships  at  a 
side  on  which  the  Spaniards  could  not  perceive  their  return. 
This  manoeuvre  was  repeated,  till  the  Spaniards  believed  that 
from  the  number  of  men  landed,  an  attack  upon  the  castle  was 
meditated.  This  seemed  the  more  probable,  as  Morgan,  who 
had  now  hoisted  his  flag  in  their  captured  war-ship,  again  sent 
a  message  demanding  a  ransom  for  Maracaibo  as  the  condi- 
tion of  his  departure.  To  meet  the  presumed  movement  of 
the  Bucaniers,  the  guns  of  the  castle  were  changed  from  a  po- 
sition which  commanded  the  lagune,  and  pointed  to  landward. 
As  soon  as  he  was  aware  of  this  arrangement,  Morgan  raised 
his  anchors  by  moonlight,  and  favoured  by  the  ebb  tide,  the 
wind  also  being  favourable,  pressed  past  the  castle  ;  the  morti- 
fied Spaniards  trying  in  vain  to  hasten  back  with  their  pieces 
to  bear  upon  him.  He  gave  them  a  parting  volley  from  his 
great  guns,  so  lately  their  own  ;  and  bore  away  for  Jamaica, 
exulting  in  good  fortune,  enhanced  likewise  by  what  he  learn- 
ed of  the  misadventures  of  those  who  had  forsaken  liim  in  the 
early  part  of  the  cruise. 

Money  and  credit  were,  as  usual,  quickly  outrun  in  the 
taverns  of  Port  Royal  by  the  dissolute  companions  of  Morgan ; 
and  another  expedition  was  concerted,  which  was  to  exceed 
all  the  former  achievements  of  the  sea-rovers.  And  no  time 
was  to  be  lost,  as  a  pending  treaty  between  Great  Britain  and 
Spain  threatened  forever  to  put  an  end  to  what  their  admiring 
countrymen  termed  the  "  unparalleled  exploits  of  the  Buca- 
niers." Letters  were  despatched  by  the  commander  to  every 
noted  Bucanier,  and  the  south  side  of  the  island  of  Tortuga 
was  named  as  the  rendezvous.  Early  in  October,  1670,  Mor- 
gan found  himself  surrounded  by  pirates,  hunters,  cultivators, 
English,  French,  and  Dutch,  who,  from  land  and  sea,  the 
plantation  and  the  wilderness,  had  flocked  to  the  standard  of 
him  who  was  to  lead  them  to  fortune  and  victory.  The  first 
duty  was  to  victual  the  fleet,  and  this  was  done  by  pillaging 
tlie  hog-yards,  and  with  the  houcan  sent  in  by  hunters  who 
either  joined  in  the  expedition  or  traded  with  the  pirates.  The 
Bucanier  fleet,  consisting  of  thirty-seven  vessels  fully  pro- 
visioned, next  sailed  for  Cape  Tiburon,  on  the  west  coast  of 
Hispaniola, — the  fighting  men  amounting  to  two  thousand. 
At  the  general  council  now  held,  three  places  of  attack  were 
deliberated  upon, — Vera  Cruz,  Carthagena,  and  Panama. 
The  last  and  most  difficult  was  that  which  was  chosen,  recom- 
mended by  the  extravagant  notions  entertained  in  Europe  and 
the  West  Indies  of  its  amazing  wealth,  and  of  the  great  riches 
of  Peru. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  115 

Morgan  had  never  renounced  the  idea,  which  originated 
with  Mansvelt,  of  a  Bucanier  settlement  on  the  conveniently- 
situated  island  of  Providence.  Once  more  it  was  captured 
on  his  way,  the  Spanish  governor  making  a  farce  of  resistance. 
From  this  point ,  Morgan  detached  a  force  of  four  hundred 
men  to  attack  the  castle  of  Chagre,  the  possession  of  which  he 
judged  necessary  to  the  success  of  his  future  operations  against 
Panama.  It  was  eventually  carried  by  the  accident  of  fire 
communicating  with  the  powder  magazine,  which  blew  up  part 
of  the  defences.* 

While  the  Spaniards  were  occupied  in  suppressing  the  con- 
flagration, the  Bucaniers  laboured  hard  to  increase  the  confu- 
sion, by  setting  fire  to  the  palisadoes  in  several  places.  At 
last  they  effected  a  breach,  in  defiance  of  the  liquid  combusti- 
bles which  the  Spaniards  poured  down  among  them,  and 
which  occasioned  considerable  loss  of  their  numbers.  But  the 
attack  and  resistance  were  still  continued  throughout  the 
whole  night,  the  Bucaniers  directing  an  incessant  fire  towards 
the  breaches,  which  the  Spanish  governor  pertinaciously  de- 
fended. 

By  noon  the  next  day  the  Bucaniers  had  gained  a  breach, 
which  was  defended  by  the  governor  himself  and  twenty-five 
soldiers.  The  Spanish  soldiers  fought  with  desperate  valour, 
despair  lending  them  supernatural  courage  ;  but  nothing  could 
resist  the  impetuosity  of  the  pirates  ;  they  burst  their  way 
through  every  obstacle,  and  the  unfortunate  Spaniards  who 
sui*vived,  preferring  death  to  the  dishonour  of  either  falhng 
into  the  hands  of  these  infuriated  ruffians  or  of  begging  quar- 
ter, precipitated  themselves  into  the  sea.  The  governor  had 
retired  into  the  corps  du  garde,  before  which  he  planted  two 
pieces  of  cannon,  and  bravely  maintained  the  hopeless  and 
unequal  conflict  till  he  fell  by  a  musket  shot  which  entered  the 
brain.  Of  the  garrison  of  three  hundred  and  fourteen  men 
only  thirty  remained  alive,  and  of  these  few  twenty  were 
wounded.     Not  a  single  officer  escaped. 

From  the  survivors  of  the  siege,  the  Bucanier  party  learned 
that  the  Governor  of  Panama  was  already  apprized  of  their 


*  The  manner  in  which  the  fire  was  imagined  to  be  communicated  is  not 
a  little  singular.  A  Bucanier  was  pierced  through  by  an  arrow  from  the 
fort.  He  drew  it  forth  from  his  body,  wound  a  Uttle  cotton  round  it,  and 
shot  it  from  his  musket  against  the  castle.  The  cotton  kindled  by  the  pow- 
der set  fire  to  the  palm-leaf  roofs  of  some  sheds  within  the  castle,  and  the 
flames  caught  at  the  gunpowder,  which  produced  the  breach  in  the  walls. 
At  the  same  instant  the  Bucaniers  set  fire  to  the  palisadoes  :  the  Spaniards, 
though  unwavering  in  courage  and  undaunted  in  resolution,  became  dis- 
tracted in  the  midst  of  so  many  dangers. 


116  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

design  against  that  place,  that  all  along  the  course  of  the 
Chagre  ambuscades  were  laid,  and  that  a  force  of  three  thou- 
sand six  hundred  men  awaited  their  arrival.  But  this  did  not 
deter  Morgan,  who  pressed  forward  for  Chagre  the  instant 
that  he  received  intelhgence  of  the  capture  of  the  castle,  car- 
rying with  him  all  the  provisions  that  could  be  obtained  m 
Santa  Ratalina,  to  which  island  he  intended  to  return  after 
the  capture  of  Panama. 

The  English  colours  flying  upon  the  castle  of  Chagre  was 
a  sight  of  joy  to  the  main  body  of  the  Bucaniers  upon  their 
arrival.  Morgan  was  admitted  within  the  fort  by  the  triumph- 
ant advanced  troop  with  all  the  honours  of  conquest.  Before 
his  arrival,  the  wounded,  the  widows  of  the  soldiers  killed  in 
the  siege,  and  the  other  women  of  the  place,  had  been  shut  up 
in  the  church,  and  subjected  to  the  most  brutal  treatment.  To 
their  fate  Morgan  was  entirely  callous  ;  but  he  lost  no  time  in 
setting  the  prisoners  to  work  in  repairing  the  defences  and 
forming  new  palisadoes ;  he  also  seized  all  the  craft  in  the 
river,  many  of  which  carried  from  two  to  four  small  pieces. 

These  arrangements  concluded,  Morgan  left  a  garrison  of 
live  hundred  men  in  his  castle  of  Chagre,  and  in  the  ships  one 
hundred  and  fifty  ;  while  at  the  head  of  twelve  hundred  Buca- 
niers, he,  on  the  18th  of  January,  1671,  commenced  his  inland 
voyage  to  Panama,  indifferent  about  or  determined  to  brave 
the  Spanish  ambuscades.  His  artillery  was  carried  by  five 
large  boats,  and  thirty-two  canoes  were  filled  with  part  of  the 
men.  Anxious  to  push  forward,  Morgan  committed  one  capi- 
tal blunder  in  carrying  almost  no  provisions,  calculating  upon 
a  shorter  period  being  consumed  on  the  march  than  it  actually 
required,  and  on  foraging  upon  the  Spaniards.  Even  on  the 
first  day  their  provisions  failed,  and  on  the  second  they  were 
compelled  to  leave  the  canoes,  the  lowness  of  the  river  and  the 
fallen  trees  lying  across  it  making  this  mode  of  travelhng 
tedious  and  nearly  impracticable.  Their  progress  was  now 
continued  by  land  and  water  alternately,  and  was  attended 
with  great  inconvenience,  the  extremity  of  famine  being  of 
the  number  of  their  hardships.  Their  best  hopes  were  now 
placed  in  falling  in  with  the  threatened  ambuscades,  as  there 
they  might  find  a  store  of  provisions.  So  extremely  were 
they  pinched  with  hunger,  that  the  leathern  bags  found  at  a 
deserted  Spanish  station  formed  a  delicious  meal.  About  this 
delicacy  they  even  quarreled,  and  it  is  said  openly  regretted 
that  no  Spaniards  were  found,  as,  faihng  provisions,  they  had 
resolved  to  have  roasted  or  boiled  a  few  of  the  enemy  to  satisfy 
their  ravening  appetites. 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  117 

Throughout  the  whole  track  to  Panama  the  Spaniards  had 
taken  care  not  to  leave  the  smallest  quantity  of  provisions,  and 
any  other  soldiers  than  the  Bucaniers  must  have  perished  long 
before  even  a  distant  view  was  obtained  of  the  city;  but  their 
powers  of  endurance,  from  their  hardy  modes  of  life,  were  be- 
come almost  superhuman.  At  nightfall,  when  they  reached 
their  halting-place,  "  happy  was  he  who  had  reserved  since 
morn  any  small  piece  of  leather  whereof  to  make  his  supper, 
drinking  after  it  a  good  draught  of  water  for  his  greatest  com- 
fort." Their  mode  of  preparing  this  tough  meal  deserves  to 
be  noticed.  The  skins  were  first  sliced,  then  alternately  dipped 
in  water  and  beat  between  two  stones  to  render  them  tender ; 
lastly,  the  remaining  hair  was  scraped  off,  and  the  morsel 
broiled,  cut  into  small  bits,  and  deliberately  chewed,  with  fre- 
quent mouthfuls  of  water  to  eke  out  and  lengthen  the  repast. 

On  the  fifth  day,  at  another  deserted  ambuscade,  a  little 
maize  was  found,  and  also  some  wheat,  wine,  and  plantains. 
This,  scanty  as  it  was,  proved  a  seasonable  supply  to  those 
who  drooped,  and  it  was  thriftily  dealt  out  among  them.  Next 
day  a  barn  full  of  maize  was  discovered,  which,  beating  down 
the  door,  the  famished  Bucaniers  rushed  upon  and  devoured 
without  any  preparation.  Yet  all  this  hardship  could  not  turn 
them  aside  from  the  scent  of  prey,  though  symptoms  of  dis- 
content became  visible  in  their  ranks.  At  a  village  called  Cruz, 
perceiving  from  a  distance  a  great  smoke,  they  joyfully  prom- 
ised themselves  rest  and  refreshments;  but  on  reaching  it 
found  no  inhabitant,  and  every  house  either  burnt  down  or  in 
flames,  so  determined  were  the  Spaniards  to  oppose  the  on- 
ward march  of  the  terrible  beings,  presented  to  their  imagina- 
tions under  every  shape  of  horror.  The  only  animals  remain- 
ing, the  dogs  and  cats  of  the  village,  fell  an  immediate  sacrifice 
to  the  wolfish  hunger  of  the  Bucaniers. 

Morgan  had  now  some  difficulty  in  preserving  disciphne, 
and  in  keeping  his  companions  or  followers  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  or  Indians  when  stragghng  about 
in  search  of  any  thing  they  could  devour.  In  this  way  one 
man  was  lost. 

They  were  now  within  eight  leagues  of  Panama,  and  the 
nearer  they  approached,  the  more  anxious  and  vigilant  was 
Morgan  in  looking  out  for  the  threatened  ambuscades  of  the 
enemy,  who,  he  naturally  conjectured,  might  have  retired  to 
consohdate  his  forces.  On  the  eighth  day,  they  were  surpri- 
sed by  a  shower  of  Indian  arrows  poured  upon  them  from 
some  unseen  quarter,  and  advancing  into  the  woods,  main- 
tained a  sharp  short  contest  with  a  party  of  Indians,  many  of 
whom  fell,  offering  a  brave  though  vain  resistance.  Ten  of 
11 


118  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

the  freebooters  were  killed  in  this  skirmish.  The  Bucaniers, 
who  had  already  three  Indian  guides,  run-aways  found  in 
Santa  Katalina,  endeavoured  at  this  place  to  make  some  pris- 
oners for  the  purpose  of  procuring  intelligence ;  but  the  In- 
dians were  too  swift  of  foot. 

After  another  twenty-four  hours  of  suffering,  under  which 
only  freebooters  or  Indians  could  have  borne  up,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  ninth  day  of  the  march,  from  a  high  mountain,  the 
majestic  South  Sea  was  joyfully  descried,  with  ships  and  boats 
sailing  upon  its  bosom,  and  peacefully  setting  out  from  the 
concealed  port  of  Panama.  Herds  of  cattle,  horses,  and 
asses,  feeding  in  the  valley  below  the  eminence  on  which  they 
stood,  formed  a  sight  not  less  welcome.  They  rushed  to  the 
feast ;  and,  cutting  up  the  animals,  devoured  their  flesh  half- 
raw,  "  more  resembling  cannibals  than  Europeans  at  this  ban- 
quet, the  blood  many  times  running  down  from  their  beards 
unto  the  middle  of  their  bodies." 

This  savage  meal  being  ended  the  journey  was  resumed, 
Morgan  still  endeavouring  to  gain  information  by  taking  pris- 
oners, as  on  his  whole  line  of  march  he  had  obtained  speech  of 
neither  Spaniard  nor  Indian. 

In  the  same  evening  the  steeple  of  Panama  was  beheld  at  a 
distance;  and,  forgetting  all  their  suiferings,  the  Bucaniers 
gave  way  to  the  most  rapturous  exultation,  tossing  their  caps 
into  the  air,  leaping,  shouting,  beating  their  drums,  and  sound- 
ing their  trumpets  at  the  sight  of  ^o  glorious  a  plunder,  and  as 
if  victory  were  already  consummated.  They  encamped  for 
the  night  near  the  city,  intending  to  make  the  assault  early  in 
the  morning.  The  same  night  a  party  of  fifty  Spanish  horse- 
men came  out  as  if  to  reconnoitre,  advanced  within  musket- 
shot  of  the  pirates,  scornfully  challenged  "the  dogs"  to  come 
on,  and  then  retired,  leaving  six  or  eight  of  their  number  to 
watch  the  enemy's  motions.  Upon  this  the  great  guns  of  the 
town  began  to  play  on  the  camp,  but  were  too  distant,  or  ill 
directed,  to  do  any  execution  ;  and  instead  of  betraying  alarm, 
the  Bucaniers,  having  placed  sentinels  around  their  camp, 
made  another  voracious  meal  preparatory  to  the  next  day's 
business,  threw  themselves  upon  the  grass,  and,  lulled  by  the 
Spanish  artillery,  slept  soundly  till  the  dawn. 

The  camp  was  astir  betimes,  and  the  men  being  mustered 
and  arrayed,  with  drums  and  trumpets  sounding  they  advanced 
towards  the  city ;  but  instead  of  taking  the  ordinary  route, 
which  the  Spaniards  were  prepared  to  defend,  by  the  advice 
of  one  of  the  Indian  guides  they  struck  through  a  wood,  by  a 
tangled  and  difficult  path,  in  which,  however,  immediate  ob- 
struction could  not  be  apprehended.     Before  the  Spaniards 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  119 

could  counteract  this  unexpected  movement,  the  Bucaniers 
had  advanced  some  way.  The  Governor  of  Panama,  who  led 
the  forces  commanded  two  hundred  cavalry  and  four  regi- 
ments of  infantry;  and  a  number  of  Indian  auxiliaries  con- 
ducted an  immense  herd  of  wild  bulls,  to  be  driven  among  the 
ranks  of  the  Bucaniers,  and  which  were  expected  to  throw 
them  into  disorder.  This  extraordinary  arm  of  war  was  view- 
ed by  the  hunters  of  Hispaniola  and  Campeachy  with  indiffer- 
ence ;  but  they  were  somewhat  alarmed  at  the  regular  and 
imposing  array  of  the  troops  drawn  up  to  receive  them.  It 
was,  however,  too  late  to  retreat.  They  divided  into  three  de- 
tachments, two  hundred  dexterous  marksmen  leading  the  ad- 
vance. They  now  stood  on  the  top  of  a  little  eminence, 
whence  the  whole  Spanish  force,  the  city,  and  the  champaign 
country  around  were  distinctly  seen.  As  they  moved  down- 
ward the  Spanish  cavalry,  shouting  Viva  el  -Key,  immedia-ely 
advanced  to  meet  them  ;  but  the  ground  happened  to  be  soft 
and  marshy,  which  greatly  obstructed  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
horsemen.  The  advance  of  the  Bucaniers,  all  picked  marks- 
men, knelt  and  received  them  with  a  volley,  and  the  conflipt 
instantly  became  close  and  hot.  The  Bucaniers,  throwing 
themselves  between  the  Spanish  horse  and  foot,  succeeded  in 
separating  them,  and  the  wild  bulls,  taking  fright  from  the  tu- 
mult and  the  noise  of  the  guns,  ran  away,  or  were  shot  by  the 
Bucaniers  before  they  could  effect  any  mischief. 

After  a  contest  of  two  hours  the  Spanish  cavalry  gave  way. 
Many  were  killed,  and  the  rest  fled;  which  the  foot-soldiers 
perceiving,  fired  their  last  charge,  threw  down  their  muskets, 
and  followed  the  example  of  the  cavaliers.  Some  of  them 
took  refuge  in  the  adjoining  thickets  ;  and  though  the  Buca- 
niers did  not  continue  the  pursuit,  they  took  a  savage  pleasure 
in  shooting  without  mercy  all  who  accidentally  fell  into  their 
hands.  In  this  way  several  priests  and  friars  who  were  made 
prisoners  were  pistolled  by  the  orders  of  Morgan.  A  Spanish 
officer  who  was  made  prisoner  gave  the  Bucaniers  minute  in- 
telligence of  thQ  force  of  the  enemy  and  the  plan  of  defence, 
which  enabled  them  to  approach  the  town  from  the  safest 
point ;  but  the  advance  was  still  attended  with  difficulty. 

After  the  rout  which  had  taken  place  in  the  open  field,  and 
the  slaughter  which  followed,  the  Bucaniers  rested  for  a  little 
space,  and  during  this  pause  solemnly  phghted  their  honour, 
by  oaths  to  each  other,  never  to  yield  while  a  single  man  re- 
mained alive.  This  done,  carrying  their  prisoners  with  them, 
they  advanced  upon  the  great  guns  planted  in  the  streets  and 
the  hasty  defences  thrown  up  to  repel  them.  In  this  renewed 
assault  the  Bucaniers  suffered  severely  before  they  could  make 


1^ 


WILLIAM  DAMPIEB. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  121 

good  those  close  quarters  in  which  they  ever  maintained  a  de- 
cided superiority  in  fighting.  Still  they  resolutely  advanced  to 
the  final  grapple,  the  Spaniards  keeping  up  an  incessant  fire. 
The  town  was  gained  after  a  desperate  conflict  of  three  hours 
maintained  in  its  open  streets. 

In  this  assault  the  Bucaniers  neither  gave  nor  accepted 
quarter,  and  the  carnage  on  both  sides  was  great.  Six  hun- 
dred Spaniards  fell  on  that  day,  nor  was  the  number  of  the 
Bucaniers  who  perished  much  less ;  but  to  those  who  survived 
a  double  share  of  plunder  was  at  all  times  ample  consolation 
for  the  loss  of  companions  whose  services  were  no  longer  re- 
quired in  its  acquisition.  The  city  was  no  sooner  gained  than 
Morgan,  who  saw  the  temper  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  obsti- 
nate nature  of  the  resistance  they  had  offered,  and  who  well 
knew  the  besetting  sins  of  his  followers,  prudently  prohibited 
them  from  tasting  wine  ;  and  aware  that  such  an  order  would 
be  very  httle  regarded  were  it  enforced  by  nothing  save  a  sim- 
ple command,  he  affirmed  that  he  had  received  private  intelli- 
gence that  all  the  wine  had  been  poisoned.  They  were  there- 
fore enjoined  not  to  touch  it  under  the  dread  of  poisoning  and 
the  penalties  of  discipline.  Neither  of  these  motives  were 
sufficient  to  enforce  rigid  abstinence  among  the  Bucaniers, 
though  they  operated  till  indulgence  became  more  safe. 

As  soon  as  possession  of  the  city  was  gained  guards  were 
placed,  and  at  the  same  time  fires  broke  out  simultaneously  in 
different  quarters,  which  were  attributed  by  the  Spaniards  to 
the  pirates,  and  by  them  to  the  inhabitants.  Both  assisted  in 
endeavouring  to  extinguish  the  dreadful  conflagration,  which 
raged  with  fury ;  but  the  houses,  being  built  of  cedar,  caught 
the  flames  like  tinder,  and  were  consumed  in  a  very  short  time. 
The  inhabitants  had  previously  removed  or  concealed  the  most 
valuable  part  of  their  goods  and  furniture. 

The  city  of  Panama  consisted  of  about  twelve  thousand 
houses,  many  of  them  large  and  magnificent.  It  contained 
also  eight  monasteries  and  two  churches,  all  richly  furnished. 
The  concealment  of  the  church-plate  drew  upon  the  ecclesias- 
tics the  pecuhar  vengeance  of  the  heretical  Bucaniers,  who, 
however,  spared  no  one.  The  conflagration  which  they  could 
not  arrest,  they  seemed  at  last  to  take  a  savage  delight  in 
spreading.  A  slave  factory  belonging  to  the  Genoese  was 
burnt  to  the  ground,  together  with  many  warehouses  stored 
with  meal.  Many  of  the  miserable  Africans  whom  the  Geno- 
ese brought  for  sale  to  Peru,  perished  in  the  flames,  which 
raged  or  smouldered  for  nearly  four  weeks. 

For  some  time  the  Bucaniers,  afraid  of  being  surprised  and 
overpowered  by  the  Spaniards,  who  still  reckoned  ten  for  one 
11* 


m^  WILLIAM  DAMPICR. 

of  their  numbers,  encamped  without  the  town^  Morgan  had 
also  weakened  his  force  by  sending  a  hundred  and  fifty  men 
back  to  Chagre  with  news  of  his  victory.  Yet  by  this  handful 
of  men  the  panic-struck  Spaniards  were  held  in  check  and 
subjection  while  theBucaniers  either  raged  hke  demons  through 
the  burning  town  or  prowled  among  the  ruins  and  ashes  in 
search  of  plate  and  other  valuable  articles. 

The  property  which  the  Spaniards  had  concealed  in  deep 
wells  and  cisterns  was  nearly  all  discovered,  and  tlie  most  ac- 
tive of  the  Bucaniers  were  sent  out  to  the  woods  and  heights 
to  search  for  and  drive  back  the  miserable  inhabitants  who  had 
fled  from  the  city  with  their  effects.  In  two  days  they  brought 
in  about  two  hundred  of  the  fugitives  as  prisoners.  Of  those 
unhappy  persons  many  were  females,  who  found  the  merciless 
Bucaniers  no  better  than  their  fears  had  painted  them. 

In  plundering  the  land  Morgan  had  not  neglected  the  sea. 
By  sea  many  of  the  principal  inhabitants  had  escaped,  and  a 
boat  was  immediately  sent  in  pursuit,  which  brought  in  three 
prizes ;  though  a  galleon,  in  which  \vas  embarked  all  the  plate 
and  jewels  belonging  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and  the  wealth  of 
the  principal  nunnery  of  the  town,  escaped,  from  the  Bucaniers 
indulging  in  a  brutal  revel  in  their  own  bark  till  it  was  too  late 
to  follow  and  capture  the  ship.  The  pursuit  was  afterward 
continued  for  four  days,  at  the  end  of  which  the  Bucaniers 
returned  to  Panama  with  another  prize,  worth  twenty  thou- 
sand pieces  of  eight  in  goods,  from  Paita. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  opposite  coast,  the  ships'  companies  left 
at  Chagre  were  exercising  their  vocation,  and  had  captured 
one  large  Spanish  vessel,  which,  unaware  of  the  hands  into 
Miiich  the  castle  had  fallen,  ran  in  under  it  for  protection. 

Nothing  more  was  to  be  wrung  forth  from  Panama,  which, 
after  a  destructive  sojourn  of  four  weeks,  Morgan  resolved  to 
leave.  Beasts  of  burden  were  therefore  collected  from  all 
quarters  to  convey  the  spoils  to  the  opposite  coast.  The  can- 
non were  spiked,  and  scouts  sent  out  to  learn  what  measures 
had  been  taken  by  the  Governor  of  Panama  to  intercept  the 
return  to  Chagre.  The  Spaniards  were  too  much  depressed 
to  have  made  any  preparation  either  to  annoy  or  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  their  inveterate  enemies  ;  and  on  the  24th  of  Febru- 
ary the  Bucaniers,  apprehensive  of  no  opposition,  left  the 
ruins  of  Panama,  with  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  mules  la- 
den with  their  spoils,  and  above  six  hundred  prisoners,  includ- 
ing women,  children,  and  slaves.  The  misery  of  these  wretch- 
ed captives,  driven  on  in  the  midst  of  the  armed  Bucaniers, 
exceeds  description.  They  believed  that  they  were  all  to  be 
carried  to  Jamaica,  England,  or  some  equally  wild,  distant, 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  123 

and  savage  country,  to  be  sold  for  slaves  ;  and  the  cruel  craft 
of  Morgan  heightened  these  fears,  the  more  readily  to  extort 
the  ransom  he  demanded  for  the  freedom  of  his  unhappy  pris- 
oners. In  vain  the  women  threw  themselves  at  his  feet  sup- 
plicating for  the  mercy  of  being  allowed  to  remain  amid  the 
ruins  of  their  former  homes,  or  in  the  woods  in  huts  with  their 
husbands  and  children.  His  answer  was,  "  that  he  came  not 
here  to  listen  to  cries  and  lamentations,  but  to  get  money,  which 
unless  he  obtained  he  would  assuredly  carry  them  all  where 
they  would  little  like  to  go."  Three  days  were  granted,  in 
wliich  they  might  avail  themselves  of  the  conditions  of  ransom. 
Several  were  happy  enough  to  be  able  to  redeem  themselves, 
or  were  rescued  by  the  contributions  sent  in  ;  and  with  the  re- 
maining captives  the  pirates  pushed  onward,  making  new 
prisoners  and  gathering  fresh  spoils  on  their  way. 

The  conduct  of  Morgan  at  this  time  disproves  many  of  the 
extravagant  notions  propagated  about  the  high  honour  of  the 
Bucaniers  in  their  dealings  with  each  other.  Halting  at  a 
convenient  place  for  his  purpose,  in  the  midst  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  about  half-way  to  Chagre,  he  drew  up  his  comrades, 
and  insisted  that,  besides  taking  an  oath  declaring  that  all 
plunder  had  been  surrendered  to  the  common  stock,  each  man 
should  be  searched,  he  himself  submitting  in  the  first  place  to 
the  degrading  scrutiny,  though  it  was  suspected  that  the  lead- 
ing motive  of  the  whole  manoeuvre  was  the  desire  of  conceal- 
ing his  own  peculation  and  fraudulent  dealing  with  his  asso- 
ciates. The  French  Bucaniers  who  accompanied  the  expedi- 
tion were  indignant  at  treatment  so  much  at  variance  with  the 
maxims  and  usages  of  the  gentlemen  rovers  ;  but  being  the 
weaker  party  they  were  compelled  to  submit. 

The  Bucaniers  and  their  prisoners  performed  the  remainder 
of  the  journey  by  water ;  and  when  arrived  at  Chagre,  Morgan, 
who  knew  not  how  to  dispose  of  his  unredeemed  prisoners, 
shipped  them  all  off  for  Porto  Bello,  making  them  the  bearers 
of  his  demand  of  ransom  from  the  governor  of  that  city  for  the 
castle  of  Chagre.  To  this  insolent  message  the  Governor  of 
Porto  Bello  replied,  that  Morgan  might  make  of  the  castle 
what  he  pleased  ;  not  a  ducat  should  be  given  for  its  ransom. 

There  was  thus  no  immediate  prospect  of  any.more  plunder 
in  this  quarter,  and  nothing  remained  to  be  done  but  to  divide 
the  spoils  already  acquired.  The  individual  shares  fell  so  far 
short  of  the  expectations  of  the  Bucaniers  that  they  openly 
grumbled,  and  accused  their  chief  of  the  worst  crime  of  which 
in  their  eyes  he  could  be  guilty, — secreting  the  richest  of  the 
jewels  for  himself.  Two  hundred  pieces  of  eight  to  each  man 
was  thought  a  very  small  return  for  the  plunder  of  so  wealthy 


124  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

a  city,  and  a  very  trifling  reward  for  the  toil  and  danger  that 
had  been  undergone  in  assaulting  it.  Matters  were  assuming 
so  serious  an  aspect  among  the  fraternity  that  Morgan,  who 
knew  the  temper  of  his  friends,  deemed  it  advisable  to  steal 
away  with  what  he  had  obtained.  He  immediately  made  the 
walls  of  Chagre  be  destroyed,  carried  the  guns  on  board  his 
own  ship,  and,  followed  by  one  or  two  vessels  commanded  by 
persons  in  his  confidence,  sailed  for  Jamaica,  leaving  his  en- 
raged associates  in  want  of  every  necessary.  Those  who  fol- 
lowed him  were  all  Englishmen,  who,  as  the  French  Bucaniers 
fully  believed,  connived  at  the  frauds  and  shared  in  the  gains 
of  Morgan.  They  would  instantly  have  pursued  him  to  sea, 
and  the  Spaniards  might  have  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing the  Bucanier  fleet  divided  and  fighting  against  itself,  had 
they  with  a  force  so  much  weaker,  dared  to  venture  so  un- 
equal an  encounter.  The  vessels  deserted  by  Morgan  sepa- 
rated here,  and  the  companies  sought  their  fortunes  in  different 
quarters,  none  of  them  much  the  richer  for  the  misery  and 
devastation  they  had  carried  to  Panama. 

Morgan,  on  arriving  at  Jamaica  laden  with  plunder,  and  ex- 
ulting in  his  late  exploit,  endeavoured  once  more  to  levy  re- 
cruits for  the  independent  state  he  still  longed  to  establish  at 
Santa  Katalina,  and  of  which  he  himself,  already  admiral  and 
generalissimo  of  the  Bucaniers,  was  to  be  the  prince  or  gov- 
ernor. But  circumstances  were  still  unfavourable.  Lord  John 
Vaughan,  the  newly-appointed  Governor  of  Jamaica,  had  or- 
ders strictly  to  enforce  the  treaty  with  Spain,  formed  in  the 
previous  year,  but  to  proclaim  pardon  and  indemnity,  and  offer 
a  grant  of  lands  to  such  of  the  Bucaniers,  as  chose  to  become 
peaceful  cultivators.  Future  depredations  on  the  trade  or 
settlements  of  Spain  were  forbidden  by  the  royal  proclamation, 
and  under  severe  penalties.  But  it  was  not  a  proclamation, 
however  strongly  worded,  that  could  at  once  tame  down  the 
lawless  Bucanier  into  a  planter,  or  confine  to  thirty-seven 
acres  of  ground  him  who  had  for  years  freely  roamed  through 
sea  and  land,  with  his  sword  reaping  his  harvest  wherever  men 
of  greater  industry  had  sown  it.  To  adopting  the  habits  of 
peaceful  life  many  of  the  English  Bucaniers  preferred  joining 
the  Flibustiers  at  Tortuga,  or  becoming  logwood-cutters  in  the 
Bay  of  Campeachy ;  and,  luckily  for  the  remainder,  in  the 
next  year  a  war  broke  out  between  Great  Britain  and  Holland, 
which  enabled  some  of  them  to  follow  their  old  vocation  as 
privateers ;  Bucaniers  and  Flibustiers  alike  exercising  their 
industry  for  a  short  time  against  the  Dutch  instead  of  their  old 
enemies  the  Spaniards. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 


125 


Before  quitting  this  part  of  the  subject,  it  may  be  proper  to 
notice  the  conclusion  of  the  adventures  of  the  notorious  Mor- 
gan. In  the  year  which  elapsed  between  the  plunder  of  Pana- 
ma and  1680,  he  had  sufficient  address  and  interest,  or,  more 
probably,  skill  in  the  appliance  of  his  ill-gotten  wealth,  to 
obtain  from  Charles  II.  the  honour  of  knighthood,  and  after- 
ward to  be  appointed  deputy-governor  of  Jamaica.  Though 
it  was  believed  that  he  still  secretly  shared  in  the  plundering 
adventures  of  the  Bucaniers,  Morgan  treated  many  of  his  old 
comrades  with  very  great  severity.  Several  of  them  were  hang- 
ed under  his  administration,  and  others  he  delivered  up  to  the 
Spaniards  at  Carthagena,  as  was  beheved,  for  the  price  of 
blood  ;  nor  does  the  character  of  Morgan  make  this  suspicion 
improbable.  The  strict  justice  and  severity  exercised  by  the 
deputy-governor  on  his  old  friends  and  countrymen,  did  not, 
however,  dispose  the  Spaniards  to  unlimited  confidence  in 
Morgan  ;  and  suspecting  him  of  secretly  favouring  the  Buca- 
niers, who  had  once  more  increased,  they  were  able,  after  the 
accession  of  James  II.,  to  get  him  removed  from  his  office  and 
committed  for  a  time  to  prison  in  England. 

In  1683,  the  Bucaniers,  led  by  three  noted  chiefs.  Van  Horn, 
Grammont,  and  Laurent  de  Graff,  by  a  stratagem  took  the 
city  of  Vera  Cruz  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Many  of  the  English 
Bucaniers  were  engaged  in  this  expedition,  though  none  of 
them  held  high  command.  This  was  reckoned  the  mostbrill- 
iant  exploit  that  had  yet  been  achieved  by  the  Flibustiers. 
Their  mode  of  attack  was  similar  to  that  which  had  been 
practised  by  Drake  a  century  before.  In  the  darkness  of  night 
a  sufficient  force  was  landed,  which  marched  three  leagues 
over  land,  and  before  dawn  sui-prised  and  captured  the  city. 
The  inhabitants  were  shut  up  in  the  churches,  the  usual  prison 
of  the  Bucaniers,  at  the  door  of  each  ©f  which  barrels  of  gun- 
powder were  placed,  and  sentinels  beside  them  holding  a  light- 
ed match,  ready  to  produce  an  explosion  at  a  moment's  notice, 
or  on  the  slightest  symptom  of  revolt.  The  city  was  thus  pil- 
laged without  molestation  from  the  inhabitants  ;  and  the  fam- 
ished prisoners  in  the  churches  were  afterward  glad  to  pur- 
chase their  freedom  on  any  terms  their  conquerers  chose  to 
dictate.  Ten  millions  of  livres  were  demanded  as  a  ransom, 
and  the  half  of  it  had  been  raised  and  paid  in,  when  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  body  of  troops  and  a  fleet  of  seventeen  ships 
caused  the  freebooters  to  make  a  precipitate  but  well-ordered 
retreat,  carrying  off  1500  slaves.  Loaded  with  their  booty 
and  prisoners,  they  boldly  sailed  through  the  fleet  sent  to  at- 
tack  them,  which  did  not  venture  to  fire  a  single  gun.  They 
might  probably  have  roused  the  Spaniards  from  their  fear  or 


126  WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 

lethargy  by  an  assault,  had  they  not  been  more  careful  to  pre- 
serve the  plunder  they  had  obtained,  than  desirous  of  a  barren 
naval  victory  over  ships  carrying  no  cargoes. 

Fortunately  for  the  freedom  and  repose  of  the  Spanish  colo- 
nists, no  Bucanier  corps  ever  agreed,  or  acted  in  harmony, 
for  any  length  of  time.  Their  lawless  unions  fell  to  pieces 
even  more  rapidly  than  they  were  formed  ;  and  those  of  the 
French  and  Enghsh  seldom  adhered  even  to  the  conclusion  of 
a  joint  expedition.  On  the  present  occasion  they  separated  in 
wrath,  the  Frenchmen  employing  the  pretext  of  the  quarrel 
they  artfully  fomented  to  withhold  the  Englishmen's  share  of 
the  pillage.  The  latter  cruises  of  the  Bucaniers  were  in  few 
respects  distinguished  by  the  honour  and  integrity  among 
themselves  which  were  said  to  have  marked  their  first  exploits. 
The  French  Flibustier  now  sought  but  a  shallow  excuse  to 
plunder  the  English  Bucanier,  who,  on  the  other  side,  lost  no 
opportunity  of  retaliation. 

The  tardy  though  now  earnest  efforts  of  France  and  Brit- 
ain to  crush  the  brethren  of  the  coast,  the  increasing  military 
and  maritime  strength  of  the  Spanish  colonists,  and  above  all 
a  field  too  narrow  and  exhausted  for  the  numerous  labourers, 
together  with  wild  and  magnificent  ideas  of  the  wealth  of  Peru> 
were  so  many  powerful  motives  urging  the  Bucaniers,  whether 
French  or  English,  upon  enterprises  in  a  new  and  wider  region. 
Among  them  an  estimate  was  formed  of  the  riches  of  the  west- 
ern shores,  from  the  single  circumstance,  that  in  a  few  years 
after  the  visit  of  Morgan,  a  new  city  of  Panama  had  arisen, 
which  in  splendour  and  wealth  eclipsed  the  desolated  town. 
The  Peruvian  coast  and  the  South  Sea,  in  all  their  riches  and 
extent,  presented  a  field  which  neither  thelona^  arm  of  France, 
nor  the  powerful  hand  of  England  could  reach ;  and  of  the 
opposition  to  be  feared  from  the  indolent  and  effeminate  in- 
habitants the  expedition  of  Morgan  had  afforded  a  very  satis- 
factory specimen.  In  the  new  design  of  crossing  the  conti- 
nent, and  searching  for  untried  regions  of  conquest  and  spoha- 
tion,  the  Bucaniers  were  rather  urged  by  personal  motives  of 
rapacity,  and  the  desire  of  escaping  from  the  colonial  officials 
of  the  West  India  islands — who  latterly  either  shared  their 
booty  or  treated  them  with  great  severity,  and  not  unfrequent- 
ly  did  both — than  influenced  by  any  enlightened  or  compre- 
hensive plan  of  operations.  The  wealth  of  this  new  region 
and  the  ease  with  which  it  might  be  acquired  were  primary 
reasons  ;  personal  security  was  merely  secondary ;  and  be- 
yond these  motives  this  chaotic  banditti  never  once  looked  ; 
all  their  ideas  of  conquest  being  limited  to  the  plunder  of  a  city 
or  a  ship,  to  plate,  silks,  and  pieces  of  eight;  nor  were  their 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  127 

enjoyments  and  pleasures  of  a  more  liberal  or  elevated  kind. 
We  may  therefore  without  much  regret  here  close  this  general 
sketch  of  the  Bucaniers.  All  that  is  interesting  in  their  subse- 
quent career,  from  the  plundering  of  Vera  Cruz  in  the  Bay  of 
Mexico  to  their  decay  and  suppression,  is  closely  interwoven 
with  the  personal  adventures  of  Dampier,  on  which  we  are  now 
to  enter. 

Captain  Dampier  was  born  about  1652,  at  East  Coker, 
near  Yeovil,  a  considerable  market-town  in  Somersetshire. 
His  father  was  probably  a  farmer ;  and  we  learn  incidentally 
that  his  mother,  when  a  widow,  along  with  whatever  other 
property  she  might  possess,  held  the  lease  of  a  small  farm  at 
East  Coker  from  Colonel  Hellier,  the  lord  of  the  manor. 

Before  the  death  of  his  parents,  which  happened  while  he 
was  very  young,  Dampier  had  begun  to  receive  the  elements 
of  a  classical  education ;  but  on  this  event  taking  place  his 
studies  were  suspended,  and  he  was  sent  to  acquire  writing 
and  arithmetic,  to  qualify  him  for  some  humbler  employment 
than  might  have  been  originally  designed  ;  and  in  a  short  time 
after  the  death  of  his  mother,  he  was  placed  with  a  shipmaster 
belonging  to  Weymouth.  Slender  as  his  advantages  of  early 
education  appear  to  have  been,  he  profited  so  largely  by  them 
as  to  afford  one  more  proof  that  the  best  part  of  a  man's  learn- 
ing is  that  which  he  acquires  by  himself. 

William  Dampier's  first  voyage  was  to  France,  his  next  to 
Newfoundland,  in  which  he  suffered  so  severely  from  the  cli- 
mate, that  he  almost  resolved  against  returning  to  sea;  but 
this  determination  was  changed  into  a  resolution  not  to  try  the 
same  ungenial  quarter.  Dampier,  now  about  eighteen,  was 
already  animated  by  the  restless  activity,  the  curiosity,  love  of 
vicissitude,  adventure,  and  peril,  which  form  the  strong  and 
marking  characteristics  of  the  youth  who  is  born  a  seaman. 
"  The  offer,"  he  says,  "  of  a  long  voyage  and  a  warm  one  soon 
carried  me  to  sea  again."  He  entered  as  a  foremast-man  on 
board  the  Martha,  East  Indiaman,  which  sailed  direct  from 
London  to  Bantam;  from  whence,  after  a  stay  of  two  months, 
he  returned  within  Uttle  more  than  the  year.  From  his  early 
childhood  Dampier  had  been  a  keen  observer.  On  his  former 
voyages  he  had  gained  some  nautical  experience,  which  he  en- 
larged during  the  present,  diligently  studying  the  practical 
part  of  his  profession,  though  he  had  not  yet  commenced  a 
journal,  the  keeping  of  which  came  to  be  the  solace  of  his 
roaming  unconnected  hfe,  and  the  means  of  great  mental  im- 
provement. 


128  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

The  summer  after  his  return  from  India,  Dampier  spent 
with  his  brother  in  Somersetshire,  whose  house  in  early  hfe 
seems  to  have  been  his  home  while  on  shore.  His  next  service 
was  on  board  the  Royal  Prince^  in  which  he  enhsted,  England 
being  then  at  war  with  Holland.  He  was  in  two  engage- 
ments ;  but  of  a  third  fought  by  the  ship,  in  which  the  com- 
mander, Sir  Edward  Sprague,  was  killed,  he  was  not  a  wit- 
ness, having  previously  fallen  into  bad  health.  From  the  ship 
he  was  sent  to  Harwich  hospital,  and  finally  to  his  brother's, 
where  he  slowly  recovered. 

With  returning  health  the  love  of  the  sea  recurred;  but 
Dampier  meanwhile  accepted  the  offer  of  Colonel  Hellier,  and 
went  to  Jamaica  as  imder-manager  of  a  plantation  belonging 
to  that  gentleman,  forming  a  special  agreement  with  the  cap- 
tain to  protect  himself  from  the  frauds  of  the  kidnappers.  The 
ship  went  "  merrily  along,"  steering  for  Barbadoes,  which  was 
the  first  of  the  islands  that  Dampier  beheld.  He  was  at  this 
time  twenty-two  years  of  age,  active,  intelligent,  and  full  of  an 
instinctive  curiosity,  already  under  the  guidance  of  a  strong, 
clear,  and  prompt  understanding. 

As  a  planter  Dampier  was  "  clearly  out  of  his  element ;" 
and  after  spending  some  time  in  this  ungenial  occupation,  he 
engaged  with  different  traders  belonging  to  Port  Royal,  who 
coasted  round  Jamaica,  carrying  goods  from  the  plantations  to 
that  port.  In  these  coasting  voyages  he  became  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  all  the  harbours  and  bays  of  the  island,  and 
with  the  land  and  sea  winds  and  currents.  Avaihng  himself 
of  every  opportunity  and  means  of  acquiring  knowledge,  Dam- 
pier appears  through  life  to  have  become  wearied  of  every 
scene  the  moment  he  had  exhausted  the  information  it  afford- 
ed, and  to  have  longed  for  change  as  soon  as  he  had  over-mas- 
tered its  difficulties.  His  next  voyage,  undertaken  in  August, 
1675,  was  to  the  island  of  Trist,  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy,  for 
a  cargo  of  logwood.  In  these  late  voyages  he  acted  in  the 
capacity  of  a  common  sailor  in  a  small  vessel;  but  he  now 
kept  a  regular  journal,  and  was  no  common  observer.  On 
this  voyage  to  Campeachy  his  nautical  remarks  and  observa- 
tions on  the  appearances  and  bearings  of  the  coasts,  the  head- 
lands, bays,  and  islands,  are  ample  and  exact, — distinguished 
by  the  clearness  and  perspicuity  which  are  visible  in  all  his 
subsequent  relations.  They  anchored  at  One-Bush-Key,  an 
islet  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  so  named  from  having  a 
single  stunted  tree. 

The  life  of  the  logwood-cutters  of  the  Bay  of  Campeachy, 
free  and  unrestrained,  had  many  charms  for  the  young  adven- 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  129 

turer,  and  their  jovial  manners  and  frank  hospitality,  with  the 
lucrative  nature  of  the  occupation  of  these  merry  foresters, 
made  him  resolve  to  return  and  join  their  ranks  as  soon  as  his 
present  engagement  terminated. 

Logwood-cutting  had  now  in  many  instances  taken  place  of 
the  hunting  of  wild  cattle,  which  were  become  scarce.  Some 
adventurers  pursued  both  vocations,  and  others  were  wood- 
cutters alone.  A  third  class  occasionally  added  the  variety 
and  profit  of  a  privateering  cruise  to  their  quieter  employments. 

The  logwood-cutters  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy  at  this  time 
amounted  to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  mostly  natives 
of  England,  though  there  were  also  Scotchmen  and  Irishmen 
among  their  number.  By  Spain  they  were  considered  inter- 
lopers, and  the  trade  contraband ;  but  this  did  not  much  disturb 
their  consciences.  Their  general  practice  was  to  make  up  a 
cargo  in  joint  stock  companies,  the  partnership  lasting  till  the 
contract  for  the  number  of  tons  agreed  on  was  completed. 

The  traders  who  bought  the  dye-wood  carried  the  wood- 
cutters rum,  sugar,  tobacco,  and  other  things  necessary  to 
them.  The  trade  was  usually  opened  by  a  solemn  drinking- 
match  on  board  the  ships,  where  healths  were  pledged,  and 
salvoes  fired  in  honour  of  each  pledge,  with  all  the  customary 
demonstrations  of  Bucanier  banqueting.  The  trader  who  was 
the  most  liberal  of  his  rum-punch  on  such  festive  occasions 
might  assure  himself  of  the  best  bargain  of  logwood;  the  cut- 
ters priding  themselves  upon  cheating  those  they  thought  nig- 
gardly of  their  liquor  and  good  cheer. 

While  taking  in  the  cargo  Dampier  was  often  on  shore,  and 
frequently  visited  the  cabins  of  the  woodmen,  who  hospitably 
entertained  him  with  the  rough  substantial  fare  which  abound- 
ed among  them, — pork  and  pease, — or  beef,  for  which  they 
hunted  in  the  savannas, — with  doughboys,  a  kind  of  thick  un- 
leavened cake,  which,  when  on  shore,  the  Bucaniers  and  hunt- 
ers often  kneaded  for  themselves.  They  were  equally  profuse 
of  their  liquor  while  the  supply  lasted. 

The  returning  voyage  of  Dampier  to  Jamaica  was  singular- 
ly disastrous,  and  between  Trist  and  Port-Royal  the  passage 
occupied  thirteen  weeks.  Of  the  adventures  and  perils  of  this 
voyage  he  has  left  a  very  hvely  account.  A  passenger  who 
returned  with  them  to  Jamaica — a  prisoner  who  had  escaped 
from  the  Spaniards — from  his  experience  of  this  coast,  was 
the  means  of  saving  them  from  being  captured  by  a  Spanish 
vessel,  which  gave  chase  to  their  bark.  Though  the  crew  had 
both  fished  and  hunted  at  several  places  before  they  reached 
Jamaica,  they  were  during  most  part  of  the  passage  greatly 
pinched  for  provisions ;  and  on  coming  to  anchor  after  so  many 
12 


130  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

hardships,  they  sent  ashore  for  a  supply,  made  a  feast,  and 
were  just  compounding  a  flowing  bowl  of  punch,  when  the 
captain  of  a  New-England  trader  came  on  board  to  visit  them, 
and  was  invited  to  share  in  the  carouse.  What  follows  is  an 
amusing  trait  of  the  nautical  manners  of  the  place  and  time : — 
"  Mr.  Hooker,  being  drank  to  by  Captain  Rawlins,  who  pledg- 
ed Captain  Hudswell,  and  having  the  bowl  in  his  hands,  said 
that  he  was  under  an  oath  to  drink  but  three  draughts  of  strong 
liquor  in  one  day,  and  putting  the  bowl  to  his  head  turned  it 
off  at  one  draught,  and  so  making  himself  drunk,  disappointed 
our  expectations  till  we  made  another  bowl.  I  think  it  might 
contain  six  quarts." 

As  soon  as  he  was  discharged,  Dampier  returned  to  the  Bay 
of  Campeachy,  to  try  his  fortunes  among  the  logwood-cutters. 
Preparatory  to  this  voyage  he  had  provided  himself  with 
hatchets,  knives,  axes,  saws,  wedges,  the  sleeping-pavilion  ne- 
cessary for  defence  against  the  insects  in  this  climate,  and  a 
gun,  with  a  supply  of  powder  and  shot.  A  power  of  attorney, 
lodged  with  a  merchant  who  acted  as  factor  for  the  logwood- 
cutters,  completed  his  arrangements. 

The  logwood  forest  in  which  the  men  laboured  who  were 
joined  by  Dampier  was  on  the  west  lagune  of  Trist  Island,  in 
the  Bay  of  Campeachy. 

The  first  wood-cutters  were  men  who  had  adopted  this  oc- 
cupation when  bucaniering  was  overdone  from  the  number  of 
competitors,  and  become  dangerous  from  prohibitory  edicts. 
They  originally  settled  near  the  forests  of  the  dye-wood  at  Cape 
Catoch.  When  these  were  exhausted  they  had  removed  to 
the  Isle  of  Trist; — the  first  intimation  to  the  Spaniards  of 
their  arrival  on  a  new  point  being  the  strokes  of  their  axes  on 
the  trees,  or  the  report  of  their  guns  in  the  woods  and  savan- 
nas. These  wood-cutters  were  divided  into  parties  of  from 
three  to  ten  or  twelve.  The  company  which  consented  to  re- 
ceive Dampier  as  a  helper,  ignorant  as  he  still  was  of  their  em- 
ployment, consisted  of  six  individuals,  who  had  a  cargo  of 
logwood  of  a  hundred  tons  already  felled  and  chipped,  and 
ready  to  be  brought  to  the  creek,  whence  it  was  to  be  shipped 
for  New  England.  His  wages  were  to  be  the  price  of  a  ton 
of  wood  per  month. 

The  wood-cutters  had  constructed  their  cabins  close  by  the 
sides  of  the  creeks  of  the  east  and  west  lagunes  of  Trist,  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  refreshing  sea-breezes,  and  to  be  as  near 
the  dyewood-groves  as  was  found  convenient.  As  the  nearest 
trees  gradually  fell  beneath  their  axes,  they  frequently,  instead 
of  abandoning  a  favourite  habitation,  repaired  to  the  scene  of 
their  daily  labours  in  their  canoes.     To  each  company  belong- 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.'  131 

ed  a  canoe,  pirogue,  or  large  boat,  which  was  necessary  in 
conveying  their  lading  to  the  traders,  and  also  in  the  chase ; 
for  they  hunted  cattle  by  water  as  well  as  land,  for  this  purpose 
driving  them  into  narrow  creeks.  Their  cabins  were  of  fra- 
gile construction,  but  thickly  thatched  with  palm-leaves,  to 
shelter  the  inmates  from  the  violent  rains  of  the  wet  season. 
Above  the  floor  a  wooden  frame  was  raised  three  or  four  feet, 
and  this  barbecue,  with  the  pavilion  or  mosquito-curtains 
stretched  and  supported  over  it,  formed  the  sleeping-place  of 
the  wood-cutters ;  another,  equal  in  height,  covered  with  earth, 
formed  the  domestic  hearth  ;  and  a  third  served  as  seats. 

The  logwood-groves  were  near  the  sea, — this  wood  grow- 
ing and  thriving  best  in  low  wet  ground,  and  among  timber  of 
a  lower  growth.  The  trees  were  from  two  to  six  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. They  resembled  the  white  thorn  of  England, 
save  in  size.  The  heart  of  the  trunk,  which  is  red,  is  alone 
used  as  a  dye-stuff,  the  spongy  outer  part  being  chipped  away. 
It  is  a  heavy  wood,  and  burns  well;  and  for  this  reason  the 
hunters,  wood-cutters,  and  Bucaniers  always,  when  it  could  be 
obtained,  preferred  it  for  hardening  the  steel  of  their  fire-arms. 
Bloodwood,  another  dye-stuff*  much  esteemed,  was  found  in 
the  Gulf  of  Nicaragua,  and  sold  at  double  the  price  of  the 
logwood, — ^the  latter  selling  at  fifteen  pounds*  per  ton,  when 
the  bloodwood  cost  thirty  pounds. 

In  these  savannas  and  primeval  forests  an  endless  variety 
of  birds  and  insects  engaged  the  attention  of  the  young  sea- 
man, to  which  we  cannot  now  advert.  The  creeks,  rivers, 
and  lagunes,  as  well  as  the  open  shores,  were  equally  prolific 
of  fishes  unknown  in  the  English  waters.  No  place  in  the 
world  was  better  stored  with  alhgators  than  the  Bay  of  Cam- 
peachy.  These  the  Bucaniers,  who  scrupled  at  no  sort  of 
food,  never  ate,  save  in  cases  of  great  necessity,  as  even  their 
intrepid  stomachs  were  oflfended  by  the  strong  musky  flavour 
of  the  flesh  of  this  hideous  creature.  The  alhgators  of  the  bay 
were  generally  harmless  when  not  molested ;  though  accidents 
sometimes  occurred,  of  which  one  is  recorded  by  Dampier 
that  merits  notice.  In  the  height  of  the  dry  season,  when  in 
those  torrid  regions  all  animated  nature  pants  with  consuming 
thirst,  a  party  of  the  wood-cutters,  English  and  Irish,  went  to 
hunt  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  lake  called  Pies  Pond,  in  Beef 
Island,  one  of  the  smaller  islands  of  the  bay.     To  this  pond 


*  Valuable  as  this  wood  was,  the  French  Bucaniers  who  captured  Cam- 
peachy,  on  one  occasion,  displayed  their  enthusiastic  loyalty  by  burning 
£42,000  worth  in  celebrating  the  birthday  of  their  king,  or  the  festival  of  St, 
Louis. 


133  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

the  wild  cattle  repaired  in  herds  to  drink,  and  here  the  hunter* 
lay  in  wait  for  them.  The  chase  had  been  prosecuted  with 
great  success  for  a  week,  when  an  Irishman  of  the  party,  go- 
ing into  the  water  during  the  day,  stumbled  upon  an  alligator,, 
which  seized  him  by  the  knee.  His  cries  alarmed  his  com- 
panions, who,  fearing  that  he  had  been  seized  by  the  Spaniards, 
to  whom  the  island  belonged,  and  who  chose  the  dry  season 
to  hunt,  and  repel  their  unwelcome  neighbours,  instead  of 
affording  assistance,  fled  from  the  huts  which  they  had  erect- 
ed. The  Irishman,  seeing  no  appearance  of  help,  with  happy 
presence  of  mind  quietly  waited  till  the  alligator  loosened  its 
teeth  to  take  a  new  and  surer  hold;  and  when  it  did  so, 
snatched  away  his  knee,  interposing  the  butt-end  of  his  gun  in 
its  stead,  which  the  animal  seized  so  firmly  that  it  was  jerked 
out  of  the  man's  hand  and  carried  off.  He  then  crawled  up  a 
neighbouring  tree,  again  shouting  after  his  comrades,  who  now 
found  courage  to  return.  His  gun  was  found  next  day,  drag- 
ged ten  or  twelve  paces  from  the  place  where  it  had  been  seiz- 
ed by  the  alligator. 

At  the  same  place.  Pies  Pond  in  Beef  Island,  Dampier  had 
a  remarkable  escape  from  an  alligator.  Passing  with  some  of 
his  comrades  through  a  small  savanna,  where  the  water  lay 
two  or  three  feet  deep,  in  search  of  a  bullock  to  shoot  for  sup- 
per, a  strong  scent  of  an  aUigator  was  perceived,  and  presently 
Dampier  stumbled  over  one  and  fell  down.  He  cried  out  for 
help,  but  his  companions  ran  towards  the  woods  to  save  them- 
selves. No  sooner  had  he  scrambled  up  to  follow  them,  than 
in  the  agitation  of  the  moment  he  fell  a  second  and  even  a  third 
time,  expecting  every  instant  to  be  devoured,  and  yet  escaped 
untouched  ;  but  he  candidly  says,  "I  was  so  frighted,  that  I 
never  cared  to  go  through  the  water  again  as  long  as  I  was  in 
Uie  Bay." 

On  the  first  Saturday  after  he  commenced  wood-cutter, 
Dampier  followed  his  employers  in  the  humble  capacity  of 
raising  and  driving  the  cattle  out  of  the  savannas  into  the 
woods,  where  the  hunters  lay  in  wait  to  shoot  them.  The 
following  Saturday  his  ambition  took  a  higher  flight.  He 
thought  it  more  honourable  to  have  a  shot  himself  than  to 
drive  the  game  for  others;  and,  after  going  five  miles  by  wa- 
ter and  one  by  land,  to  the  hunting-ground,  he  gave  his  com- 
panions the  slip,  and  rambled  so  far  into  the  woods  that  he  lost 
himself,  going  at  every  step  farther  astray  through  small  strips 
of  savanna  and  skirts  of  woodland — a  maze  of  plain  and  forest 
which  seemed  interminable.  The  rest  of  this  youthful  adven- 
ture, from  which  Dampier  drew  a  beneficial  lesson  for  the 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  133 

regulation  of  his  future  life,  cannot  be  better  narrated  than  in 
his  own  words. 

"  This  was  in  May  (the  dry  season,)  and  it  was  between  ten 
o'clock  and  one  when  I  began  to  find  that  I  was,  as  we  call  it, 
marooned^  or  lost,  and  quite  out  of  the  hearing  of  my  comrades' 
guns.  I  was  somewhat  surprised  at  this;  but,  however,  I 
knew  that  I  should  find  my  way  out  as  soon  as  the  sun  was  a 
little  lower.  So  1  sat  down  to  rest  myself,  resolving,  however, 
to  run  no  farther  out  of  my  way,  for  the  sun  being  so  near  the 
zenith  I  could  not  distinguish  how  to  direct  my  course.  Being 
weary,  and  almost  faint  for  want  of  water,  I  was  forced  to  have 
recourse  to  the  wild  pines,  and  was  by  them  supplied,  or  else  I 
must  have  perished  with  thirst.  About  three  o'clock  I  went 
due  north,  or  as  near  as  I  could  judge,  for  the  savanna  lay  east 
and  west,  and  1  was  on  the  south  side  of  it. 

"  At  sunset  I  got  out  into  the  clear  open  savanna,  being 
about  two  leagues  wide  in  most  places,  but  how  long  I  know 
not.  It  is  well  stored  with  bullocks,  but  by  frequent  hunting 
they  grow  shy,  and  remove  farther  up  into  the  country.  There 
I  found  myself  four  or  five  miles  to  the  west  of  the  place  where 
I  had  straggled  from  my  companions.  I  made  homeward 
with  all  the  speed  I  could;  but  being  overtaken  by  the  night,  I 
lay  down  on  the  grass  a  good  distance  from  the  woods,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  wind  to  keep  the  mosquitoes  from  me ;  but  in 
vain,  for  in  less  than  an  hour's  time  I  was  so  persecuted,  that 
though  I  endeavoured  to  keep  them  off  by  fanning  myself  with 
boughs,  and  shifting  my  quarters  three  or  four  times,  yet  still 
they  so  haunted  me  that  I  could  get  no  sleep.  At  daybreak  I 
got  up  and  directed  my  course  to  the  creek  where  we  landed, 
from  which  I  was  then  about  two  leagues.  I  did  not  see  one 
beast  of  any  sort  whatever  in  all  the  way,  though  the  day  be- 
fore I  saw  several  young  calves  that  could  not  follow  their 
dams ;  but  even  these  were  now  gone  away,  to  my  great  vexa- 
tion and  disappointment,  for  I  was  very  hungry.  But,  about  a 
mile  farther,  I  espied  ten  or  twelve  quaums  perching  on  the 
boughs  of  a  cotton-tree.  These  were  not  shy:  therefore  I  got 
well  under  them,  and  having  a  single  bullet,  but  no  shot,  about 
me,  fired  at  one  of  them  and  missed  it,  though  I  had  often  be- 
fore killed  them  so.  Then  I  came  up  with  and  fired  at  five  or 
six  turkeys  with  no  better  success,  so  that  I  was  forced  to 
march  forward,  still  in  the  savanna,  towards  the  creek;  and 
when  I  came  to  the  path  that  led  to  it  through  the  woods,  I 
found  to  my  great  joy  a  hat  stuck  upon  a  pole,  and  when  I 
came  to  the  creek  another.  These  were  set  up  by  my  con- 
sorts, who  had  gone  home  in  the  evening,  as  signals  that  they 
would  come  and  fetch  me.  Therefore  I  sat  down  and  waited 
12* 


134  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

for  them ;  for  although  I  had  not  above  three  leagues  home  by 
water,  yet  it  would  have  been  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
for  me  to  have  got  thither  overland,  by  reason  of  those  vast 
impassable  thickets  abounding  every  where  along  the  creek's 
side,  wherein  I  have  known  some  puzzled  for  two  or  three 
days,  and  have  not  advanced  half  a  mile,  although  they  la- 
boured extremely  every  day.  Neither  was  I  disappointed  of 
my  hopes,  for  within  half  an  hour  after  my  arrival  in  the 
creek  my  consorts  came,  bringing  every  man  his  bottle  of  water 
and  his  gun,  both  to  hunt  for  game  and  to  give  me  notice  by 
firing,  that  I  might  hear  them ;  for  I  have  known  several  men 
lost  in  the  like  manner,  and  never  heard  of  afterward." 

When  his  first  month's  service  was  ended,  Dampier  re- 
ceived as  pay  the  price  of  a  ton  of  wood,  with  which  he  bought 
provisions,  and  entered  into  a  new  engagement,  on  the  footing 
of  comradeship,  but  with  other  partners.  Of  the  former  com- 
pany to  which  he  had  been  attached,  some  went  to  Beef 
Island  to  hunt  bullocks  for  their  skins,  which  they  prepared  for 
sale  by  pegging  them  strongly  down  to  the  ground,  turning 
first  the  fleshy  and  then  the  hairy  side  uppermost,  till  they  were 
perfectly  dry.  It  required  thirty -two  pegs,  each  as  thick  as  a 
man's  arm,  to  stretch  one  hide  ;  afterward  they  were  hung  in 
heaps  upon  a  pole,  that  they  might  not  touch  the  ground,  and 
from  time  to  time  well  beat  with  sticks  to  drive  out  the  worms 
which  bred  in  the  skins  and  spoiled  them.  Before  being 
shipped  off  they  were  soaked  in  salt  water  to  kill  the  remain- 
ing worms.  While  still  wet  they  were  folded  up,  left  thus  for 
a  time,  and  once  more  thoroughly  dried  and  packed  for  ex- 
portation. 

To  this  trade  Dampier  preferred  wood-cutting.  His  part- 
ners were  three  Scotchmen,  Price  Morrice,  Duncan  Campbell, 
and  a  third,  who  is  called  by  his  Christian-name  of  George 
only.  The  two  latter  were  persons  of  education,  who  had  been 
bred  merchants,  and  liked  neither  the  employment  nor  the 
society  of  the  bay ;  they  therefore  only  waited  the  first  oppor- 
tunity of  getting  away  by  a  logwood-ship.  The  first  vessel 
that  arrived  was  from  Boston,  and  this  they  freighted  with  forty 
tons  of  diewood,  which  it  was  agreed  Duiican  Campbell  should 
go  to  New-England  to  sell,  bringing  back  flour  and  other 
things  suited  to  the  market  of  the  bay,  to  exchange  for  hicjles 
and  logwood ;  while  George  remained  making  up  a  fresh 
cargo  against  Campbell's  return.  And  here  Dampier  makes 
an  observation  on  the  character  of  his  associates  which  de- 
serves to  be  noticed  as  the  result  of  the  experience  of  a  man 
who  had  seen  and  reflected  much  upon  life  and  manners. 
"  This/'  he  says,  "  retarded  our  business,  for  I  did  not  find 


WILLIAM    DAMPIEK»  135 

Price  Morrice  very  intent  on  work  ;  for  'tis  like  he  thought  he 
had  logwood  enough.  And  I  have  particularly  observed  there, 
and  in  other  places,  that  such  as  had  been  well-bred  were 
generally  most  careful  to  improve  their  time,  and  would  be 
very  industrious  and  frugal  when  there  was  any  probability  of 
considerable  gain.  But,  on  the  contrary,  such  as  had  been 
inured  to  hard  labour,  and  got  their  living  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brows,  when  they  came  to  have  plenty,  would  extravagantly 
squander  away  their  time  and  money  in  drinking  and  making 
a  bluster." 

To  make  up  for  the  indolence  of  his  comrade  Dampier  kept 
the  closer  to  work  himself  till  attacked  by  a  very  singular  dis- 
ease. A  red  and  ill-conditioned  swelling  or  bile  broke  out 
upon  his  right  leg,  which  he  was  directed  to  poultice  with  the 
roasted  roots  of  the  white  lily.  This  he  persisted  in  doing  for 
some  days,  "  when  two  white  specs  appeared  in  the  centre  of 
the  bile,  and  on  squeezing  it  two  small  white  worms  spurted 
out,  about  the  thickness  of  a  hen^s  quill,  and  three  or  four 
inches  long."  These  were  quite  different  from  the  Guinea- 
worm,  common  in  some  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  in  the 
time  of  Dampier  very  common  in  Curagao.,  From  these  last 
he  afterward  suffered  severely. 

Shortly  after  his  recovery  from  this  attack  the  bay  was  visit- 
ed by  one  of  those  tremendous  hurricanes  known  only  in  tropi- 
cal countries,  which  raged  for  twenty-four  hours  without 
intermission.  This  was  in  June,  1676.  Two  days  before  the 
storm  came  on,  the  wind  "  whiffled"  about  to  the  south  and 
back  again  to  the  east,  but  blew  faintly,  while  the  weather 
continued  very  fair,  though  it  was  remarked  that  the  men-of- 
war  birds  came  trooping  towards  the  shore  in  great  numbers, 
and  hovered  over  the  land.  The  hunters  and  logwood-cutters, 
among  their  numerous  superstitions,  augured  the  arrival  of 
ships  from  the  appearance  of  those  birds,  and  imagined  that  as 
many  birds  as  hovered  over-head  so  many  vessels  might  be 
expected.     At  this  time  there  appeared  whole  flocks. 

It  was  noticed  by  Dampier,  that  for  two  days  the  tide  kept 
ebbing,  till  the  creek  by  which  the  woodmen's  huts  stood  was 
left  nearly  dry.  In  it  there  was  commonly  at  ebb-tide  seven 
or  eight  feet  of  water,  but  now  scarcely  three  remained  even  in 
the  deepest  places.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  following 
this  strange  ebbing  of  the  waters,  the  sky  looked  very  black, 
the  wind  sprung  up  at  S.  E.,  fresh  and  rapidly  increasing,  and 
in  less  than  two  hours  blew  down  all  the  cabins  of  the  wood- 
men save  one  :  this  they  propped  with  posts,  and,  as  it  were, 
anchored  by  casting  ropes  over  the  roof,  which  were  then 
made  fast  on  both  sides  to  the  stumps  of  trees.     In  this  frail 


136  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

shed  they  all  huddled  together  while  the  hurricane  raged  abroad. 
It  rained  in  torrents  during  the  whole  period  of  the  tempest ; 
and  in  two  hours  after  the  wind  had  risen  the  water  flowed  so 
fast  into  the  creek  that  it  was  as  high  as  the  banks.  Though 
the  wind  now  blew  oft'  shore,  the  waters  continued  to  rush  in, 
nor  did  the  rain  abate  ;  and  by  ten  o'clock  next  morning  the 
banks  of  the  creek  were  overflowed. 

The  situation  of  the  woodmen  now  became  perilous.  They 
brought  their  canoe  to  the  side  of  the  hut,  and  fastened  it  to 
the  stump  of  a  tree  as  a  means  of  escape ;  this  being  their 
only  hope  of  safety,  as  beyond  the  banks  which  edged  the 
creek  the  land  fell,  and  there  "  was  now  no  walking  through  the 
woods  because  of  the  water.  Besides,  the  trees  were  torn  up 
by  the  roots,  and  tumbled  down  so  strangely  across  each  other, 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  pass  through  them."  In  this 
violent  tempest  many  fish  were  either  cast  ahve  upon  the  shore 
or  found  floating  dead  in  the  lagunes.  It  was  remarkable  that 
the  hurricane,  as  was  afterward  ascertained,  did  not  extend 
ninety  miles  to  windward. 

Of  four  ships  riding  at  anchor  at  One-Bush-Key,  three  were 
driven  from  their  moorings,  and  one  of  them  was  carried  up 
into  the  woods  of  Beef  Island. 

The  wood-cutters  suftlBred  in  many  ways.  The  whole  coun- 
try was  laid  under  water  to  a  considerable  depth,  there  being 
three  feet  even  on  the  highest  land  ;  so  that  they  could  not  for 
some  time  prosecute  their  labours.  Much  of  their  provision 
was  destroyed,  and  what  remained  they  had  no  way  of  cook- 
ing save  in  their  canoes. 

As  soon  as  the  storm  abated,  Dampier's  company  embarked 
in  the  canoe,  and  made  for  One-Bush-Key,  about  four  leagues 
distant,  hoping  to  procure  assistance  from  the  ships  there. 
These,  as  has  been  noticed,  had  all  been  driven  from  their 
anchors  save  one  ;  and  the  kindness  of  the  crew  of  this  fortu- 
nate vessel  had  already  been  severely  taxed  by  an  influx  of  the 
flooded  wood-cutters  from  different  points.  Dampier  and  his 
companions  could  get  "neither  bread  nor  punch,  nor  so  much 
as  a  dram  of  rum,  though  they  offered  to  pay  for  it."  From 
this  inhospitable  quarter,  they  rowed  for  Beef  Island,  their 
singular  land-mark  being  the  flag  of  a  ship  displayed  in  the 
woods.  The  vessel  herself  was  found  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  sea,  from  which  she  had  cut  her  way  in  the  storm, levelling 
the  trees  on  each  side,  and  making  a  clear  path  before  her 
through  the  forest.  In  this  transit  the  stumps  had  gone  through 
her  bottom,  and  there  was  noway  of  saving  her.  Meanwhile 
she  held  together,  and  the  forlorn  woodmen  were  well  enter- 
tained with  victuals  and  punch,  and  invited  to  remain  for  the 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  137 

night ;  but,  hearing  a  signal-gun  fired  from  a  distant  lagune, 
they  concluded  that  one  of  the  ships  was  driven  in  there  by 
distress  and  rowed  off  to  her  assistance.  With  a  Captain 
Chandler,  whom  they  found  here  greatly  in  want  of  their  ser- 
vices, Dampier  and  his  partners  laboured  for  two  days,  and 
then  went  to  Beef  Island  to  hunt  for  cattle.  This  island  is 
about  seven  leagues  long,  and  in  breadth  from  three  to  four : 
at  the  east  end  "  low  drowned  land:"  the  middle  is  one  large 
savanna,  bordered  with  trees ;  the  south  side,  between  the 
savannas  and  the  mangrove-belt  or  swampy  ground,  is  very 
rich. 

The  hurricane  had  deprived  Dampier  of  his  slender  stock 
of  provisions  ;  and  having  neither  money  nor  credit  to  obtain 
a  fresh  supply  from  the  traders  who  arrived  from  Jamaica,  he 
was  forced  for  immediate  subsistence  to  join  a  company  of 
"privateers"  then  in  the  bay.  With  these  Bucaniers  he  con- 
tinued for  nearly  a  year,  rambling  about  the  Bay  of  Campea- 
chy,  visiting  its  numerous  creeks,  islands,  and  rivers,  and 
making  with  them  frequent  descents  upon  Indian  villages  and 
Spanish  settlements.  At  these  places  they  obtained  supplies 
of  Indian  corn,  which,  with  the  beef  for  which  they  hunted, 
turtle,  and  manatee,  formed  their  principal  subsistence  ;  Dam- 
pier in  every  passing  hour  adding  to  his  stores  of  knowledge. 

The  manatee,  or  sea-cow,  as  seen  by  Dampier  in  the  Bay 
of  Campeachy,  the  river  Darien,  at  Mandanao,  and  on  the 
coast  of  New  Holland,  he  describes  as  of  the  thickness  of  a 
horse,  and  in  length  ten  or  twelve  feet.  The  mouth  is  like 
that  of  a  cow,  the  lips  are  very  thick,  the  eyes  no  bigger  than 
a  pea,  and  the  ears  two  small  holes.  It  frequents  creeks, inlets, 
and  mouths  of  rivers,  and  never  leaves  the  water  for  any 
length  of  time.  It  lives  on  a  sort  of  grass  which  grows  in  the 
sea.  The  flesh  is  white,  sweet  and  wholesome.  The  tail  of  a 
young  cow  was  esteemed  a  delicate  morsel  by  the  Bucaniers, 
and  so  was  a  sucking-calf,  which  they  cooked  by  roasting. 
The  tough,  thick  skin  of  the  manatee  they  applied  to  various 
uses. 

The  Mosquito  Indians  were  peculiarly  dexterous  in  fishing, 
and  also  in  striking  manatee  and  catching  turtle  ;  for  which 
purpose  the  Bucaniers  always  tried  to  have  one  or  two  natives 
of  the  Mosquito  shore  attached  to  their  company  as  purveyors 
on  their  cruises. 

The  Indians  of  the  villages  on  the  Tobasco  lived  chiefly  on 
maize,  which  they  baked  into  cakes,  and  from  which  they  also 
made  a  sort  of  liquor,  which,  when  allowed  to  sour,  afforded  a 
pleasant,  refreshing  draught.  When  a  beverage  for  company 
was  wanted,  a  little   honey  was  mixed  with  this  drink.     A 


1^ 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 


Stronger  liquor  was  made  of  parched  maize  and  anotta,  which 
was  drunk  without  straining.  The  Indians  reared  abundance 
of  turkeys,  ducks,  and  fowls, — the  padre  taking  such  strict  ac- 
count of  the  tithe  that  it  was  necessary  to  procure  his  license 
before  they  durst  kill  one.  They  also  raised  cotton,  and  man- 
ufactured their  own  clothing,  which  for  both  sexes  was  decent 
and  becoming. 

Under  the  sanction  of  the  village  priest  all  marriages  were 
contracted ;  the  men  marrying  at  fourteen,  the  women  at 
twelve.  If  at  this  early  age  they  had  made  no  choice,  then 
the  padre  selected  for  them.  These  early  marriages  were  one 
means  of  securing  the  power  and  increasing  the  gains  of  the 
priest ;  and  the  young  couples  themselves  were  contented, 
happy,  and  affectionate.  They  inhabited  good  houses,  lived 
comfortably  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows,  and  on  holy  eves  and 
saints'  days  enjoyed  themselves  under  the  direction  of  their 
spiritual  guides,  who  permitted  them  the  recreation  of  pipe 
and  tabor,  hautboys  and  drums,  and  lent  them  vizards  and 
ornaments  for  the  mummings  and  other  amusements  which 
they  practised.  The  village  churches  were  lofty  compared 
with  the  ordinary  dwelling-houses,  and  ornamented  with  coarse 
pictures  of  tawny  or  bronze-coloured  saints  and  madonnas, 
recommended  to  the  Indians  by  the  tint  of  the  native  com- 
plexion. To  their  good  padres,  notwithstanding  the  tithe- 
fowls,  the  Indian  flocks  Avere  submissive  and  affectionate. 

We  cannot  here  follow  the  minute  account  which  Dampier 
has  given  of  all  the  rivers  of  Campeachy  during  his  cruise  of 
eleven  months  around  this  rich  country.  The  farthest  west 
point  which  he  visited  was  Alvarado,  to  which  the  Bucaniers 
with  whom  he  sailed  went  in  two  barks,  thirty  men  in  each. 
The  river  flows  through  a  fertile  country,  thickly  planted  with 
Spanish  towns  and  Indian  villages.  At  its  mouth  was  a  small 
fort  placed  on  the  declivity  of  a  sandbank,  and  mounted  with 
six  guns.  The  sandbanks  are  here  about  two  hundred  feet 
high  on  both  sides. 

This  fort  the  Bucaniers  attacked ;  but  it  held  out  stoutly  for 
five  hours,  during  which  time  the  country  was  alarmed,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  adjoining  town  got  off  in  their  boats, 
carrying  away  all  their  money  and  valuables  and  the  best  part 
of  their  goods.  The  Bucaniers  lost  ten  men  killed  or  despe- 
rately wounded  ;  and  when  they  landed  next  morning  to  pil- 
lage, it  being  dark  before  the  fort  yielded,  little  booty  was  found. 
Twenty  or  thirty  bullocks  they  killed,  salted,  and  sent  on 
board,  with  salt  fish,  Indian  corn,  and  abundance  of  poultry. 
They  also  found  and  brought  away  many  tame  parrots  of  a 
very  beautiful  kind,  yellow  and  scarlet  curiously  blended, — the 


r 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  139 

fairest  and  largest  birds  of  their  kind  Dampier  ever  saw  in  the 
West  Indies.     "  They  prated  very  prettily." 

Though  httle  sohd  booty  was  obtained,  what  with  provis- 
ions, chests,  hencoops  and  parrots'  cages,  the  ships  were  filled 
and  lumbered  ;  and  while  in  this  state  seven  Spanish  armadil- 
loes  from  Vera  Cruz,  detached  in  pursuit  of  the  Bucaniers, 
appeared,  coming  full  sail  over  the  bar  into  the  river.  Not  a 
moment  was  to  be  lost.  Clearing  their  decks  of  lumber  by 
throwing  all  overboard,  the  Bucaniers  got  under  full  sail,  and 
drove  over  the  bar  at  the  river's  mouth,  before  the  enemy,  who 
could  with  difficulty  stem  the  current,  had  scarcely  reached  it. 
The  Spanish  vessels  were  to  windward,  and  a  few  shots  were 
of  necessity  exchanged ;  and  now  commenced  one  of  those 
singular  escapes  from  tremendous  odds  of  strength  of  which 
Bucanier  history  is  so  full.  The  Toro,  the  admiral  of  the 
Spanish  barks,  was  of  itself  more  than  a  match  for  the  free- 
booters. It  carried  10  guns  and  100  men,  while  their  whole 
force  was  now  diminished  to  50  men  in  both  ships,  one  of 
which  carried  6,  and  the  other  2  guns.  Another  of  the  Span- 
ish vessels  carried  4  guns  with  80  men  ;  and  the  remaining  five 
though  not  mounted  with  great  guns,  had  each  60  or  70  men 
armed  with  muskets.  "  As  soon,"  says  Dampier's  journal, 
*'  as  we  were  over  the  bar,  we  got  our  larboard  tacks  aboard, 
^nd  stood  to  the  eastward  as  nigh  the  wind  as  we  could  lie. 
The  Spaniards  came  quartering  on  us;  and  our  ship  bemg  the 
headmost,  the  Toro  came  directly  towards  us,  designing  to 
board  us.  We  kept  firing  at  her,  in  hopes  to  have  lamed 
either  a  mast  or  a  yard  ;  but  failing,  just  as  she  was  sheering 
aboard  we  gave  her  a  good  volley,  and  presently  clapped  the 
helm  aweather,  wore  our  ship,  and  got  our  starboard  tacks 
aboard,  and  stood  to  the  westward,  and  so  left  the  Toro ;  but 
were  saluted  by  all  the  small  craft  as  we  passed  them,  who 
stood  to  the  eastward  after  the  Toro,  that  was  now  in  pursuit 
and  close  to  our  consort.  We  stood  to  the  westward  till  we 
were  against  the  river's  mouth,  then  we  tacked,  and  by  the 
help  of  the  current  that  came  out  of  the  river  we  were  near  a 
mile  to  windward  of  them  all.  Then  we  made  sail  to  assist 
our  consort,  who  was  hard  put  to  it ;  but  on  our  approach 
the  Toro  edged  away  towards  the  shore,  as  did  all  the  rest, 
and  stood  away  for  Alvarado ;  and  we,  glad  of  the  dehver- 
ance,  went  away  to  the  eastward,  and  visited  all  the  rivers  in 
our  return  again  to  Trist." 

These  visits  produced  little  booty.  They  also  searched  the 
bays  for  mutijack,  "  a  sort  of  bitumen  which  we  find  in  a  lump, 
washed  up  by  the  sea,  and  left  dry  on  all  the  sandy  bays  of 
:the  coast."      This  substance  the  Bucaniers,  who  were  com- 


140  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

pelled  to  find  substitutes  for  many  necessary  things,  tempered 
with  tallow  or  oil,  and  employed  as  pitch  in  repairing  their 
ships  and  canoes. 

On  the  return  of  Dampier  to  the  Island  of  Trist,  the  effects 
of  the  dismal  hurricane  of  the  former  year  had  disappeared, 
and  he  resumed  his  labours  among  the  woodmen.  This  em- 
ployment was  probably  more  profitable  than  his  bucaniering 
cruise ;  as  in  the  course  of  the  following  season  he  was  able 
to  visit  England,  intending  to  return  to  the  bay  when  he  had 
seen  his  friends.  He  sailed  for  Jamaica  in  April  1678,  and 
in  the  beginning  of  August  reached  London. 

Cutting  diewood  was  still  a  profitable  though  a  laborious 
trade  ;  and  Dampier  shrewdly  remarks,  "  that  though  it  is  not 
his  business  to  say  how  far  the  English  had  a  right  to  follow 
it,  yet  he  was  sure  the  Spaniards  never  received  less  damage 
from  the  persons  who  usually  followed  that  trade  than  when 
they  had  exchanged  the  musket  for  the  axe,  and  the  deck  of 
the  privateer  for  the  logwood-groves." 

During  his  short  residence  in  England  at  this  time,  Dam- 
pier must  have  married ;  for,  though  a  trifling  matter  of  this 
kind  is  too  unimportant  to  be  entered  in  a  seaman's  journal, 
we  long  afterward,  while  he  lay  off  the  Bashee  or  Five  Islands, 
learn  that  he  had  left  a  wife  in  England,  as,  in  comphment  to 
the  Dake  of  Grafton,  he  named  the  northernmost  of  the  Ba- 
shee group  Grafton's  Isle,  "  having,"  as  he  says,  "  married  my 
wife  out  of  his  dutchess'  family,  and  leaving  her  at  Arlington 
House  at  my  going  abroad." 

After  spending  five  or  six  months  with  his  wife  and  his 
friends,  Dampier,  in  the  beginning  of  1679,  sailed  as  a  pas- 
senger for  Jamaica,  intending  immediately  to  return  to  his  old 
trade  and  companions  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy.  He  took 
out  goods  from  England,  which  he  meant  to  exchange  at  Ja- 
maica for  the  commodities  in  request  among  the  wood-cutters. 
Instead,  however,  of  prosecuting  this  design,  he  remained  in 
Jamaica  all  that  year,  and  by  some  means  was  enabled  to  pur- 
chase a  small  estate  in  Dorsetshire.  This  new  possession  he 
was  about  to  visit,  when  induced  to  engage  in  a  trading  voy- 
age to  the  Mosquito  Shore.  It  promised  to  be  profitable,  and 
he  was  anxious  to  reahze  a  little  more  ready  money,  before 
returning  to  England  to  settle  for  life.  He  accordingly  sent 
home  the  title-deeds  of  his  estate,  and  embarked  with  a  Mr. 
Hobby. 

Soon  after  leaving  Port  Royal,  they  came  to  anchor  in  a  bay 
in  the  west  end  of  the  island,  in  which  they  found  Captains 
Coxon,  Sawkins,  Sharp  and  "  other  privateers,"  as  Dampier 
gently  terms  the  most  noted  Bucanier  commanders  of  the 


WILLIAM   DAMPIER.  14i 

period.  Hobby's  crew  deserted  him  to  a  man  to  join  the  Bu- 
canier  squadron  ;  and  the  Mosquito  voyage  being  thus  frus- 
trated, Dampier  "  was  the  more  easily  persuaded  to  go  with 
them  too." 

Their  first  attempt  was  on  Porto  Bello,  of  which  assault 
Dampier  gives  no  account,  and  he  might  not  have  been  pres- 
ent at  the  capture.  Two  hundred  men  were  landed ;  and,  the 
better  to  prevent  alarm,  at  such  a  distance  from  the  town  that 
it  took  them  three  days  to  march  upon  it,  as  during  daylight 
they  lay  concealed  in  the  woods.  A  negro  gave  the  alarm,  but 
not  before  the  Bucaniers  were  so  close  upon  his  heels  that  the 
inhabitants  were  completely  taken  by  surprise,  and  fled  in 
every  direction.  The  Bucaniers  plundered  for  two  days  and 
two  nights,  in  momentary  expectation  of  the  country  rising 
upon  them,  and  overpowering  their  small  number ;  but,  from 
avarice  and  rapacity,  they  were  unable  to  tear  themselves  away. 

To  the  shame  of  the  Spaniards  they  got  clear  off,  and  divi- 
ded shares  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  pieces  of  eight  a  head. 
Inspired  by  this  success,  they  resolved  immediately  to  march 
across  the  isthmus.  They  knew  that  such  strokes  of  good 
fortune  as  this  at  Porto  Bello  could  not  longer  be  looked  for  on 
the  eastern  shores  of  America,  and  for  some  time  their  imagin- 
ations had  been  running  upon  the  endless  wealth  to  be  found 
in  the  South  Seas.  They  remained  for  about  a  fortnight  at  the 
Samballas  Isles,  and  during  this  time,  preparatory  to  their 
grand  attempt,  endeavoured  to  conciliate  the  Indians  of  the 
Darien,  by  gifts  of  toys  and  trinkets,  and  many  fair  promises. 
They  also  persuaded  some  of  the  Mosquito-men  to  join  them, 
who,  on  account  of  their  expertness  in  fishing,  and  striking 
turtle  and  manatee^  besides  their  warlike  qualities,  were  useful 
auxiliaries  either  in  peace  or  war.  Of  this  tribe,  so  long  the 
friends,  and,  as  they  named  themselves,  the  subjects  of  Britain, 
Dampier  has  given  an  exceedingly  interesting  account.  In 
his  time  the  clan  or  sept  properly  called  Mosquito-men  must 
have  been  very  small,  as  he  says  the  fighting-men  did  not 
amount  to  one  hundred.  They  inhabited  a  tract  on  the  coast 
near  Cape  Gracios  Dios,  stretching  between  Cape  Honduras 
and  Nicaragua.  "  They  are,"  says  our  navigator,  who  appears 
partial  to  these  Indians,  "very  ingenious  at  throwing  the  lance, 
Jisgig,  harpoon,  or  any  manner  of  dart,  being  bred  to  it  from 
their  infancy  ;  for  the  children,  imitating  their  parents,  never 
go  abroad  without  a  lance  in  their  hands,  which  they  throw  at 
any  object  till  use  hath  made  them  masters  of  the  art.  Then 
they  learn  to  put  by  a  lance,  arrow,  or  dart ;  the  manner  is 
thus : — Two  boys  stand  at  a  small  distance,  and  dart  a  blunt 
stick  at  one  another,  each  of  them  holding  a  small  stick  in  his 
13 


142  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

right  hand,  with  which  he  strikes  away  that  which  is  darted  at 
him.  As  they  grow  in  years  they  become  more  dexterous  and 
courageous ;  and  then  they  will  stand  a  fair  mark  to  any  one 
that  will  shoot  arrows  at  them,  which  they  will  put  by  with  a 
very  small  stick  no  bigger  than  the  rod  of  a  fowling-piece  ; 
and  when  they  are  grown  to  be  men  they  will  guard  them- 
selves from  arrows  though  they  come  very  thick  at  them,  pro- 
vided they  do  not  happen  to  come  two  at  once.  They  have 
extraordinary  good  eyes,  and  will  descry  a  sail  at  sea,  and  see 
any  thing  better  than  we.  Their  chiefest  employment  in  their 
own  country  is  to  strike  fish,  turtle,  or  manatee.  For  this  they 
are  esteemed  and  coveted  by  all  privateers,  for  one  or  two  of 
them  in  a  ship  will  maintain  one  hundred  men  ;  so  that  when 
we  careen  our  ships  we  choose  commonly  such  places  where 
there  is  plenty  of  turtle  or  manatee  for  these  Mosquito-men  to 
strike,  and  it  is  very  rare  to  find  a  privateer  destitute  of  one  or 
more  of  them,  when  the  commander  a;nd  most  of  the  crew  are 
Enghsh;  but  they  do  not  love  the  French,  and  the  Spaniards 
they  hate  mortally. 

"They  are  tall,  well-made,  raw-boned,  lusty,  strong,  and 
nimble  of  foot,  long-visaged,  lank  black  hair,  look  stern,  hard- 
favoured,  and  of  a  dark  copper  complexion.  When  they 
come  among  the  privateers  they  get  the  use  of  fire-arms,  and 
are  very  good  marksmen.  They  behave  themselves  very  bold 
in  fight,  and  never  seem  to  flinch  nor  hang  back ;  for  they 
think  that  the  white  men  with  whom  they  are  know  better  than 
they  do  when  it  is  best  to  fight,  and,  let  the  disadvantage  of 
their  party  be  never  so  great,  they  will  never  yield  nor  give 
back  while  any  of  their  party  stand.  I  could  never  perceive 
any  religion  nor  any  ceremonies  or  superstitious  observations 
among  them,  being  ready  to  imitate  us  in  whatsoever  they 
saw  us  do  at  any  time.  Only  they  seem  to  fear  the  Devil, 
whom  they  call  Willesaw ;  and  they  say  he  often  appears  to 
some  among  them,  whom  our  men  commonly  call  their  priests, 
when  they  desire  to  speak  with  him  on  urgent  business.  They 
all  say  they  must  not  anger  him,  for  then  he  will  beat  them; 
and  he  sometimes  carries  away  these  their  priests.  They 
marry  but  one  wife,  with  whom  they  live  till  death  separates 
them.     At  their  first  coming  together  the  man  makes  a  \Qry 

small  plantation They  delight  to  settle  near  the  sea,  or 

by  some  river,  for  the  sake  of  striking  fish,  their  beloved  em- 
ployment ;  for  within  land  there  are  other  Indians  with  whom 
they  are  always  at  war.  After  the  man  hath  cleared  a  spot  of 
land,  and  hath  planted  it,  he  seldom  minds  it  afterward,  but 
leaves  the  managing  of  it  to  his  wife,  and  he  goes  out  a-striking. 
Sometimes  he  seeks  only  for  fish,  at  other  times  for  turtle  or 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  143 

manatee^  and  whatever  he  gets  he  brings  home  to  his  wife,  and 
never  stirs  out  to  seek  for  more  till  it  is  eaten.  When  hunger 
begins  to  bite,  he  either  takes  his  canoe  and  seeks  for  more 
game  at  sea,  or  walks  out  into  the  woods  and  hunts  for  pecaree 
and  waree,  each  a  sort  of  wild  hogs,  or  deer,  and  seldom  re- 
turns empty-handed,  nor  seeks  any  more  as  long  as  it  lasts. 
Their  plantations  have  not  above  twenty  or  thirty  plantain- 
trees,  a  bed  of  yams  and  potatoes,  a  bush  of  pimento,  and  a 
small  spot  of  pine-apples,  from  which  they  make  a  sort  of 
drink,  to  which  they  invite  each  other  to  be  merry.  Whoever 
of  them  makes  pine-drink  treats  his  neighbours,  providing  fish 
and  flesh  also." 

At  their  drinking-matches  they  often  quarrelled,  but  the 
women  prevented  mischief  by  hiding  their  weapons.  The 
Mosquito-men  were  kind  and  civil  to  the  English,  who  en- 
deavoured to  retain  the  regard  of  such  useful  allies.  For  this 
purpose  it  was  necessary  to  let  them  have  their  own  way  in 
every  thing,  and  to  return  home  the  moment  they  desired  it, 
for  if  contradicted  there  was  an  end  of  their  services ;  and 
though  turtle  and  fish  abounded,  they  would  manage  to  kill 
nothing.  They  called  themselves,  as  has  been  noticed,  sub- 
jects of  the  King  of  England,  and  liked  to  have  their  chiefs 
nominated  by  the  Governor  of  Jamaica,  which  island  they 
often  visited.  Pity  that  in  subsequent  periods  the  fidelity  and 
regard  of  this  brave  and  ingenious  tribe  were  so  ill  and  un- 
gratefully requited  by  their  powerful  and  ungenerous  allies. 

The  Bucaniers  commenced  their  march  across  the  isthmus 
on  the  5th  of  April,  1680,  about  three  hundred  and  thirty  strong, 
each  man  armed  with  a  hanger,  fusil,  and  pistol,  and  provided 
with  four  cakes  of  the  bread  which  they  called  doughboys. 
Their  generalissimo  was  Captain  Sharp ;  and  the  men,  mar- 
shalled in  divisions,  marched  in  something  like  military  order, 
with  flags  and  leaders.  They  were  accompanied  by  those  In- 
dians of  Darien  who  were  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Span- 
iards, whom  they  had  subsidized  with  the  hatchets,  knives, 
beads,  and  toys  with  which  they  provided  themselves  at  Porto 
Bello.  These  auxiharies  furnished  them  with  plantains,  ven- 
ison, and  fruit,  in  exchange  for  European  commodities.  The 
march  was  easily  performed,  and  in  nine  days'  journey  they 
reached  Santa  Maria,  which  was  taken  without  opposition, 
though  this  did  not  prevent  the  exercise  of  cruelty.  The  In- 
dians cruelly  and  deliberately  butchered  many  of  the  inhabit- 
ants. The  plunder  obtained  falling  far  short  of  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  Bucaniers  made  them  the  more  desirous  to  push 
forward.  They  accordingly  embarked  on  the  river  of  Santa 
Maria,  which  falls  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Michael,  in  Indian  ca- 


144  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

noes  and  pirogues,  having  previously,  in  their  summary  way, 
deposed  Captain  Sharp,  and  chosen  Captain  Coxon  com- 
mander. 

On  the  same  day  that  they  reached  the  bay,  whither  some  of 
the  Darien  chiefs  still  accompanied  them,  they  captured  a 
Spanish  vessel  of  thirty  tons  burthen,  on  board  of  which  a 
large  party  planted  themselves,  happy  after  the  march,  and 
being  cramped  and  huddled  up  in  the  canoes,  again  to  tread 
the  deck  of  a  ship  of  any  size.  At  this  time  they  divided  into 
small  parties,  first  appointing  a  rendezvous  at  the  island  of 
Chepillo,  in  the  mouth  of  the  river  Cheapo.  Dampier  was 
with  Captain  Sharp,  who  went  to  the  Pearl  Islands  in  search 
of  provisions. 

In  a  few  days  the  Bucaniers  mustered  for  the  attack  of  Pa- 
nama, and  on  the  23d  of  April  did  battle  for  the  whole  day 
with  three  Spanish  ships  in  the  road,  of  which  two  were  cap- 
tured by  boarding,  while  the  third  got  off.  The  action  was 
fierce  and  sanguinary;  of  the  Bucaniers  eighteen  men  were 
killed,  and  thirty  wounded.  The  resistance  was  vigorous  and 
brave  ;  and  the  Spanish  commander  with  many  of  his  people 
fell  before  the  action  terminated.  Even  after  this  victory  the 
Bucaniers  did  not  consider  themselves  strong  enough  to  attack 
the  new  city  of  Panama,  but  they  continued  to  cruise  in  the 
bay,  making  valuable  prizes.  In  the  action  with  the  Spanish 
ships  Captain  Sawkins  had  greatly  distinguished  himself  by 
courage  and  conduct;  and  a  quarrel  breaking  out  among  the 
Bucaniers  while  Coxon  returned  to  the  North  Seas,  he  was 
chosen  commander.  He  had  not  many  days  enjoyed  this 
office,  when,  in  an  attack  on  Puebla  Nueva,  he  was  killed, 
leading  on  his  men  to  the  assault  of  a  breastwork;  and  on  his 
death  Sharp,  the  second  in  command,  showing  faint  heart, 
the  Bucaniers  retreated.  New  discontents  broke  out,  and  the 
party  once  more  divided,  not  being  able  to  agree  in  the  choice 
of  a  leader;  of  those  who  remained  in  the  So»th  Sea,  among 
whom  was  Dampier,  Sharp  was  chosen  commander.  For 
some  months  he  cruised  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  occasionally 
landing  to  pillage  small  towns  and  villages;  and  on  Christmas- 
day  anchored  in  a  harbour  of  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez  to 
rest  and  refit.  Here  they  obtained  abundance  of  crayfish, 
lobsters,  and  wild  goats,  which  were  numerous. 

Sharp,  who  had  always  been  unpopular,  was  once  more  for- 
mally deposed,  and  Captain  Watling  elected  in  his  stead. 

Having  enjoyed  themselves  till  the  12th  of  January,  the 
Bucaniers  were  alarmed  by  the  appearance  of  three  vessels, 
which  they  concluded  to  be  Spanish  ships  of  war  in  pursuit  of 
them.     They  put  off  to  sea  in  all  haste,  in  the  hurry  leaving 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  145 

one  of  their  Mosquito  Indians,  named  William,  upon  the 
Island. 

They  again  cruised  along  the  coast,  and  the  attack  of  the 
Spanish  settlements  by  hasty  descent  was  resumed.  In  at- 
tempting to  capture  Arica,  Captain  AVathng  was  killed,  and 
the  Bucaniers  were  repulsed,  having  had  a  narrow  escape 
from  being  all  made  prisoners.  For  want  of  any  more  com- 
petent leader.  Sharp  was  once  more  raised  to  the  command, 
and  the  South  Sea  had  so  greatly  disappointed  their  hopes, 
that  it  was  now  agreed  to  return  eastwani  by  recrossing  the 
isthmus.  But  another  quarrel  broke  out,  one  party  would  not 
continue  under  Sharp,  and  another  wished  to  try  their  for- 
tunes farther  on  the  South  Sea.  It  was  therefore  agreed  that 
the  majority  should  retain  the  ship,  the  other  party  taking  the 
long-boat  and  canoes.  Sharp's  party  proved  the  most  numer- 
ous. They  cruised  in  the  South  Sea,  on  the  coast  of  Patago- 
nia and  Chili,  for  the  remainder  of  the  season  of  1681,  and 
early  in  the  following  year  returned  to  the  West  Indies  by 
doubling  Cape  Horn,  but  durst  not  land  at  any  of  the  English 
settlements.  Sharp,  soon  afterward  going  home,  was  tried  in 
England  with  several  of  his  men  for  piracy,  but  escaped  con- 
viction. 

In  the  minority  which  broke  off  from  Sharp  was  William 
Dampier,  who  appears  at  this  time  to  have  been  little  distin- 
guished among  his  companions.  The  party  consisted  of  forty- 
four  Europeans  and  two  Mosquito  Indians.  Their  object  was 
to  recross  the  isthmus, — an  undertaking  of  no  small  difficulty, 
from  the  nature  of  the  country  and  the  hostility  of  the  Span- 
iards. Before  they  left  the  ship  they  sifted  a  large  quantity  of 
flour,  prepared  chocolate  with  sugar,  as  provision,  and  entered 
into  a  mutual  engagement,  that  if  any  man  sank  on  the  jour- 
ney he  should  be  shot  by  his  comrades,  as  but  one  man  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  must  betray  the  others  to  cer- 
tain destruction.  In  a  fortnight  after  leaving  the  ship  near  the 
Island  of  Plata,  they  landed  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  in  the  Bay 
of  St.  Michael,  where,  taking  out  all  their  provisions,  arms, 
and  clothing,  they  sank  their  boat.  While  they  spent  a  few 
hours  in  preparing  for  the  inland  march,  the  Mosquito-men 
caught  fish,  which  afforded  one  plentiful  meal  to  the  whole 
party;  after  which  they  commenced  their  journey  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  1st  of  May.  At  night  they  constructed  huts, 
in  which  they  slept.  On  the  2d  they  struck  into  an  Indian 
path,  and  reached  an  Indian  village,  where  they  obtained  re- 
freshments; but  were  uneasy  on  understanding  the  closeness 
of  their  vicinity  to  the  Spaniards,  who  had  placed  ships  at  the 
mouths  of  the  navigable  rivers  to  look  out  for  them,  and  inter- 
13* 


140  WILLIAM  DAMPICR. 

cept  their  return  eastward.  Next  day,  with  a  hired  Indian 
guide,  they  proceeded,  and  reached  the  dweUing  of  a  native, 
who  received  them  with  sullen  churhshness,  which  in  ordinary 
times  the  Bucaniers  would  ill  have  brooked ;  "  though  this,'* 
says  Dampier,  "  was  neither  a  time  nor  place  to  be  angry  with 
the  Indians,  all  our  lives  lying  at  their  hands."  Neither  the 
temptation  of  dollars,  hatchets,  nor  long  knives  would  operate 
on  this  intractable  Indian,  till  one  of  the  seamen,  taking  a  sky- 
coloured  petticoat  from  his  bag,  threw  it  over  the  lady  of  the 
house,  who  was  so  much  delighted  with  the  gift,  that  she  soon 
wheedled  her  husband  into  better  humour;  and  he  now  not 
only  gave  them  information,  but  found  them  a  guide.  It 
rained  hard  and  frequently  on  both  days,  but  they  were  still 
too  near  the  Spanish  garrisons  and  guard  ships  to  mind  the 
weather  or  to  dally  by  the  way.  The  country  was  found  diffi- 
cult and  fatiguing,  without  any  trace  of  a  path,  the  Indians 
guiding  themselves  by  the  rivers,  which  they  were  sometimes 
compelled  to  cross  twenty  or  thirty  times  in  a  day.  Rainy 
weather,  hardship,  and  hunger  soon  expelled  all  fear  of  the 
Spaniards,  who  were,  besides,  not  likely  to  follow  their  foes 
into  these  intricate  solitudes. 

On  the  5th  day  they  reached  the  dwelling  of  a  young  Span- 
ish Indian, — a  civilized  person,  who  had  lived  with  the  Bishop 
of  Panama,  and  spoke  the  Spanish  language  fluently.  He 
received  them  kindly,  and  though  unable  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  so  many  men,  freely  gave  what  he  had.  At  this 
place  they  rested  to  dry  their  clothes  and  ammunition,  and  to 
clean  their  fire-arms.  While  thus  employed  Mr.  Wafer,  the 
surgeon  of  the  Bucaniers,  who  had  been  among  the  malcon- 
tents, had  his  knee  so  much  scorched  by  an  accidental  explo- 
sion of  gunpowder,  that,  after  dragging  himself  forward  during 
another  day,  he  was  forced  to  remain  behind  his  companions, 
together  with  one  or  two  more  who  had  been  exhausted  by  the 
march.  Among  the  Indians  of  the  Darien,  Wafer  remained 
for  three  months,  and  he  has  left  an  account,  which  is  consid- 
ered the  best  we  yet  possess,  of  those  tribes. 

The  march  was  continued  in  very  bad  weather,  this  being 
the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season,  and  thunder  and 
lightning  frequent  and  violent.  As  the  bottoms  of  the  valleys 
and  the  rivers'  banks  were  now  overflowed,  instead  of  con- 
structing huts  every  night  for  their  repose,  the  travellers  were 
often  obliged  to  seek  for  a  resting-place,  and  to  sleep  under 
trees.  To  add  to  their  hardships  their  slaves  deserted,  carry- 
ing off"  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon. 

Before  leaving  the  ship,  foreseeing  the  difficulties  of  the 
journey,  and  the  necessity  of  perpetually  fording  the  rivers, 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  147 

Dampier  had  taken  the  precaution  to  deposite  his  journal  in  a 
bamboo,  closed  at  both  ends  with  wax.  In  this  way  his  pa- 
pers were  secured  from  wet,  while  the  journalist  frequently 
swam  across  the  rivers  which  so  greatly  impeded  the  progress 
of  the  march.  In  crossing  a  river  where  the  current  ran  very 
strong,  one  man,  who  carried  his  fortune  of  three  hundred 
dollars  on  his  back,  was  swept  down  the  stieam  and  drowned  ; 
and  so  worn  out  were  his  comrades,  that,  fond  as  they  were  of 
gold,  they  would  not  at  this  time  take  the  trouble  to  look  for  or 
burden  themselves  with  his.  It  was  the  eighteenth  day  of  the 
march  before  the  Bucaniers  reached  the  river  Conception, 
where  they  obtained  Indian  canoes,  in  which  they  proceeded 
to  La  Sound's  Key,  one  of  the  Samballas  Islands,  which  were 
much  frequented  by  the  Bucaniers.  Here  they  entered  a 
French  privateer,  commanded  by  Captain  Tristian;  and,  with 
better  faith  than  Bucaniers  usually  displayed,  generously  re- 
warded their  Indian  guides  with  money,  toys,  and  hatchets, 
and  dismissed  them.  The  Bucaniers  of  this  time  were  some- 
what less  ferocious  in  manners  than  those  under  Morgan  and 
Lolonnois,  though  it  never  entered  into  their  thoughts  that 
there  could  be  any  wrong  in  robbing  the  Spaniards.  Sawkins 
and  Watling  maintained  stricter  discipline  than  had  been  cus- 
tomary in  former  periods,  approximating  their  discipline  and 
regulations  to  those  of  privateers,  or  ships  of  war.  They  even 
made  the  Sabbath  be  observed  with  outward  signs  of  respect. 
On  one  occasion,  when  Sawkins'  men,  who  like  all  Bucaniers 
were  inveterate  gamblers,  played  on  Sunday,  the  captain  flung 
the  dice  overboard. 

In  two  days  after  Dampier  and  his  friends  had  gone  on 
board  the  French  vessel,  it  left  La  Sound's  for  Springer's  Key, 
another  of  the  Samballas  Islands,  where  eight  Bucanier  ves- 
sels then  lay,  of  which  the  companies  had  formed  the  design 
of  crossing  to  Panama.  From  tliis  expedition  they  were, 
however,  diverted  by  the  dismal  report  of  the  newly-arrived 
travellers  ;  and  the  assault  of  other  places  was  taken  into  con- 
sideration. From  Trinidad  to  Vera  Cruz  the  Bucaniers  had 
now  an  intimate  knowledge  of  every  town  upon  the  coast,  and 
for  twenty  leagues  into  the  interior;  and  acquaintance  with 
the  strength  and  wealth  of  each,  and  with  the  number  and 
quality  of  the  inhabitants.  The  preliminary  consultations  now 
held  lasted  for  a  week,  the  French  and  Enghsh  not  agreeing; 
but  at  last  they  sailed  for  Carpenter's  River,  going  first  towards 
the  Isle  of  St.  Andreas.  In  a  gale  the  ships  were  separated; 
and  Dampier,  being  left  with  a  French  captain,  conceived  such 
a  dislike  to  his  shipmates,  that  he  and  his  fellow-travellers  in 
crossing  the  isthmus  induced  a  countryman  of  their  own, 


148  WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 

named  Captain  Wriglit,  to  fit  up  and  arm  a  small  vessel,  with 
which  they  cruised  about  the  coast  in  search  of  provisions, 
still,  hoAvever,  keeping  their  jackals,  the  Mosquito-men,  who 
caught  turtle  while  the  Bucaniers  hunted  in  the  woods  for  pec- 
aree^  waree,  deer,  quaums,  parrots,  pigeons,  and  curassow 
birds,  and  also  monkeys,  which  in  times  of  hardship  they  es- 
teemed a  dehcate  morsel.  At  one  place  several  of  the  men 
were  suddenly  taken  ill  from  eating  land-crabs  which  had  fed 
upon  the  fruit  of  the  manchineel-tree.  All  animals  that  fed  on 
this  fruit  were  avoided  by  the  freebooters  as  unwholesome,  if 
not  poisonous.  In  selecting  unknown  wild  fruits  the  Buca- 
niers were  guided  by  the  birds,  freely  eating  whatever  kind  had 
been  pecked,  but  no  bird  touched  the  fruit  of  the  manchineel. 
On  returning  to  La  Sound's  Key  from  this  cruise,  they  were 
joined  by  Mr.  Wafer.  He  had  been  for  three  months  kindly 
entertained  by  an  Indian  Chief,  who  had  offered  him  his  daugh- 
ter in  marriage,  and  grudged  him  nothing  save  the  liberty  of 
going  away.  From  this  kind  but  exacting  chief  he  escaped 
under  pretence  of  going  in  search  of  English  dogs  to  be  em- 
ployed in  hunting,  the  Indian  being  aware  of  the  superiority 
which  dogs  gave  the  Spaniards  in  the  chase.  Mr.  Wafer  had 
been  painted  by  the  women  of  the  Darien,  and  his  own  clothes 
being  worn  out,  he  was  now  dressed,  or  rather  undressed,  like 
the  natives  ;  whom,  under  this  disguise,  he  resembled  so  much, 
that  it  was  sometime  before  Dampier  recognized  his  old  ac- 
quaintance the  surgeon. 

-  From  the  Samballas  they  cruised  towards  Carthagena,  which 
they  passed,  having  a  fair  view  of  the  city,  and  casting  longing 
eyes  upon  the  rich  monastery  on  the  steep  hill  rising  behind  it. 
This  monastery,  dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  is,  says  Dampier, "  a 
place  of  incredible  wealth,  by  reason  of  the  offerings  made 
here  continually  ;  and  for  this  reason  often  in  danger  of  being 
visited  by  the  privateers,  did  not  the  neighbourhood  of  Cartha- 
gena keep  them  in  awe.  'Tis,  in  short,  the  very  Loretto  of 
the  West  Indies,  and  hath  innumerable  miracles  related  of  it. 
Any  misfortune  that  befalls  the  privateers  is  attributed  to  this 
lady's  doing ;  and  the  Spaniards  report,  that  she  was  abroad 
that  night  the  Oxford  man-of-war  was  blown  up  at  the  Isle  of 
Vaca,  and  that  she  came  home  all  wet ;  as  belike  she  often 
returns  with  her  clothes  dirty  and  torn  with  passing  through 
woods  and  bad  ways  when  she  has  been  upon  an  expedition, 
deserving,  doubtless,  a  new  suit  for  such  eminent  pieces  of 
service." 

The  company  of  Captain  Wright  pillaged  several  small  pla- 
ces about  Rio  de  la  Haclia  and  the  Rancheries,  which  was 
the  head-quarters  of  a  small  Spanish  pearl-fishery.  The  peari- 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  149 

banks  lay  about  four  or  five  leagues  off  the  shore.  In  prose- 
cuting this  fishery,  the  Indian  divers,  first  anchoring  their  boats, 
dived,  and  brought  up  full  the  baskets  previously  let  down ; 
and  when  their  barks  were  filled,  they  went  ashore,  and  the 
oysters  were  opened  by  the  old  men,  women,  and  children, 
under  the  inspection  of  a  Spanish  overseer. 

In  a  short  time  afterward,  the  Bucaniers  captured,  after  a 
smart  engagement,  an  armed  ship  of  twelve  guns  and  forty 
men,  laden  with  sugar,  tobacco,  and  marmalade,  bound  to 
Carthagena  from  St.  Jago  in  Cuba.  From  the  disposal  of  this 
cargo,  some  insight  is  afforded  into  the  mysteries  of  bucanier- 
ing.  It  was  offered  first  to  the  Dutch  governor  of  Curacao, 
who  having,  as  he  said,  a  great  trade  with  the  Spaniards,  could 
not  openly  admit  the  freebooters  to  this  island,  though  he  di- 
rected them  to  go  to  St.  Thomas,  which  belonged  to  the  Danes, 
whither  he  would  send  a  sloop  with  such  commodities  as  the 
Bucaniers  required,  and  take  the  sugar  off  their  hands.  The 
rovers,  however,  declined  the  terms  offered  by  the  cautious 
Dutchman,  and  sailed  from  St.  Thomas  to  another  Dutch 
colony,  where  they  found  a  better  merchant.  From  hence 
they  sailed  for  the  Isle  of  Aves,  which,  as  its  name  imports, 
abounded  in  birds,  especially  boobies  and  men-of-war  birds. 
The  latter  bird  was  about  the  size  of  a  kite,  black,  with  a  red 
throat.  It  lives  on  fish,  yet  never  lights  in  the  water ;  but  soar- 
ing aloft  like  the  kite,  "  when  it  sees  its  prey,  darts  down, 
snatches  it,  and  mounts,  never  once  touching  the  water." 

On  a  coral  reef  off  the  south  side  of  this  island  the  Count 
d'Estrees  had  shortly  before  lost  the  French  fleet.  Firing 
guns  in  the  darkness,  to  warn  the  ships  that  followed  him  to 
avoid  the  danger  on  which  he  had  run,  they  imagined  that  he 
was  engaged  with  the  enemy,  and  crowding  all  sail,  ran  upon 
destruction.  The  ships  lield  together  next  day  till  part  of  the 
men  got  on  shore,  though  many  perished  in  the  wreck.  Dam- 
pier  relates,  that  those  of  the  ordinary  seamen  who  got  to  land 
died  of  fatigue  and  famine,  while  those  who  had  been  Buca- 
niers and  were  wrecked  here,  "  being  used  to  such  accidents, 
lived  merrily ;  and  if  they  had  gone  to  Jamaica  with  thirty 
pounds  in  their  pockets,  could  not  have  enjoyed  themselves 
more  ;  for  they  kept  a  gang  by  themselves,  and  watched  when 
the  ships  broke  up  to  get  the  goods  that  came  out  of  them ;  and 
though  much  was  staved  against  the  rocks,  yet  abundance  of 
wine  and  brandy  floated  over  the  reef,  where  they  waited  to 
take  it  up."  The  following  anecdote  of  the  wrecked  crew  is 
horribly  striking: — "  There  were  about  forty  Frenchmen  on 
board  one  of  the  ships,  in  which  was  good  store  of  liquor,  till 
the  after-part  of  her  broke,  and  floated  over  the  reef,  and  was 


15$ 


WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 


carried  away  to  sea,  with  all  the  men  drinking  and  singing, 
who,  being  in  drink,  did  not  mind  the  danger,  but  were  never 
heard  of  afterward." 

In  a  short  time  after,  this  island  was  the  scene  of  a  buca- 
niering  trick,  which  Dampier  relates  with  some  glee.  The 
wreck  of  the  French  fleet  had  left  Aves  Island  a  perfect  arse- 
nal of  masts,  yards,  timbers,  and  so  forth,  and  hither  the  Buca- 
niers  repaired  to  careen  and  refit  their  ships,  and  among  others 
Captain  Pain,  a  Frenchman.  A  Dutch  vessel  of  twenty  guns, 
despatched  from  Curasao  to  fish  up  the  guns  lo.^t  on  the  reef, 
descried  the  privateer,  which  she  resolved  to  capture  before 
engaging  in  the  business  of  her  voyage.  The  Frenchman 
abandoned  his  ship,  which  he  saw  no  chance  of  preserving, 
but  brought  ashore  some  of  his  guns,  and  resolved  to  defend 
himself  as  long  as  possible.  While  his  men  were  landing  the 
guns,  he  perceived  at  a  distance  a  Dutch  sloop  entering  the 
road,  and  at  evening  found  her  at  anchor  at  the  west  end  of 
the  island.  During  the  night,  with  two  canoes,  he  boarded 
and  took  this  sloop,  found  considerable  booty,  and  made  off 
with  her,  leaving  his  empty  vessel  as  a  prize  to  the  Dutch 
man-of-war. 

At  this  island  Dampier  saw,  besides  men-of-war  birds,  boo- 
bies, and  noddies,  numbers  of  the  tropic-bird.  It  was  as  big 
as  a  pigeon,  and  round  and  plump  as  a  partridge,  all  white, 
save  two  or  three  light-gray  feathers  in  the  wing.  One  long 
feather  or  quill,  about  seven  inches  in  length,  growing  out  of 
the  rump,  is  all  the  tail  these  birds  have.  They  are  never 
seen  far  without  the  tropics,  but  are  met  with  at  a  great  dis- 
tance from  land.  After  taking  in  what  water  could  be  obtain- 
ed, they  left  Rocas,  and  went  to  Salt  Tortuga,  so  called  to 
distinguish  it  from  Dry  Tortuga  near  Cape  Florida,  and  from 
the  Tortuga  of  the  first  Bucaniers  near  Hispaniola,  which 
place  was  now,  however,  better  known  as  Petit  Guaves.  They 
expected  to  sell  the  remainder  of  their  sugar  to  the  English 
vessels  which  came  here  for  salt ;  but  not  succeeding,  they 
sailed  for  Blanco,  an  island  north  of  Margarita,  and  thirty 
leagues  from  the  main.  It  was  an  uninhabited  island,  flat  and 
low,  being  mostly  savanna,  with  a  few  wooded  spots,  in  which 
flourished  the  lignum  vitcB.  Iguanas,  or  guanoes,  as  they  were 
commonly  called  in  the  West  Indies,  abounded  on  Blanco. 
They  resembled  the  lizard  species,  but  were  bigger,  about  the 
size  of  the  small  of  a  man's  leg.  From  the  hind-quarter  the 
tail  tapers  to  the  point.  If  seized  by  the  tail  near  the  extremi- 
ty, it  broke  off  at  a  joint,  and  the  animal  escaped.  They  are 
amphibious  creatures.  Both  their  eggs  and  flesh  were  highly 
esteemed  by  the  Bucaniers,  who  made  soup  of  the  latter  for 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  151 

their  sick.  There  were  many  species  found  here  Hving  on 
land  or  water,  in  the  swamps,  among  bushes,  or  on  trees. 
Green  turtle  frequented  this  island  in  numbers. 

From  Blanco  they  returned  to  Salt  Tortuga,  and  went  from 
thence  after  four  days  to  the  coast  of  the  Caraccas  on  the  main. 

While  cruising  on  this  coast,  they  landed  in  some  of  the 
bays,  and  took  seven  or  eight  tons  of  cocoa,  and  afterward 
three  barks, — one  laden  with  hides,'  another  with  brandy  and 
earthenware,  and  a  third  with  European  goods.  With  these 
prizes  they  returned  to  the  Rocas  to  divide  the  spoil ;  after 
which  Dampier  and  other  nineteen  out  of  a  company  of  sixty 
took  one  of  the  captured  vessels,  and  with  their  share  of  the 
plunder,  held  their  course  direct  for  Virginia,  which  was  reach- 
ed in  July,  1682. 

Of  the  thirteen  months  which  our  navigator  spent  in  Virgi- 
nia he  has  left  no  record  ;  but  from  another  portion  of  his 
memoirs  it  may  be  gathered  that  he  suffered  from  sickness 
during  most  of  the  time.  His  disease  was  not  more  singular 
than  was  the  mode  of  cure  practised  by  a  negro  Esculapius, 
whose  appropriate  fee  was  a  white  cock.  The  disease  was 
what  is  called  the  Guinta-worm.  "  These  worms,"  says  Dam- 
pier,  "  are  no  bigger  than  a  large  brown  thread,  but,  as  I  have 
heard,  five  or  six  yards  long;  and  if  it  break  in  drawing  out, 
that  part  which  remains  in  the  flesh  will  putrify,  and  endan- 
ger the  patient's  life,  and  be  very  painful.  I  was  in  great 
torment  before  it  came  out.  My  leg  and  ankle  swelled,  and 
looked  very  red  and  angry,  and  I  kept  a  plaster  to  it  to  bring 
it  to  a  head.  Drawing  off"  my  plaster,  out  came  about  three 
inches  of  the  worm,  and  my  pain  abated  presently.  Till  then 
I  was  ignorant  of  my  malady,  and  the  gentlewoman  at  whose 
house  I  lodged  took  it  (the  worm)  for  a  nerve ;  but  I  knew  well 
enough  what  it  was,  and  presently  rolled  it  upon  a  small  stick. 
After  that  I  opened  it  every  morning  and  evening,  and  strained 
it  out  gently,  about  two  inches  at  a  time,  not  without  pain." 
The  negro  doctor  first  stroked  the  place  affected,  then  applied 
some  rough  powder  to  it  like  tobacco  leaves  crumbled,  next 
muttered  a  spell,  blew  upon  the  part  three  times,  waved  his 
hands  as  often,  and  said  that  in  three  days  it  would  be  well. 
It  proved  so,  and  the  stipulated  fee  of  the  white  cock  was 
gladly  paid. 

The  next  adventure  of  Dampier  was  the  circumnavigation 
of  the  globe, — a  voyage  and  ramble  extending  to  about  eight 
years,  which  in  point  of  interest  and  variety  has  never  yet 
been  surpassed.     This  we  will  now  describe. 

Among  the  companions  of  Dampier  in  his  journey  across 
the  isthmus,  and  in  his  subsequent  cruise,  was  Mr.  John  Cook, 


152  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

a  Creole,  born  in  St.  Christopher's,  and  a  man  of  good  capa- 
city. He  had  acted  as  quarter-master,  or  second  in  command, 
under  Captain  Yanky,  a  French  Fhbustier,  who  at  this  time 
held  a  commission  as  a  privateer.  By  the  ordinary  laws  of 
the  Bucaniers,  when  a  prize  fit  for  a  piratical  cruise  was  taken, 
the  second  in  command  was  promoted  to  it ;  and  in  virtue  of 
this  title,  Cook  obtained  an  excellent  Spanish  ship.  At  this, 
however,  the  French  commanders  were  secretly  discontented, 
and  on  the  first  opportunity  they  seized  the  ship,  plundered  the 
crew,  who  were  Englishmen,  of  their  arms  and  goods,  and 
turned  them  ashore.  The  French  captain,  Tristian,  either 
took  compassion  on  some  of  the  number,  or  hoped  to  find  them 
serviceable ;  for  he  carried  eight  or  ten  of  them  with  him  to 
Petit  Guaves,  among  whom  were  Cook  and  Davis.  They  had 
not  lain  long  here  when  Captain  Tristian  and  part  of  his  men 
being  one  day  on  shore,  the  English  party,  in  revenge  of  the 
late  spoliation  overmastered  the  rest  of  the  crew,  took  the  ship, 
and,  sending  the  Frenchmen  ashore,  sailed  for  Isle  a  la  Vache, 
where  they  picked  up  a  straggling  crew  of  English  Bucaniers, 
and  before  they  could  be  overtaken  sailed  for  Virginia,  where 
Dampier  now  was,  taking  two  prizes  by  the  way,  one  of  which 
was  a  French  ship  laden  with  wine.  Having  thus  dexterously 
swindled  Tristian  out  of  his  ship,  which  might,  however,  be 
considered  as  but  a  fair  act  of  reprisal,  and  having  afterward 
committed  open  piracy  on  the  French  commerce,  the  West 
Indies  was  no  longer  a  safe  latitude  for  these  English  Buca- 
niers. The  wines  were  therefore  sold  with  the  other  goods 
and  two  of  the  ships  ;  and  the  largest  prize,  which  carried 
eighteen  guns,  was  new-named  the  Revenge,  and  equipped 
and  provisioned  for  a  long  voyage.  Among  her  crew  of  seventy 
men  were  almost  all  the  late  fellow-travellers  across  the  isthmus, 
including  William  Dampier,  Lionel  Wafer,  the  surgeon,  Am- 
brose Cowley,  who  has  left  an  account  of  the  voyage,  and  the 
commander.  Captain  John  Cook.  Before  embarking  on  this 
new  piratical  expedition,  they  all  subscribed  certain  rules  for 
maintaining  discipline  and  due  subordination,  and  for  the  ob- 
servance of  sobriety  on  their  long  voyage. 

They  sailed  from  the  Chesapeake  on  the  23d  of  August, 
1683;  captured  a  Dutch  vessel,  in  which  they  found  six  casks 
of  wine  and  a  quantity  of  provisions  ;  and  near  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands  encountered  a  storm  which  raged  for  a  week, 
"drenching  them  all  like  so  many  drowned  rats."  After  this 
gale  they  had  the  winds  and  weather  both  favourable,  and  an- 
chored at  the  Isle  of  Sal,  one  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  group,  so 
named  from  its  numerous  salt-ponds. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  153 

Ffom  the  Cape  de  Verd  Isles  the  Revenge  intended  to  keep 
a  direct  course  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan  ;  but  by  adverse 
weather  was  compelled  to  steer  for  the  Guinea  coast,  which 
was  made  in  November,  near  Sierra  Leone.  They  anchored 
in  the  mouth  of  the  river  Sherborough,  near  a  large  Danish 
ship,  which  they  afterward  took  by  stratagem.  While  in  sight 
of  the  Dane,  which  felt  no  alarm  at  the  appearance  of  a  ship 
of  the  size  of  the  Revenge,  most  of  the  Bucanier  crew  remain- 
ed under  deck,  no  more  of  the  hands  appearing  above  than 
were  necessary  to  manage  the  sails.  Their  bold  design  was 
to  board  the  ship  without  discovering  any  sign  of  their  inten- 
tion ;  and  the  Revenge  advanced  closely,  still  wearing  the  re- 
semblance of  a  weakly-manned  merchant-vessel.  When  quite 
close,  Captain  Cook  in  a  loud  voice  commanded  the  helm  to 
be  put  one  way,  while  by  previous  orders  and  a  preconcerted 
plan  the  steersman  shifted  it  into  a  quite  opposite  direction  ; 
and  the  Revenge,  as  if  by  accident,  suddenly  fell  on  board  the 
Dane,  which  by  this  dexterous  manoeuvre  was  captured  with 
only  the  loss  of  five  men,  though  a  ship  of  double  their  whole 
force.  She  carried  thirty-six  guns,  and  was  equipped  and  vic- 
tualled for  a  long  voyage. 

This  fine  vessel  was  by  the  exulting  Bucaniers  named  the 
Bachelor's  Dehght ;  and  they  immediately  burnt  the  Revenge 
that  she  "might  tell  no  tales,"  sent  their  prisoners  on  shore, 
and  steered  for  Magellan's  Straits. 

On  the  voyage  to  the  straits  the  Bachelor's  Delight  encoun- 
tered frequent  tornadoes,  accompanied  by  thunder,  lightning, 
and  rain.  Many  of  the  men  were  seized  with  fever,  and  one 
man  died.  Having  little  fresh  animal  food  of  any  kind,  they 
caught  sharks  during  the  calms  between  the  gusts  of  the  torna- 
does, which  they  prepared  by  first  boiling,  and  afterward  stew- 
ing them  with  pepper  and  vinegar.  About  the  middle  of  Jan- 
uary they  lost  one  of  the  surgeons,  who  was  greatly  lamented, 
as  there  now  remained  but  one  for  the  long  voyage  which  was 
meditated.  On  the  28th  they  made  John  Davis'  Southern 
Islands,  or  the  Falkland  Isles, — then,  however,  more  generally 
known  as  the  Sebald  de  Weert  Islands. 

In  the  course  of  their  voyage  Dampier,  who  possessed  more 
geographical  and  nautical  knowledge  than  his  companions, 
had  been  persuading  Captain  Cook  to  stop  here  to  water,  and 
afterward  to  prosecute  the  voyage  to  Juan  Fernandez  by  doub- 
ling Cape  Horn,  avoiding  the  straits  altogether,  which,  he  ju- 
diciously says,  "  I  knew  would  prove  very  dangerous  to  us,  the 
rather  because  our  men  being  privateers,  and  so  more  wilful 
and  less  under  command,  would  not  be  so  ready  to  give  a 
watchful  attendance  in  a  passage  so  little  known. 
14 


164  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

The  advice  of  Dampier  was  not  taken,  but  westerly  winds 
prevented  Cook  from  making  the  entrance  of  the  straits,  and 
on  the  6th  of  February  they  fell  in  with  the  Straits  of  Le  Maire, 
high  land  on  both  sides,  and  the  passage  very  narrow.  They 
ran  in  for  four  miles,  when  a  strong  tide  setting  in  northward 
"  made  such  a  short  cockling  sea,"  which  ran  every  way,  as  if 
in  a  place  where  two  opposing  tides  meet,  sometimes  break- 
ing over  the  poop,  sometimes  over  the  waist  and  the  bow,  and 
tossing  the  Bachelor's  Delight  "  like  an  egg-shell." 

In  the  same  evening  they  had  a  breeze  from  W.  N.  W., 
bore  away  eastward,  and,  having  the  wind  fresh  all  night, 
passed  the  east  end  of  Staten  Island  next  day.  The  next 
night,  they  lost  sight  of  Terra  del  Fuego,  and  saw  no  other 
land  till  they  entered  the  South  Sea.  In  doubling  Cape  Horn 
they  were  so  fortunate  as  to  catch  twenty-three  barrels  of  rain- 
water, besides  an  abundant  supply  for  present  consumption. 

On  the  3d  of  March  they  entered  the  South  Sea  with  a  fair 
fresh  breeze,  which  from  the  south  had  shifted  to  the  eastward. 
On  the  19th  a  strange  sail  was  seen  to  the  southward  bearing 
full  upon  them,  which  was  mistaken  for  a  Spaniard,  but  proved 
to  be  the  Nicholas  of  London,  commanded  by  Captain  Eaton, 
fitted  out  as  a  trader,  but  in  reality  a  Bucanier  ship.  Captain 
Eaton  came  on  board  the  Bachelor's  Dehght,  related  his  ad- 
ventures, and,  like  a  true  brother,  gave  the  company  water, 
while  they  spared  him  a  supply  of  bread  and  beef  Together 
they  now  steered  for  Juan  Fernandez,  and  on  the  23d  anchor- 
ed in  a  bay  at  the  south  end  of  the  island,  in  twenty-five 
fathoms  water. 

It  may  be  remembered,  that  when  Captain  Watling  and  his 
company  escaped  from  Juan  Fernandez  three  years  before, 
they  had  left  a  Mosquito  Indian  on  the  island,  who  was  out 
hunting  goats  when  the  alarm  came.  This  Mosquito-man, 
named  Wilham,  was  the  first  and  the  true  Robinson  Crusoe, 
the  original  hermit  of  this  romantic  solitude.  Immediately  on 
approaching  the  island,  Dampier  and  a  few  of  "William's  old 
friends,  together  with  a  Mosquito-man  named  Robin,  put  oft* 
for  the  shore,  where  they  soon  perceived  Wilham  standing 
ready  to  give  them  welcome.  From  the  heights  he  had  seen 
the  ships  on  the  preceding  day,  and  knowing  them  to  be  Eng- 
lish vessels  by  the  way  they  were  worked,  he  had  killed  three 
goats,  and  dressed  them  with  cabbage  of  the  cabbage-tree,  to 
have  a  feast  ready  on  the  arrival  of  the  ships.  How  great  was 
his  delight,  as  the  boat  ncared  the  shore,  when  Robin  leaped 
to  the  land,  and  running  up  to  him,  fell  flat  on  his  face  at  his 
feet.  William  raised  up  his  countryman,  embraced  him,  and 
in  turn  prostrated  himself  at  Robin's  feet,  who  lifted  him  up. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  155 

and  they  renewed  their  embraces.  "  We  stood  with  pleasure," 
says  Dampier,  "  to  beliold  the  surprise,  tenderness,  and  solem- 
nity of  their  interview,  which  was  exceedingly  affecting  on 
both  sides ;  and  when  these  their  ceremonies  of  civility  were 
over,  we  also  that  stood  gazing  at  them  drew  near,  each  of  us 
embracing  him  we  had  found  here,  who  was  overjoyed  to  see 
so  many  of  his  old  friends,  come  hither,  as  he  thought,  pur- 
posely to  fetch  him." 

At  the  time  William  was  abandoned,  he  had  with  him  in  the 
woods  his  gun  and  knife,  and  a  small  quantity  of  powder  and 
shot.  As  soon  as  his  ammunition  was  expended,  by  notching 
his  knife  into  a  saw,  he  cut  up  the  barrel  of  his  gun  into  pieces, 
which  he  converted  into  harpoons,  lances,  and  a  long  knife. 
To  accomplish  this  he  struck  fire  with  his  gun-flint  and  a  piece 
of  the  barrel  of  his  gun,  which  he  hardened  for  this  purpose  in 
a  way  he  had  seen  practised  by  the  Bucaniers.  In  this  fire  he 
heated  his  pieces  of  iron,  hammered  them  out  with  stones, 
sawed  them  with  his  jagged  knife,  or  grinded  them  to  an  edge, 
and  tempered  them ;  "  which  was  no  more  than  these  Mos- 
quito-men were  accustomed  to  do  in  their  own  country,  where 
they  make  their  own  fishing  and  striking  instruments  without 
either  forge  or  anvil,  though  they  spend  a  great  deal  of  time 
about  them."  Thus  furnished,  William  supplied  himself  with 
goats'  flesh  and  fish,  though,  till  his  instruments  were  formed, 
he  had  been  compelled  to  eat  seal.  He  built  his  house  about 
a  half-mile  from  the  shore,  and  lined  it  snugly  with  goat-skins, 
with  which  he  also  spread  his  couch  or  barbecue,  which  was 
raised  two  feet  from  the  floor.  As  his  clothes  wore  out,  he 
supplied  this  want  also  with  goat-skins,  and  when  first  seen  he 
wore  nothing  save  a  goat-skin  about  his  waist.  Though  the 
Spaniards,  who  had  learned  that  a  Mosquito-man  was  left 
here,  had  looked  for  William  several  times,  he  had  always,  by 
retiring  to  a  secret  place,  contrived  to  elude  their  search. 

The  island  of  Juan  Fernandez  was  hilly,  and  intersected  by 
small  pleasant  valleys  ;  the  mountains  were  partly  savanna 
and  partly  woodland ;  tlie  grass  of  the  flat  places  being  deli- 
cate and  kindly,  of  a  short  thick  growth,  unlike  the  coarse 
sedgy  grass  of  the  savannas  of  the  West  Indies.  The  cab- 
bage-tree was  found  here,  and  well-grown  timber  of  different 
kinds,  though  none  that  was  fit  for  masts.  There  were  in  the 
island  two  bays,  both  at  the  east  end,  where  ships  might  an- 
chor, and  into  each  of  them  flowed  a  rivulet  of  good  water. 
Water  was  also  found  in  every  valley.  Goats,  which  accord- 
ing to  Dampier  were  originally  brought  to  the  island  by  the 
discoverer,  were  now  found  in  large  flocks,  and  seals  swarm- 
ed about  the  island  "  as  if  they  had  no  other  place  in  the  world 


156  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

to  five  in,  every  bay  and  rock  being  fnll  of  them."  Sea-lions 
were  also  numerous,  and  different  kinds  of  fish  were  found. 
The  seals  were  of  different  colours, — black,  gray,  and  dun, 
with  a  fine  thick  short  fur.  Milhons  of  them  were  seen  sitting 
in  the  bays,  going  or  coming  into  the  sea,  or,  as  they  lay  at  the 
top  of  the  waves,  sporting  and  sunning  themselves,  covering 
the  water  for  a  mile  or  two  from  the  shore.  When  they  come 
out  of  the  sea  "they  bleat  like  sheep  for  their  young;  and 
though  they  pass  through  hundreds  of  others'  young,  yet  they 
will  not  suffer  any  of  them  to  suck."  The  sea-lion  is  shaped 
hke  a  seal,  but  is  six  times  as  big,  with  "  great  goggle  eyes," 
and  teeth  three  inches  long,  of  which  the  Bucaniers  sometimes 
made  dice. 

The  Bucaniers  remained  for  sixteen  days  at  this  island  get- 
ting in  provisions,  and  for  the  recovery  of  the  sick  and  those 
affected  with  scurvy,  who  were  placed  on  shore,  and  fed  with 
vegetables  and  fresh  goats'  flesh,  which  regimen  was  found 
beneficial.  On  the  8th  of  April  they  sailed  for  the  American 
coast,  which  they  approached  in  24^  S. ;  but  stood  off  at  the 
distance  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  leagues,  that  they  might  not  be 
observed  from  the  high  grounds  by  the  Spaniards. 

The  first  capture  of  the  Bucaniers,  made  on  the  3d  of  May, 
was  a  Spanish  ship  bound  to  Lima,  laden  with  timber  from 
Guayaquil;  from  which  they  learned  that  it  was  known  in  the 
settlements  that  pirates  were  on  the  coast. 

On  the  9th  they  anchored  at  the  isle  of  Lobos  de  la  Mar 
with  their  prize.  At  this  place  the  ships  were  scrubbed,  and 
the  prisoners  rigidly  examined,  that  from  their  information  the 
voyagers  might  guide  their  future  proceedings.  Truxillo  was 
the  town  at  last  fixed  upon  for  making  a  descent.  The  com- 
panies of  both  ships  were  mustered,  for  Eaton  and  Cook  had 
now  agreed  to  hunt  in  couples,  and  the  arms  were  proved. 
The  men  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  eight  fit  to  bear  arms, 
besides  the  sick.  Before  they  sailed  on  this  expedition  three 
ships  were  seen  steering  northward.  Cook  stood  after  one  of 
them,  which  made  for  the  land,  and  Eaton  pursued  the  other 
two  to  sea,  and  captured  them  on  the  same  day.  They  con- 
tained cargoes  of  flour  from  Lima  for  the  city  of  Panama, 
whither  they  carried  intelligence  from  the  governor  of  the  for- 
midable Bucanier  force  which  now  threatened  the  coast.  One 
of  the  ships  carried  eight  tons  of  quince-marmalade.  The 
Bucaniers  were  deeply  mortified  to  learn  that  they  had  nar- 
rowly missed  a  prize  containing  eight  hundred  thousand  pieces 
of  eight,  which  liad  been  landed  at  an  intermediate  port,  upon 
a  rumour  of  Enghsh  ships  being  cruising  off  the  coast  of 
Peru, 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  157 

The  design  against  Truxillo  was  now  abandoned,  as  they 
learned  that  it  had  lately  been  fortified,  and  a  Spanish  garrison 
established  for  its  defence ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  19th  they 
sailed  with  their  flour-prizes  for  the  Galapagos  Islands,  which 
they  descried  on  the  31st,  "  some  appearing  on  the  lee-bow, 
some  on  the  weather-bow,  and  others  right  ahead." 

At  the  Galapagos  Isles  the  Bucaniers  remained  for  ten  days, 
and  deposited  a  store  of  their  prize-flour  against  future  neces- 
sity. Salt  was  found  here,  pigeons  abounded,  the  sea  teemed 
with  fish,  and  the  leaves  of  the  mammce-tree  furnished  them 
with  vegetables ;  so  that  the  Galapagos  were  in  all  respects 
well  adapted  for  a  Bucanier  station. 

By  the  advice  of  an  Indian,  one  of  their  prisoners,  the  Buc- 
aniers were  induced  to  visit  Ria  Lexa,  his  native  place,  where 
he  promised  them  a  rich  harvest  in  plunder. 

At  Juan  Fernandez  Captain  Cook  had  been  taken  ill ;  he 
now  died  somewhat  suddenly  as  they  stood  off  Cape  Blanco, 
and,  as  a  mark  of  respect,  was  buried  on  shore.  While  his 
men  were  digging  the  grave  they  were  seen  by  three  Spanish 
Indians,  who  held  aloof,  but  asked  them  many  questions ; 
"and  one  man,"  says  Dampier,  "did  not  stick  to  sooth  them 
up  with  as  many  falsehoods,  purposely  to  draw  them  into  our 
clutches  ;  and  at  length  drilled  them  by  discourse  so  near,  that 
our  men  laid  hold  on  all  three  at  once."  One  escaped  before 
the  burial  of  Cook  was  over,  and  the  other  two  were  taken  on 
ship-board.  When  examined,  notwithstanding  their  pretend- 
ed simplicity,  they  confessed  that  they  had  been  sent  out  as 
spies  by  the  Governor  of  Panama,  who  had  received  intelli- 
gence of  the  Bucanier  squadron. 

The  voyagers  were  informed  by  these  prisoners  that  large 
herds  of  cattle  were  reared  in  this  neighbourhood,  which  was 
welcome  news  to  seamen  who  had  seen  no  fresh  meat  since 
their  run  from  the  Galapagos.  Two  boats  were  immediately 
sent  to  the  shore  with  an  Indian  guide  to  bring  oft' cattle;  but 
the  enterprise  appeared  dangerous,  and  Dampier  with  twelve 
men  returned  on  board.  Those  who  were  more  foolhardy, 
and  who  even  slept  on  shore,  found  themselves  next  morning 
watched  by  forty  or  fifty  armed  Spaniards,  and  their  boat  burnt. 
The  cowardly  Spaniards,  afraid  to  come  forward,  still  lurked 
in  their  ambush,  and  one  of  the  seamen  on  landing,  having  no- 
ticed an  insulated  rock  which  just  appeared  above  water,  they 
made  off  for  this  fortress,  and  holding  fast  by  each  other,  and 
wading  to  the  neck,  they  reached  the  rock,  while  the  Spanish 
shot  whistled  after  them.  In  this  perilous  condition  they  had 
remained  for  seven  hours,  the  tide,  which  was  at  the  ebb  when 
they  took  refuge  here,  rising  around  them,  and  gaining  on 
14* 


158  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

the  rock  so  rapidly,  that  had  not  help  come  from  the  ships,  in 
another  hour  thej  must  have  heen  swept  away.  The  Span- 
iards, who  rehshed  bush-fighting  better  than  the  open  field, 
meanwhile  lay  in  wait  for  the  catastrophe ;  but  when  the  canoe 
from  the  English  ships  bore  off  the  men,  they  oiFered  no  re- 
sistance. 

The  quarter-master,  Edward  Davis,  was  now  elected  com- 
mander in  the  room  of  Captain  Cook  ;  and  after  taking  in 
water,  and  cutting  lancewood  for  handles  to  their  oars,  they 
bore  away  for  Ria  Lexa,  and  on  the  23d  of  July  were  opposite 
the  harbour.  The  situation  of  the  town  is  known  by  a  high- 
peaked  volcanic  mountain,  which  rises  within  three  leagues  of 
the  harbour,  but  may  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  twenty  leagues. 
A  small  flat  island,  about  a  mile  long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
broad,  forms  the  harbour,  in  which  two  hundred  sail  can  ride. 
It  may  be  entered  by  a  channel  at  each  end. 

The  Spaniards  had  here  also  got  the  start  of  the  enemy. 
They  had  thrown  up  a  breastwork  on  a  strong  position,  and 
stationed  sentinels  to  give  instant  alarm  ;  and  the  Bucaniers, 
who  wished  to  surpise  and  plunder,  and  not  to  fight  against 
great  odds,  deemed  it  prudent  to  steer  for  the  Gulf  of  Amapal- 
la,  an  arm  of  the  sea  running  inland  eight  or  ten  leagues,  and 
made  remarkable  by  two  headlands  at  the  entrance.  Point 
Casivina  on  the  south  side,  in  latitude  12°  40"  N.,  and  on  the 
north-west  Mount  St.  Michael. 

At  a  previous  consultation,  it  had  been  agreed  that  Captain 
Davis  should  advance  first,  in  two  canoes,  and  endeavour  to 
seize  some  Indians  to  labour  at  careening  the  ships,  and  also 
a  prisoner  of  better  condition,  from  whom  intelligence  might 
be  obtained.  On  the  Island  of  Mangera  the  padre  of  a  village, 
from  which  all  the  other  inhabitants  had  fled,  was  caught  while 
endeavouring  to  escape,  and  with  him  two  Indian  boys.  With 
these  Davis  proceeded  to  Amapalla,  where,  having  previously 
gained  over  or  frightened  the  priest,  he  told  the  Indians  drawn 
up  to  receive  him,  that  he  and  his  company  were  Biscayners, 
sent  by  the  King  of  Spain  to  clear  the  seas  of  pirates,  and  that 
his  business  in  the  bay  of  this  island  was  only  to  careen  his 
ships.  On  this  assurance  Davis  and  his  men  were  well  re- 
ceived, and  they  all  marched  together,  strangers  and  natives, 
to  church,  which  was  the  usual  place  of  public  assembly, 
whether  for  business  or  amusement.  The  images  in  the 
churches  here,  like  those  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy,  were 
painted  of  the  Indian  complexion  ;  and  the  people,  under  the 
sway  of  their  padres,  lived  in  much  the  same  condition  as  the 
tribes  described  on  the  banks  of  the  Tobasco,  cultivating  maize, 
rearing  poultry,  and  duly  paying  the  priest  his  tithe.     Here, 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  159 

too,  they  were  indulged  in  masks  and  other  pastimes,  with 
abundance  of  music  on  saints'  eves  and  holydays.  "  Their 
mirth,"  says  Dampier,  "  consists  in  singing,  dancing,  and 
using  many  antic  gestures.  If  the  moon  shine  they  use  but 
few  torches  ;  if  not,  the  church  is  full  of  hght.  They  meet  at 
these  times  all  sorts  of  both  sexes.  All  the  Indians  that  I  have 
been  acquainted  with  who  are  under  the  Spaniards  seem  to  be 
more  melancholy  than  other  Indians  who  are  free ;  and  at 
these  public  meetings,  when  they  are  in  the  greatest  of  their 
jollity,  their  mirth  seems  to  be  rather  forced  than  real.  Their 
songs  are  very  melancholy  and  doleful ;  so  is  their  music." 

In  attending  them  to  the  church  under  the  guise  of  friend- 
ship, Davis  intended  to  ensnare  these  unsuspecting  people, 
and  make  them  all  his  prisoners  till  he  had  dictated  his  own 
terms  of  ransom,  the  padre  having,  probably  from  compulsion, 
promised  his  aid  in  entrapping  his  flock.  This  hopeful  project 
was  frustrated  by  one  of  the  Bucaniers  rashly  and  rudely  push- 
ing a  man  into  the  church  before  him.  The  alarm  was  given, 
the  Indian  fled,  and  his  countrymen  "  sprung  out  of  the 
church  like  deer."  Davis  and  his  men  immediately  fired,  and 
killed  a  leading  man  among  the  natives. 

The  Bucaniers  were,  however,  afterward  assisted  by  several 
of  the  natives  in  storing  the  ships  with  cattle  plundered  from 
an  island  in  the  gulf,  belonging  to  a  nunnery  in  some  distant 
place ;  and  from  some  feelings  of  remorse,  on  leaving  this 
quarter  Davis  presented  the  islanders  of  Amapalla  with  one  of 
his  prize-ships,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  cargo  of  flour 
which  it  contained.  The  ships  here  broke  off"  consortship. 
The  crews  had  quarrelled, — Davis'  party,  in  right  of  priority 
in  marauding,  claiming  the  largest  share  of  the  spoils.  Eaton 
left  the  gulf  on  the  2d  of  September,  and  Davis,  with  whom 
Dampier  continued,  on  the  day  following,  having  previously 
set  the  padre  on  shore.  They  stood  for  the  coast  of  Peru, 
having  almost  every  day  tornadoes  accompanied  with  thunder 
and  lightning, — weather  of  this  kind  generally  prevailing  in 
these  latitudes  from  June  to  November.  When  these  gusts 
were  over  the  wind  generally  shifted  to  the  west.  Near  Cape 
St.  Francisco  they  had  settled  weather,  and  the  wind  at  south. 
About  this  place  they  again  fell  in  with  Eaton,  who  had  en- 
countered terrible  storms.  "  Such  tornadoes  as  he  and  his 
men  had  never  before  seen, — the  air  smelling  very  much  of 
sulphur,  and  they  fancying  themselves  in  great  danger  of  being 
burnt  by  the  lightning."  Captain  Eaton  had  touched  at  Cocos 
Island,  where  he  laid  up  a  store  of  flour,  and  took  in  water  and 
cocoanuts.  Cocos  Island,  as  described  by  Eaton,  is  nearly 
surrounded  by  rocks ;  but  at  the  north-east  end  there  is  one 


160  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

small  and  secure  harbour, — a  brook  of  fresh  water  flowing 
into  it.  The  middle  of  the  island  is  high,  and  though  destitute 
of  trees,  looks  verdant  and  pleasant  from  the  abundance  of  an 
herb,  which  the  Spaniards  called  gramadiel,  growing  upon  the 
high  grounds.  Near  the  shore  all  round  the  island  were  groves 
of  cocoas. 

At  the  Island  of  La  Plata,  so  named,  according  to  Dampier, 
from  Sir  Francis  Drake  having  divided  upon  it  the  plunder  of 
the  plate-ship  the  Cacafuego,  the  Bucaniers  found  water, 
though  but  a  scanty  rivulet,  and  plenty  of  small  sea-turtle. 
Captain  Eaton's  company  would  again  have  joined  their  for- 
mer consorts ;  but  Dampier  relates  that  Davis'  men,  his  own 
comrades,  were  still  so  unreasonable  that  they  would  not  con- 
sent to  new-comers  having  an  equal  share  of  what  they  pil- 
laged; so  the  Nicholas  held  southward,  while  the  Bachelor's 
Delight  steered  for  Point  Santa  Elena,  in  2^  15'  S.,  pretty 
high  but  flat  land,  naked  of  trees  and  overgrown  with  thistles. 
There  was  no  fresh  water  on  the  point,  and  this  article  the 
inhabitants  brought  from  four  leagues'  distance,  from  the  river 
Colanche,  the  innermost  part  of  the  bay.  Watermelons, 
large  and  very  sweet,  were  the  only  things  cultivated  on  the 
point.  Pitch  was  the  principal  commodity  of  the  inhabitants. 
It  boiled  out  of  a  hole  in  the  earth  at  five  paces  above  high- 
water  mark,  and  was  found  plentifully  at  flood-tide  ;  when  first 
obtained  it  was  like  thin  tar,  but  was  boiled  down  to  the  con- 
sistence of  pitch. 

Davis'  men  landed  at  Manta,  a  village  on  the  mainland, 
about  three  leagues  to  the  east  of  Cape  San  Lorenzo,  where 
they  made  two  old  women  prisoners,  from  whom  they  learned 
that  many  Bucaniers  had  lately  crossed  the  isthmus  from  the 
West  Indies,  and  were  cruising  on  the  coast  in  canoes  and 
pirogues.  The  viceroy  had  taken  every  precaution  against 
this  new  incursion.  On  all  the  uninhabited  islands  the  goats 
had  been  destroyed  ;  ships  were  burned  to  save  them  from  the 
Bucaniers,  and  no  provisions  were  allowed  to  remain  at  any 
place  on  the  coast, but  such  as  miglit  be  required  for  the  imme- 
diate supply  of  the  inhabitants.  Davis  returned  to  La  Plata, 
At  a  loss  what  course  to  take  ;  when,  on  the  2d  of  October,  he 
was  joined  by  the  Cygnet  of  London,  commanded  by  Captain 
Swan,  who,  ill  treated  by  the  Spaniards,  and  disappointed  of 
peaceful  traffic,  for  which  he  had  come  prepared  with  an  ex- 
pensive cargo,  had  been  compelled  by  his  men  to  receive  on 
board  a  party  of  Bucaniers,  and  in  self-defence  to  commence 
freebooter.  Before  he  had  adopted  this  course  some  of  his 
men  had  been  killed  by  the  Spaniards  at  Baldivia,  where  he 
had  attempted  to  open  a  trade.     With  this  small  Bucanier 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  161 

party,  which  had  come  by  the  Darien,  plundering  by  the  way, 
Swan  fell  in  near  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya.  It  was  led  by  Peter 
Harris,  the  nephew  of  a  Bucanier  commander  of  the  same 
name  who  had  been  killed  in  the  battle  with  the  Spanish 
ships  in  the  Bay  of  Panama  three  years  before.  Harris  took 
command  under  Swan,  in  a  small  bark  wholly  manned  by 
Bucaniers. 

This  was  a  joyful  meeting  of  old  associates ;  and  the  de- 
parture of  Eaton  was  now  deeply  regretted,  as  their  united 
force  might  have  ensured  success  to  more  important  under- 
takings than  any  they  had  yet  ventured  to  contemplate. 
While  the  ships  were  refitting  at  La  Plata,  a  small  bark,  which 
Davis  had  taken  after  the  Spaniards  had  set  it  on  fire,  was 
sent  out  to  cruise,  and  soon  brought  in  a  prize  of  four  hundred 
tons  burthen,  laden  with  timber,  and  gave  intelligence  that  the 
viceroy  was  fitting  out  a  fleet  of  ten  frigates  to  sweep  them  from 
the  South  Seas.  Again  the  loss  of  Eaton  was  felt,  and  this 
bark  was  dispatched  to  search  for  him  on  the  coast  of  Lima. 
It  went  as  far  as  the  Isle  of  Lobos.  Meanwhile  Swan's  ship, 
which  was  still  full  of  English  goods,  was  put  in  better  fighting 
trim,  and  made  fit  to  accommodate  her  additional  crew.  The 
supercargo  sold  his  goods  on  credit  to  every  Bucanier  who 
would  purchase,  taking  his  chance  of  payment,  and  the  bulky 
commodities  which  remained  were  pitched  overboard, — silks, 
muslins,  and  finer  goods,  and  iron  bars  which  were  kept  for 
ballast,  being  alone  retained.  In  lieu  of  these  sacrifices,  the 
whole  Bucaniers  on  board  the  Cygnet  agreed  that  ten  shares 
of  all  booty  should  be  set  aside  for  Swan's  owners. 

The  men-of-war  were  now  scrubbed  and  cleaned,  a  small 
bark  was  equipped  as  a  fire-ship  ;  and  the  vessel  which  had 
been  cruising  after  Eaton  not  having  returned,  the  squadron 
sailed  without  it  on  the  20th  of  October,  and  on  the  3d  of  No- 
vember landed  at  Paita,  which  was  found  nearly  abandoned, 
and  left  without  "  money,  goods,  or  a  meal  of  victuals  of  any 
kind."  They  anchored  before  the  place,  and  demanded  ran- 
som for  its  safety,  ordering  in  the  meanwhile  three  hundred 
pecks  of  flour,  three  thousand  pounds  of  sugar,  twenty-five 
jars  of  wine,  and  one  thousand  of  water  to  be  brought  off"  to 
the  ships  ;  but,  after  wasting  six  days,  they  obtained  nothing, 
and  in  revenge  burnt  the  town.  The  road  of  Paita  was  one 
of  the  best  in  Peru,  roomy,  and  sheltered  from  the  south-west 
by  a  point  of  land.  The  town  had  no  water  except  what  was 
carried  thither  from  Colan,  from  whence  the  place  was  also 
supplied  with  fruits,  hogs,  plantains,  and  maize.  Dampier 
says,  that  on  this  coast,  from  about  "  Cape  Blanco  to  30°  S., 
no  rain  ever  falls  that  he  ever  observed  or  heard  of."     He  calls 


l62  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

this  range  "  the  dry  country."  Wafer  states  that  heavy  nightly 
dews  fertihze  the  valleys.  The  country  around  it  was  moun- 
tainous and  sterile. 

From  information  obtained  here  it  was  gathered  that  Cap- 
tain Eaton  had  been  before  them,  and  had  burned  a  large  ship 
in  the  road,  and  landed  all  his  prisoners.  They  also  learned 
that  a  small  vessel,  which  they  concluded  to  be  their  own  bark, 
had  approached  the  harbour,  and  made  same  fishermen  bring 
out  water. 

Harris'  small  vessel  being  found  a  heavy  sailer,  was  burned 
before  leaving  Paita,  from  which  the  squadron  steered  for 
Lobos  de  Tierra,  and  on  the  14th  anchored  near  the  east  end 
of  the  island,  and  took  in  a  supply  of  seals,  penguins,  and 
boobies,  of  which  they  ate  "  very  heartily,  not  having  tasted 
flesh  in  a  great  while  before."  To  reconcile  his  men  to  what 
had  been  the  best  fare  of  the  crews  of  Drake,  Cavendish,  and 
the  earlier  navigators.  Captain  Swan  commended  this  food  as 
of  extraordinary  delicacy  and  rarity,  comparing  the  seals  to 
roasted  pigs,  the  boobies  to  pullets,  and  the  penguins  to  ducks. 
On  the  19th  the  fleet  reached  Lobos  de  la  Mar,  where  a  letter 
was  found  deposited  at  the  rendezvous  by  the  bark,  which  was 
still  in  search  of  Eaton.  It  was  now  feared  that  he  had  sailed 
for  the  East  Indies,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  fact. 

Here  the  Mosquito-men  supplied  the  companies  of  both 
ships  with  turtle  ;  while  the  seamen  laboured  to  clean  and  re- 
pair, and  provide  them  with  firewood,  preparatory  to  an  at- 
tempt upon  Guayaquil.  For  this  place  they  sailed  on  the 
morning  of  the  29tli.  According  to  Dampier,  Guayaquil  was 
then  one  of  the  chief  ports  of  the  South  Seas.  The  commodi- 
ties it  exported  were  hides,  tallow,  cocoa,  sarsaparilla,  and  a 
woollen  fabric  named  Quito  cloth,  generally  used  by  the  com- 
mon people  throughout  all  Peru.  The  Bucaniers  left  the 
ships  anchored  off"  Cape  Blanco,  and  entered  the  bay  with 
their  canoes  and  a  bark.  They  captured  a  small  vessel  laden 
with  Quito  cloth,  the  master  of  which  informed  them  of  a  look- 
out being  kept  at  Puna,  which  lay  in  their  way,  and  that  three 
vessels  with  negro  slaves  were  then  about  to  sail  from  Guaya- 
quil. One  of  these  vessels  they  took  shortly  afterward,  cut 
down  her  mainmast,  and  left  her  at  anchor,  and  next  morning 
captured  the  other  two,  though  only  a  few  negroes  were  picked 
out  of  this  to  them  useless  cargo. 

From  mismanagement,  and  disagreement  between  the 
commanders  and  the  men  in  the  two  ships,  the  expedition 
against  Guayaquil  misgave.  It  was  imagined  that  the  town 
was  alarmed  and  prepared  to  receive  them  warmly  ;  and  after 
having  landed,  lain  in  the  woods  all  night,  and  made  their  way 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  168 

with  considerable  difficulty,  they  abandoned  the  design  before 
one  shot  had  been  fired,  and  while  the  place  lay  full  in  view  of 
them  at  a  mile's  distance,  without  manifesting  any  appearance 
of  opposition  being  intended. 

Dampier,  whose  ideas  took  a  wider  and  bolder  range  than 
those  of  his  companions,  deeply  lamented  their  ill  conduct 
upon  the  fair  occasion  which  offered  at  this  time  of  enriching 
themselves  at  less  expense  of  crime  than  in  their  ordinary 
pursuits.  "  Never,"  he  says,  "  was  there  put  into  the  hands 
of  men  a  greater  opportunity  to  enrich  themselves."  His 
bold  and  comprehensive  plan  was,  with  the  one  thousand  ne- 
groes found  in  the  three  ships,  to  have  gone  to  St.  Martha, 
and  worked  the  gold  mines  there.  In  the  Indians  he  reckoned 
upon  finding  friends,  as  they  mortally  hated  the  Spaniards, — 
for  present  sustenance  they  had  two  hundred  tons  of  flour 
laid  up  at  the  Galapagos  Islands, — the  North  Sea  would  have 
been  open  to  them, — thousands  of  Bucaniers  would  have  join- 
ed them  from  all  parts  of  the  West  Indies,  and  united  they 
might  have  been  a  match  for  all  the  force  Peru  could  muster, 
masters  of  the  richest  mines  in  this  quarter,  and  of  all  the  west 
coast  as  high  as  Quito.  Whether  Dampier  unfolded  this 
**  golden  dream"  at  the  time  does  not  appear.  The  Bucaniers, 
at  all  events,  sailed  to  La  Plata,  where  they  found  the  bark, 
and  divided  the  cloth  of  Quito  equally  between  thfe  companies 
of  Swan  and  Davis,  converting  the  vessel  in  which  it  had  been 
taken  into  a  tender  for  the  Cygnet. 

This  ship  had  since  joining  depended  almost  wholly  upon 
the  Bachelor's  Delight  for  provisions,  as  it  had  neither  Mos- 
quito-purveyors nor  a  store  of  flour ;  and  the  original  Buca- 
nier  company  of  Davis  now  murmured  loudly  at  feeding  the 
cowards  who  they  alleged  had  balked  the  attempt  on  Guaya- 
quil. But  neither  could  afford  to  part  consortship,  and  they 
sailed  in  company  on  the  23d  of  December  to  attack  Lavelia 
in  the  Bay  of  Panama.  In  this  cruise,  from  the  charts  and 
books  found  in  their  prizes,  they  supplied  the  ignorance  and 
deficiencies  of  the  Indians  and  Spanish  pilots  whom  they  had 
as  prisoners  on  board  ;  these  drafts  being  found  surer  guides. 
Their  object  was  in  the  first  place  to  search  for  canoes, — the 
want  of  boats  being  greatly  felt, — in  rivers  where  the  Spaniards 
had  no  trade  with  the  natives,  nor  settlements  of  any  kind,  as 
concealment  was  most  important  to  the  success  of  their  opera- 
tions. In  unfrequented  rivers  where  boats  might  be  found, 
the  coast  abounded  from  the  equinoctial  line  to  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Michael.  When  five  days  out  from  La  Plata,  they  made  a 
sudden  descent  upon  a  village  named  Tomaco,  where  they 
captured  a  vessel  laden  with  timber,  in  which  was  a  Spanish 


164  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

knight  with  a  crew  of  eight  Spaniards,  and  also  took  what  the 
Bucaniers  valued  much  more,  a  canoe  with  twelve  jars  of  good 
old  wine.  A  canoe  with  a  party  that  rowed  six  leagues  farther 
up  the  river,  which  Dampier  named  St.  Jago,  came  to  a  house 
belonging  to  a  Spanish  lady  of  Lima,  whose  servants  at  this 
remote  station  traded  with  the  natives  for  gold.  They  fled  ; 
but  the  Bucaniers  found  several  ounces  of  gold  left  in  their 
calabashes.  The  land  on  the  banks  of  this  river  was  a  rich 
black  mould,  producing  tall  trees.  The  cotton  and  cabbage- 
trees  flourished  here  on  the  banks ;  and  a  good  way  into  the 
interior,  Indian  settlements  were  seen,  with  plantations  of 
maize,  plantain-walks,  hogs,  and  poultry.  At  Tomaco  a 
canoe  with  three  natives  visited  the  strangers,  whom  they  did 
not  distinguish  from  Spaniards.  They  were  of  middhng 
stature,  straight,  and  well-limbed,  "  long-visaged,  thin-faced, 
with  black  hair,  ill-looked  men,  of  a  \erj  dark  copper  com- 
plexion." The  Bucaniers  presented  them  with  wine,  which 
they  drank  freely. 

On  the  1st  of  January  the  Cygnet  and  Bachelor's  Dehght 
sailed  for  the  Island  of  Gallo,  carrying  with  them  the  Spanish 
knight  Don  Pinas,  and  two  canoes.  On  the  way  one  of  their 
boats  captured  the  packet-boat  from  Lima,  and  fished  up  the 
letters  which  the  Spaniards  when  pursued  had  thrown  over- 
board attached  to  a  hne  and  buoy.  From  these  despatches 
they  learned  the  welcome  and  important  fact  of  the  Governor 
of  Panama  hasteninsf  the  sailing  of  the  triennial  Plate-fleet 
from  Callao  to  Panama,  previous  to  the  treasure  being  con- 
veyed across  the  isthmus  to  Porto  Bello  on  mules.  To  inter- 
cept this  fleet  would  enrich  every  man  among  them  at  one 
stroke  ;  and  to  this  single  object  every  faculty  was  now  bent. 
As  a  fit  place  to  careen  their  ships,  and  at  the  same  time  he  in 
wait  for  their  prey,  they  fixed  upon  the  Pearl  Islands  in  the 
Bay  of  Panama,  for  which  they  sailed  from  Gallo  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  ; — two  ships,  three  barks,  a  fireship,  and  two 
email  tenders,  one  attached  to  each  ship. 

On  the  8th  they  opportunely  captured  a  bark  with  flour,  and 
then  "jogged  on  with  a  gentle  gale"  to  Gorgona,  an  uninhab- 
ited island,  well  wooded,  and  watered  with  brooklets  issuing 
from  the  high  grounds.  Pearl-oysters  abounded  here.  They 
were  found  in  from  four  to  six  fathoms  water,  and  seemed 
flatter  in  the  shell  than  the  ordinary  eating  oyster.  The 
pearl  was  found  at  the  head  of  the  oyster,  between  the  shell 
and  the  meat,  sometimes  one  or  two  pretty  large  in  size,  and 
at  other  times,  twenty  or  thirty  seed-pearls.  The  inside  of  the 
ehell  was  *'  more  glorious  than  the  pearl  itself." 


r- 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  Xf^ 


Landing  most  of  their  prisoners  at  Gorgona,  the  squadron, 
now  consisting  of  six  sail,  steered  for  the  Bay  of  Panama,  and 
anchored  at  Galera,  a  small,  barren,  uninhabited  island,  from 
whence  they  again  sailed  on  the  25th  to  one  of  the  southern 
Pearl  Islands,  as  a  place  more  suitable  to  hale  up  and  clean 
the  ships.  While  this  was  in  progress,  the  small  barks  cruised, 
and  brought  in  a  prize  laden  with  beef,  Indian  corn,  and 
fowls,  which  were  all  highly  acceptable.  They  next  took  in 
water  and  firewood,  and  were  at  last  in  fit  order  to  fight  as 
well  as  to  watch  the  Plate-fleet,  which  they  did  cruising  before 
Panama,  between  the  Pearl  Islands  and  the  main;  where, 
says  Dampier,  "  it  was  veiy  pleasant  sailing,  having  the  main 
on  one  side,  which  appears  in  divers  forms.  It  is  beautified 
with  many  small  hills,  clothed  with  wood  of  divers  sorts  of 
trees,  which  are  always  green  and  flourishing.  There  are 
some  few  small  high  islands  within  a  league  of  the  main,  scat- 
tered here  and  there  one,  partly  woody  partly  bare,  and  they 
as  well  as  the  main  appear  very  pleasant."  Most  of  the  Pearl 
Islands  were  wooded  and  fertile ;  and  from  them  were  drawn 
the  rice,  plantains,  and  bananas  which  supplied  the  city  of 
New  Panama,  "  a  fair  city  standing  close  by  the  sea,  about 
four  miles  from  the  ruins  of  the  old  town," — encompassed  be- 
hind with  a  fine  country  of  hill  and  valley,  beautified  with 
groves  and  spots  of  trees,  appearing  like  islands  in  the  savan- 
nas. The  new  city  had  been  walled  in  since  the  late  visit 
which  Dampier  had  made  it  with  Sawkins,  Coxon,  and  Sharp, 
and  the  walls  were  now  mounted  with  guns  pointing  seaward. 

As  Davis  lay  nearly  opposite  the  city,  its  supplies  from  the 
islands  were  completely  cut  off";  while  his  people  every  day 
fished,  hunted,  or  pillaged  among  them.  At  this  time  Davis 
negotiated  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  giving  up  forty,  of 
whom  he  was  very  glad  to  be  rid,  in  return  for  one  of  Harris' 
band,  and  a  man  who  had  been  surprised  by  the  Spaniards 
while  hunting  in  the  islands.  Attention  to  the  safety  of  the 
meanest  individual  of  their  company  was  at  all  times  one  of 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Bucaniers  ;  and  it  is  stated 
on  good  authority,  that  when  they  first  hunted  in  the  wilds  of 
Hispaniola,  if  at  nightfall  one  comrade  was  missing,  all  busi- 
ness was  suspended  till  he  was  either  found  or  his  disappear- 
ance satisfactorily  accounted  for. 

The  Lima  fleet  proved  tardy  in  making  its  appearance,  and 
the  Bucaniers  again  moved,  and  came  to  anchor  near  Tabago, 
an  island  of  the  bay  abounding  in  cocoa  and  mammee,  and 
having  fine  brooks  of  pure  water  ghding  through  groves  of 
fruit-trees.  About  this  time  they  were  nearly  ensnared  by  the 
stratagem  of  a  Spaniard,  who,  under  pretence  of  clandestine 
15 


166  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

traffic,  sent  a  fireship  among  them  at  midnight;  but  the 
treachery  was  suspected  in  time,  and  avoided.  This  fireship 
had  been  fitted  up  by  the  same  Captain  Bond  of  whom  they 
had  heard  at  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands.  He  was  an  Enghsh 
pirate  who  had  deserted  to  the  Spaniards. 

The  squadron,  which  had  been  scattered  through  the  night 
from  alarm  of  the  fireship,  had  scarcely  returned  to  its  station, 
and  looked  about  for  the  cut  anchors,  when  the  freebooters 
were  thrown  into  fresh  consternation  by  seeing  many  canoes 
full  of  armed  men  passing  through  an  island-channel  and 
steering  direct  for  them.  They  also  bore  up ;  but  the  strangers 
proved  to  be  a  party  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  Bucaniers, 
French  and  English,  in  twenty-eight  canoes,  who  had  just 
crossed  the  isthmus  on  an  expedition  to  the  South  Sea.  The 
English  seamen,  eighty  in  number,  entered  with  Swan  and 
Davis  ;  and  the  flour-prize  was  given  to  the  French  Flibustiers, 
who  entered  it  under  the  command  of  Captain  Groignet,  their 
countryman.  These  strangers  announced  another  party  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty,  under  Captain  Townley,  all  English, 
who  were  at  this  time  constructing  canoes  to  bring  them  down 
the  rivers  into  the  South  Sea;  and  on  the  30th  of  March  these 
joined  the  fleet,  not,  however,  in  canoes,  but  in  two  ships 
which  they  had  taken  as  soon  as  they  entered  the  bay,  laden 
with  flour,  wine,  brandy,  and  sugar.  The  squadron  was  fur- 
ther increased  by  the  arrival  of  a  vessel  under  the  command  of 
Mr.  William  Knight ;  and  the  Indians  of  Santa  Martha 
brought  intelligence  that  yet  another  strong  party,  French  and 
English,  were  on  the  way.  These  also  arrived,  to  the  number 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  men,  with  three  commanders  ; 
one  of  whom,  Le  Picard,  was  a  veteran  who  had  served  under 
Lolonnois  and  Morgan  at  Porto  Bello. 

The  Bucanier  force  now  amounted  to  about  one  thousand 
men ;  and  the  greatest  want  was  coppers  to  cook  provisions  for 
so  many.  The  few  kettles  which  they  had  were  kept  at  work 
day  and  night,  and  a  foraging-party  sent  out  to  bring  in 
coppers. 

From  intercepted  letters  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Lima 
fleet  was  now  at  sea ;  and  the  design  upon  the  city  was  sus- 
pended till  the  plate-ships  were  first  secured,  though,  as  it 
chanced,  in  counting  on  their  easy  capture,  the  Bucaniers 
reckoned  without  their  host. 

It  was  now  the  latter  end  of  May,  and  for  six  months  the 
Bucaniers  had  concentrated  their  attention  on  this  single  en- 
terprise. Their  fleet  now  consisted  of  ten  sail;  but,  save  the 
Bachclor^s  Delight,  which  carried  thirty-six  guns,  and  the 
Cygnet,  which  was  armed,  none  were  of  force,  though  all  were 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  167 

fully  manned.  The  Spanish  fleet,  it  was  afterward  learned, 
mustered  fourteen  sail;  two  of  forty  guns,  one  of  thirty-six, 
another  of  eighteen,  and  one  of  eight  guns,  with  large  compa- 
nies to  each  ship.     Two  fire-ships  attended  the  Spanish  fleet. 

Before  the  Bucaniers  had  finished  consultation  on  their  plan 
of  operation,  the  Spanish  fleet  advanced  upon  them,  and  battle 
was  resolved  on.  And,  "lying  to  windward  of  the  enemy,  we 
had  it,"  says  Dampier,  "  in  our  choice  whether  to  fight  or  not. 
It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  weighed,  and 
being  all  under  sail,  we  bore  down  right  afore  the  wind  on  our 
enemies,  who  kept  close  on  a  wind  to  come  to  us;  but  night 
came  on  without  any  thing  besides  the  exchanging  of  a  few 
shot  on  each  side.  When  it  grew  dark  the  Spanish  admiral 
put  out  a  light  as  a  signal  for  his  fleet  to  come  to  an  anchor. 
We  saw  this  light  at  the  admiral's  top  for  about  half  an  hour, 
and  then  it  was  taken  down.  In  a  short  time  after  we  saw  the 
light  again,  and  being  to  windward,  we  kept  under  sail,  sup- 
posing the  light  had  been  in  the  admiral's  top ;  but,  as  it  proved, 
this  was  only  a  stratagem  of  theirs,  for  this  light  was  put  out 
the  second  time  at  one  of  the  barks'  topmast-head,  and  then 
she  was  sent  to  leeward,  which  deceived  us,  for  we  thought 
still  the  light  was  in  the  admiral's  top,  and  by  that  means  our- 
selves to  windward  of  them."  At  daybreak  the  Bucaniers 
found  that  by  this  stratagem  the  Spaniards  had  got  the  weath- 
er-gage of  them,  and  were  bearing  down  full  sail,  which  com- 
pelled them  to  run  for  it;  and  a  running  fight  was  maintained 
all  day,  till,  having  made  a  turn  almost  round  the  bay,  they 
anchored  at  night  whence  they  had  set  out  in  the  morning. 
Thus  terminated  their  hopes  of  the  treasure-ships,  though  it 
was  afterward  learned  that  the  plate  had  been  previously  land- 
ed. The  French  captain,  Groignet,  had  kept  out  of  the  ac- 
tion, for  which  he  and  his  crew  were  afterward  cashiered  by 
their  Enghsh  associates.  The  common  accusation  which  the 
English  Bucaniers  brought  against  their  allies  was  reluctance 
to  fight ;  while  the  latter  blamed  their  indecent  contetnpt  of 
the  Catholic  religion,  displayed  as  often  as  they  entered  the 
Spanish  churches,  by  hacking  and  mutilating  every  thing  with 
their  cutlasses,  and  firing  their  pistols  at  the  images  of  the 
saints.  Next  morning  the  Spanish  fleet  was  seen  at  anchor 
three  leagues  to  leeward,  and  as  the  breeze  sprung  up  it  stood 
away  for  Panama,  contented  with  safety  and  the  small  advan- 
tage obtained  on  the  former  day.  The  Bucaniers  were  equally 
well  satisfied  to  escape  a  renewed  engagement,  and  after  con- 
sultation they  bore  away  for  the  Keys  of  Quibo  to  seek  Harris, 
who  had  been  separated  from  them  in  the  battle  or  flight.  At 
this  appointed  rendezvous  they  met  their  consort,  and  a  fresh 


m 


WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 


consultation  made  them  resolve  to  march  inland  and  assault 
Leon,  first  securing  the  port  of  Ria  Lexa. 

The  assault  and  conquest  of  these  places  offers  nothing  of 
interest  or  novelty ;  they  were  carried  by  the  united  Bucanier 
force,  amounting  to  six  hundred  and  forty  men,  with  6ight 
vessels,  three  of  them  being  tenders,  and  one  a  fireship.  In 
this  assault  Dampier  was  left  with  sixty  men  to  guard  the  ca- 
noes in  which  the  party  had  been  landed.  At  Leon  they  lost 
a  veteran  Bucanier  of  the  original  breed,  whom  Dampier  thus 
eulogizes:  "He  was  a  stout  old  gray-headed  man,  aged  about 
eighty-four,  who  had  served  under  Oliver  (Cromwell)  in  the 
Irish  rebelhon  ;  after  which  he  was  at  Jamaica,  and  had  fol- 
lowed privateering  ever  since.  He  would  not  accept  the  offer 
our  men  made  him  to  tarry  ashore,  but  said  he  would  venture 
as  far  as  the  best  of  them;  and  when  surrounded  by  the  Span- 
iards, he  refused  to  take  quarter,  but  discharged  his  gun  among 
them,  keeping  a  pistol  still  charged;  so  they  shot  him  dead  at 
a  distance.  His  name  was  Swan.  He  was  a  very  merry, 
hearty  old  man,  and  always  used  to  declare  he  would  never 
take  quarter.'* 

A  Mr.  Smith,  a  merchant  or  supercargo,  who  had  sailed 
with  Captain  Swan  from  London  to  trade  in  the  South  Sea, 
was  made  prisoner  on  the  march  to  Leon.  This  city,  situated 
near  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua,  Dampier  describes  as  one  of  the 
most  healthy  and  pleasant  in  all  South  America.  No  sooner 
were  the  Bucaniers  masters  of  it  than  they  demanded  a  ransom 
of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  was  promised  but 
never  paid  ;  and  becoming  suspicious  that  the  Spaniards  were 
dallying  with  them  merely  to  gain  time  and  draw  their  force 
to  a  head,  the  town  was  set  on  fire,  and  they  returned  to  the 
coast,  first  supplying  themselves  with  beef,  flour,  pitch,  tar, 
cordage,  and  whatever  Leon  or  Ria  Lexa  afforded.  One 
Spanish  gentleman,  who  had  been  released  on  engaging  to 
send  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle,  redeemed  his 
parole*  with  scrupulous  honour.  Mr.  Smith  was  exchanged 
for  a  female  prisoner,  and  Ria  Lexa  was  left  burning. 

The  Bucanier  squadron  now  separated,  and  the  fraternity 
broke  into  several  small  detachments,  Dampier  choosing  to 
follow  Captain  Swan,  who  intended  first  to  cruise  along  the 
shores  of  Mexico,  the  country  of  the  mines,  and  then,  saihng 
as  high  as  the  south-west  point  of  California,  cross  the  Pacific, 
and  return  to  England  by  India.  This  plan  presented  many 
temptations  to  Dampier,  whose  curiosity  and  thirst  of  know- 
ledge were  insatiable;  and  he  might  also  have  shared  in  the 
hopes  of  his  comrades,  who  promised  themselves  a  rich  booty 
in  the  towns  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  mines  before  they 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.         ^  169 

turned  their  faces  westward.  Captain  Townley  had  kept  by 
Swan  when  they  separated  from  Eaton,  and  each  ship  had 
now  a  tender  belonging  to  it.  They  put  to  sea  on  the  3d  of 
September,  and  encountered  frequent  and  fierce  tornadoes  till 
near  the  end  of  the  month.  Early  in  October  they  were  off 
the  excellent  harbour  of  Gautalco,  the  mouth  of  which  may  be 
known  by  a  great  hollow  rock,  from  a  hole  in  which  every 
surge  makes  the  water  spout  up  to  a  considerable  height,  like 
the  blowing  of  a  whale. 

Froni  the  sea  the  neighbouring  country  looked  beautiful. 
Here  they  found  some  provisions,  and  landed  their  sick  for  a 
few  days. 

The  Cygnet  and  her  consort  advanced  slowly  along  the 
coast,  landed  near  Acapulco,  plundered  a  carrier  who  con- 
ducted sixty  laden  mules,  and  killed  eighteen  beeves.  They 
next  passed  on  to  Colima,  their  object  being  that  tempting 
prize  which  for  generations  had  quickened  the  avarice  of  mar- 
itime adventurers — the  Manilla  ship, — for  which  they  kept 
watch  at  Cape  Corientes.  After  quitting  Ria  Lexa,  many 
of  the  men  had  been  seized  with  a  malignant  fever;  and  as 
the  same  kind  of  disease  broke  out  in  Davis'  squadron,  it  was 
with  some  feasibility  imputed  to  infection  caught  at  the  place 
mentioned,  where  many  of  the  inhabitants  had  been  carried 
off  by  a  disorder  of  the  same  kind  some  months  before  the 
Bucaniers  visited  the  town. 

To  victual  the  ship  for  the  long  voyage  in  view  was  one 
main  object  of  the  continued  cruise  of  Captain  Swan  on  this 
coast ;  but  the  attempts  made  for  this  purpose  were  often  baf- 
fled with  loss  ;  and  so  much  time  had  now  elapsed,  that  it  was 
concluded  the  Manilla  ship  had  eluded  their  vigilance.  About 
the  beginning  of  January,  Townley  left  them  in  the  Bay  of 
Vanderas,  and  returned  towards  Panama,  carrying  home  a 
few  Indians  of  the  Darien  who  had  accompanied  Swan  thus 
far.     The  Mosquito-men  remained  in  the  Cygnet. 

To  obtain  provisions,  Swan  captured  the  town  of  St.  Pe- 
caque,  on  the  coast  of  New  Gallicia,  where  large  stores  were 
kept  for  supplying  the  slaves  who  worked  in  the  neighbouring 
mines.  He  brought  off  on  the  first  day  a  considerable  quanti- 
ty of  provisions  on  horseback,  and  on  the  shoulders  of  his 
men.  These  visits  were  repeated,  a  party  of  Bucaniers  keep- 
ing the  town,  till  the  Spaniards  had  collected  a  force.  Of  this 
Captain  Swan  gave  his  men  due  warning,  exhorting  them  on 
their  way  to  the  canoes  with  the  burdens  of  maize  and  other 
provisions  which  they  carried,  to  keep  together  in  a  compact 
body;  but  they  chose  to  follow  their  own  course,  every  man 
straggling  singly,  while  leading  his  horse,  or  carrying  a  load 
15* 


170  WILLIAM  DAMPlEir^ 

on  his  shoulders.  They  accordingly  fell  into  the  ambush  the 
Spaniards  had  laid  for  them,  and  to  the  amount  of  fifty  were 
surprised,  and  mercilessly  butchered.  The  Spaniards,  seizing 
their  arms  and  loaded  horses,  fled  with  them  before  Swan,  who 
heard  the  distant  firings  could  come  to  the  assistance  of  his 
men.  Fifty-four  Englishmen  and  nine  blacks  fell  in  this 
affair,  which  was  the  most  severe  the  Bucaniers  had  encoun- 
tered in  the  South  Sea.  It  is  in  consonance  with  the  spirit  of 
that  age  to  find  Dampier  relating  that  Captain  Swan  had  been 
warned  of  this  disaster  by  his  astrologer.*  Many  of  the  men 
had  also,  he  states  in  his  manuscript  journal,  foreboded  this 
misfortune,  and  in  the  previous  night,  while  lying  in  the  church 
of  St.  Pecaque,  "  had  been  disturbed  by  grievous  groanings, 
which  kept  them  from  sleeping." 

This  disheartening  affair  determined  Swan  and  his  dimin- 
ished company  to  quit  this  coast;  and  they  accordingly  steered 
for  Cape  St.  Lucas,  the  south  point  of  California,  to  careen, 
and  to  refresh  themselves  before  crossing  the  Pacific;  but  by 
adverse  winds  were  compelled  to  put  into  a  bay  at  the  east  end 
of  the  middle  island  of  the  Tres  Marias,  where  they  found 
iguanas,  rackoons,  rabbits,  pigeons,  and  deer,  fish  of  various 
kinds,  turtle,  and  seals.  There  they  careened  the  ship,  divi- 
ded and  stowed  the  provisions  between  it  and  the  tender,  and 
went  over  to  the  mainland  for  water,  having  previously  landed 
the  prisoners  and  pilots,  who  were  now  of  no  use,  save  to  con- 
sume provisions.  That  they  were  abandoned  on  an  uninhab- 
ited island  is  said  to  have  been  in  revenge  of  the  fatal  affair  of 
St.  Pecaque. 

While  they  lay  here,  Dampier,  who  had  escaped  the  conta- 
gious fever,  languished  under  a  dropsical  complaint,  of  which 
several  of  the  men  had  died.  The  method  of  cure  was  singu- 
lar, but  the  patient  believed  it  successful.  "  I  was,"  he  says, 
"laid  and  covered  all  but  my  head  in  the  hot  sand:  I  endured 
it  near  half  an  hour,  and  was  then  taken  out,  and  laid  to  sweat 
in  a  tent:  I  did  sweat  exceedingly  while  I  was  in  the  sand^ 
and  I  do  believe  it  did  me  much  good,  for  I  grew  well  soon 
after." 

While  careening  the  ship.  Swan  had  more  fully  laid  before 
his  company  his  plan  of  going  to  the  East  Indies,  holding  out 
to  them  hopes  of  plunder  in  a  cruise  among  the  Philippines. 
Dampier  describes  many  of  them  as  so  ignorant  that  they  ima- 
gined it  impossible  to  reach  India  from  California;  otjiers  en- 


*  It  was  tlien  customary  before  undertaking  a  voyage  to  consult  an  as- 
trologer. 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  171 

tertained  more  reasonable  fears  of  their  provisions  failing  be- 
fore they  could  reach  the  Ladrones.  Maize,  and  the  fish 
which  the  Mosquito-men  caught,  some  of  which  were  salted  for 
store,  now  constituted  the  whole  provision  of  above  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men,  and  of  this  but  a  short  allowance  could  be 
aftbrded  daily,  calculating  on  a  run  of  at  least  sixty  days. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  having  all  agreed  to  attempt  the 
voyage,  and  consented  to  the  straitened  allowance,  the  Cygnet 
and  the  tender  commanded  by  Captain  Teat  sailed  from  the 
American  coast,  steering  south-west  till  she  arrived  at  13^  N., 
in  which  parallel  she  held  due  west  for  the  Ladrones.  The 
men  received  but  one  meal  a  day,  and  there  was  no  occasion, 
Dampier  says,  to  call  them  to  their  victuals,  which  were  serv- 
ed out  by  the  quarter-master  with  the  exactness  of  gold.  Two 
dogs  and  two  cats  which  were  on  board  soon  learned  to  attend 
daily  for  their  respective  shares. 

The  Cygnet  enjoyed  a  fair  fresh-blowing  trade-wind,  and 
went  on  briskly,  which  was  some  consolation  for  scanty  fare. 
At  the  end  of  twenty  days  they  had  made  so  much  progress 
that  the  men  began  to  murmur  at  being  still  kept  upon  such 
short  allowance ;  and  by  the  time  they  reached  Guahan  they 
were  almost  in  open  mutiny,  and  had,  it  was  said,  resolved  to 
kill  and  eat  Swan  in  the  first  place,  and  afterward  in  regular 
order  all  who  had  promoted  this  voyage !  In  the  long  run  of 
five  thousand  miles  they  had  seen  no  living  thing,  whether 
bird,  fish,  or  insect,  save  in  longitude  18^  a  flock  of  boobies, 
presumed  to  be  the  denizens  of  some  cliffs  or  islands,  though 
none  were  seen.  On  the  21st  of  May,  near  midnight,  they 
had  the  happiness  of  coming  to  anchor  on  the  west  side  of 
Guahan,  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  after  a  run  which  Dam- 
pier  calculated  at  seven  thousand  three  hundred  and  two  miles. 
At  this  island  the  Spaniards  had  a  small  fort  and  a  garrison  of 
thirty  men.  Presuming  that  the  Cygnet  was  a  Spanish  vessel 
from  Acapulco,  a  priest  came  off',  and  was  detained  as  a  host- 
age till  terms  of  obtaining  provisions  were  arranged;  and,  as 
these  were  dictated  by  fair  principles  of  exchange,  no  difficulty 
was  experienced,  both  the  Spaniards  and  the  few  natives  on 
the  island  gladly  bringing  their  goods  to  a  safe  and  profitable 
market. 

The  natives  and  the  Spaniards  here  lived  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant hatred  if  not  in  open  hostility  ;  and  Captain  Eaton,  who 
had  touched  at  Guahan  on  his  voyage  to  India,  after  parting 
with  Davis  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  had  been  instigated  by  the 
governor  to  plunder  and  practise  every  cruelty  upon  the 
islanders.  '  This  advice  neither  himself  nor  his  men  were  slow 
to  follow.     *'  He  gave  us  leave,"  says  Cowley's  manuscript 


172  WILLIAM  DAMPIEIl. 

narrative  of  the  voyage,  "to  kill  and  take  whatever  we  could 
find  in  one-half  of  the  island  where  the  rebels  lived.  We  then 
made  wars,"  as  Cowley  chooses  to  term  wanton  unprovoked 
aggression,  "with  these  infidels,  and  went  on  shore  every  day, 
fetching  provisions,  and  firing  among  them  wherever  we  saw 
them  ;  so  that  the  greater  part  of  them  left  the  island.  The 
Indians  sent  two  of  their  captains  to  treat  with  us,  but  we 
would  not  treat  with  them.     The  whole  land  is  a  garden.'* 

Dampier  reckons  that  at  this  time  there  were  not  above  one 
hundred  Indians  on  the  whole  island,  as  most  of  those  who  had 
escaped  slaughter  destroyed  their  plantations,  and  went  to 
other  islands,  remote  from  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Spaniards 
and  their  new  allies  the  Bucaniers.  While  a  friendly  and 
brisk  trade  was  going  on  between  the  shore  and  the  Cygnet, 
the  Acapulco  vessel  came  in  sight  of  the  island,  but  was  warn- 
ed off  in  time  by  the  governor,  without,  luckily  for  herself, 
liaving  been  descried  by  the  Bucaniers.  In  the  eagerness  of 
flight  she  ran  upon  a  shoal,  where  her  rudder  was  struck  off, 
nor  did  she  get  clear  for  three  days.  As  soon  as  the  natives 
informed  the  Bucaniers  of  this  prize,  they  "  were  in  a  great 
heat  to  be  after  her;"  but  Swan,  who  dishked  his  present  vo- 
cation, and  still  hoped  to  open  an  honest  traffic  at  Manilla, 
though  he  found  it  prudent  under  present  circumstances  to 
keep  this  design  secret,  persuaded,  or  as  probably  frightened, 
his  wild  crew  out  of  this  humour  by  representing  the  dangers  of 
the  chase. 

Suitable  presents  were  exchanged  between  the  governor  and 
the  priest  and  the  English  captain,  and  preparations  made  to 
depart.  Here  Dampier  first  saw  the  bread-fruit, — the  staff  of 
life  of  so  many  of  the  insulated  tribes  of  Polynesia.  Of  the 
jlying-proas^  or  sailing  canoes  of  these  islands,  so  often  describ- 
ed, he  expresses  the  highest  admiration.  "I  believe,"  he  says, 
"  they  sail  the  best  of  any  boats  in  the  world  ;"  one  that  he 
tried  would,  he  believed,  "run  twenty-four  miles  an  hour;" 
and  one  had  been  known  to  go  from  Guahan  to  Manilla,  a 
distance  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  leagues,  in  four  days. 

It  took  the  Cygnet  nineteen  days  to  reach  the  coast  of  Min- 
danao, for  which  she  sailed  on  the  2d  of  June  ;  and  after  beat- 
ing about  through  several  channels  and  islands,  she  came  to 
anchor  on  the  18th  of  July  opposite  the  river's  mouth,  and  be- 
fore the  city  of  Mindanao.  They  hoisted  English  colours,  and 
fired  a  salute  of  seven  or  eight  guns,  which  was  returned  from 
the  shore  by  three. 

Captain  Swan  had  many  reasons  for  desiring  to  cultivate 
tlie  friendship  of  the  ruling  powers  at  Mindanao.  Immedi- 
ately after  the  Cygnet  came  to  anchor,  Rajah  Laut,  the  brother 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER.  173 

and  prime  minister  of  the  sultan,  and  the  second  man  in  the 
state,  came  off  in  a  canoe,  rowed  with  ten  oars,  to  demand 
whence  they  were.  One  of  the  sultan's  sons,  who  spoke  the 
Spanish  language,  accompanied  his  uncle.  When  informed 
that  the  strangers  were  English  they  were  welcomed,  though 
Rajah  Laut  appeared  disappointed  that  they  were  not  come  to 
establish  a  factory,  for  which  proposals  had  already  been  made 
to  him  by  the  East  India  Company.  The  conversation  was 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Smith,  the  late  prisoner  at  Ria  Lexa,  and 
the  sultan's  son,  who  with  his  uncle  remained  all  ,the  while  in 
the  canoe.  They  promised  to  assist  the  English  in  procuring 
provisions,  and  were  rowed  off  without  more  passing  at  this 
time. 

Dampier  regrets  that  the  offer  of  a  settlement  here  was  not 
accepted,  "  by  which,"  he  says,  "  we  might  better  have  con- 
sulted our  own  profit  and  satisfaction  than  by  the  other  roving 
loose  way  of  life  ;  so  it  might  probably  have  proved  of  public 
benefit  to  our  nation,  and  been  the  means  of  introducing  an 
English  settlement  and  trade,  not  only  here,  but  through 
several  of  the  Spice  Islands  which  lie  in  its  neighbourhood." 
They  had  not  lain  long  here  when  they  received  another  in- 
vitation to  settle  in  a  different  island,  the  sultan  of  which  sent 
his  nephew  to  Mindanao  to  negotiate  secretly  with  Captain 
Swan.  ^ 

The  Cygnet's  cdmpany  had  not  been  aware  of  the  dignity 
of  their  first  visiters  till  they  were  gone,  when  the  government- 
officer  informed  them;  who,  according  to  the  customs  of  the 
ports  of  China  and  other  parts  in  the  East,  came  on  board  ta 
measure  the  ship, — a  practice  of  which  Dampier  could  not 
conceive  the  reason,  unless  the  natives  wished  to  improve  their 
knowledge  of  ship-building. 

In  the  same  afternoon  Captain  Swan  sent  Mr.  More,  one  of 
the  supercargoes,  to  the  city  with  a  present  for  the  sultan,  con- 
sisting of  three  yards  of  scarlet  cloth,  three  yards  of  broad 
gold-lace,  a  Turkish  scimitar,  and  a  pair  of  pistols  ;  and  to  the 
Rajah  Laut,  the  dignitary  they  had  already  seen,  three  yards 
of  the  same  cloth  with  silver-lace.  After  some  preliminary 
ceremonies,  the  English  envoy  was  at  night  admitted  to  an 
audience,  to  which  he  was  conducted  by  armed  men,  accom- 
panied by  servants  bearing  torches.  The  sultan,  with  ten 
privy-counsellors  all  seated  on  carpets,  awaited  his  arrival. 
The  present  was  graciously  accepted,  a  conference  took  place 
in  Spanish,  after  which  Mr.  More  and  his  attendants,  being 
first  treated  with  supper,  returned  on  board.  Next  day  Cap- 
tain Swan  was  invited  on  shore,  whither  he  went,  preceded  by 
two  trumpeters.     He  was  conducted  to  an  audience,  and  en- 


174  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

tertained  with  betel  and  tobacco.  Two  letters  were  shown 
him,  sent  by  East  India  merchants  to  the  suUan,  demanding 
hberty  to  build  a  factory  and  fort,  and  specifying  the  terms  of 
traffic,  rates  of  exchange,  and  of  weights  and  measures.  One 
letter  was  beautifully  written,  and  between  each  line  there  was 
drawn  a  line  of  gold.  Another  letter,  left  by  a  Captain  Good- 
lud,  who  had  lately  visited  Mindanao,  and  directed  generally 
to  any  of  the  English  who  might  touch  there,  concluded, 
"  Trust  none  of  them,  for  they  are  all  thieves ;  but  tace  is  Latin 
for  a  candle." 

After  the  interview  with  the  sultan.  Captain  Swan  visited 
Rajah  Laut,  who,  being  rather  in  disgrace  with  his  brother  at 
this  time,  had  not  been  present  at  the  audience.  He  entertain- 
ed the  English  captain  with  boiled  fowls  and  rice,  and  strongly 
urged  him  to  bring  the  ship  into  the  river,  as  stormy  weather 
was  at  this  season  to  be  expected.  He  also  advised  him  to 
warn  his  men  against  offending  the  natives  by  infringing 
their  customs,  and  altogether  appeared  very  familiar  and 
friendly.  To  impress  Swan  with  an  idea  of  his  justice,  he 
ordered  a  man  who  had  formerly  robbed  Captain  Goodlud  to 
be  now  punished ;  and  the  miserable  wretch  was  accordingly 
publicly  exposed  bound  to  a  post,  and  stripped  naked  with  his 
face  opposite  the  scorching  sun,  while  he  was  shifted  round  and 
kept  in  torture,  following  its  course  all  day,  stung  by  the  gnats 
and  mosquitoes.  This  was  a  usual  mode  of  punishment. 
His  life  was  at  night  fall  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  English  cap- 
tain, who  informed  Rajah  Laut  that  he  had  no  right  to  take 
cognizance  of  any  crime  which  had  not  been  committed  by  his 
own  men  and  in  his  own  ship. 

The  letters  from  the  company's  agents,  by  convincing  Swan 
that  there  was  a  serious  intention  of  establishing  a  factory  at 
this  place,  gave  him  confidence  to  enter  the  river,  trusting  also 
to  the  friendly  professions  of  Rajah  Laut.  The  Cygnet  was 
accordingly  lighted  of  part  of  her  cargo,  and,  with  tlie  help  of 
sixty  native  fishermen,  Rajah  Laut  directing  their  operations 
in  person,  she  crossed  the  bar  with  the  first  springtide,  and 
was  moored  within  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  Bucaniers 
remained  here  so  long  upon  a  footing  of  daily  intimate  inter- 
course with  the  townspeople,  that  Dampier  has  been  enabled 
to  give  a  very  full  and  minute  account  of  the  Mindanaians. 
A  singular  custom  of  the  country  facilitated  easy  intercourse 
with  the  natives ;  though  seamen,  having  their  pockets  stored 
with  gold  and  their  ships  with  desirable  commodities,  who  are 
neither  suspected  of  any  sinister  intention  by  the  people  nor 
viewed  with  jealousy  by  the  government,  have  rarely  found  the 
half-civilized  tribes  of  the  Indian  islands  difficult  of  access. 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  175 

The  custom  common  in  the  South  Sea  Islands  of  exchang- 
ing names  and  forming  a  comradeship  with  a  native,  whose 
house  is  henceforward  considered  the  home  of  the  stranger, 
extended  in  Mindanao  to  the  other  sex,  and  "  an  innocent 
platonic  female  friend,  named  ^pagally^''  was  offered  to  each 
of  the  Enghshmen,  besides  his  male  comrade.  These  friend- 
ships were,  however,  not  so  perfectly  disinterested  as  not  to 
require  the  cement  of  presents  on  the  one  side  and  flatteries 
on  the  other.  In  Mindanao,  as  in  more  refined  parts  of  the 
world,  those  who  were  best  dressed  and  furnished  with  gold 
the  most  readily  obtained  companions  and  pagallies.  Under 
the  sanction  of  this  singular  national  custom  the  wives  of  the 
greatest  men  might  choose  friends  among  the  strangers,  or  be 
selected  as  pagallies,  and  allowed  to  converse  in  public  with 
the  persons  who  distinguished  them  by  their  choice. 

On  their  first  arrival, — for  they  soon  declined  in  favour, 
owing  probably  to  their  own  reckless  and  dissolute  manners, — 
the  seamen  could  not  pass  along  the  streets  without  being  com- 
pelled to  enter  the  houses,  where  they  were  presented  with 
betel  and  tobacco,  the  cordial  hospitality  of  the  givers  atoning 
for  the  scantiness  of  this  oriental  entertainment.  To  express 
the  vivacity  and  degree  of  their  affection,  the  natives  would 
place  the  forefingers  of  both  hands  close  together,  saying  the 
English  and  themselves  were  like  this ;  the  Dutch  were  signifi- 
ed by  holding  the  same  fingers  six  inches  apart,  and  the  Span- 
iards at  double  that  distance.  Captain  Swan,  who  still  had  a 
large  quantity  of  iron  and  lead,  as  well  as  other  goods  belong- 
ing to  his  owners,  meanwhile  traded  with  Rajah  Laut,  at  whose 
house  he  dined  every  day  till  he  established  himself  at  a  dwell- 
ing which  he  hired  in  the  town.  Those  of  the  Bucanierswho 
had  money  also  took  houses  on  shore,  lived  a  jovial  life  among 
their  comrades  and  pagallies,  and  hired  female  servants  from 
their  masters  as  temporary  housekeepers. 

Besides  being  the  wet  season,  it  was  Ramadan  time  when 
the  Cygnet  came  to  anchor  in  the  river,  and  amusement  and 
pleasure  were  nearly  suspended  in  Mindanao  ;  but  as  soon  as 
this  solemn  period  was  passed,  the  Rajah  Laut  entertained  his 
friend  Captain  Swan  every  night  with  dances,  those  bands  of 
regularly  trained  dancing-women  being  seen  here  which  are 
common  over  all  India.  But  all  the  females  of  Mindanao  were 
fond  of  dancing,  which  they  practised  in  a  ring  of  forty  or  fifty, 
who  joined  hand-in-hand,  singing  in  chorus,  and  keeping 
time ;  and  though  they  never  moved  from  the  same  spot,  making 
various  gestures,  throwing  forward  one  leg,  and  clapping  their 
hands  at  the  close  of  the  verse.  The  Rajah  Laut  was  in  re- 
turn entertained  by  Captain  Swan's  men,  who  performed  Eng- 


176  WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 

lish  dances  to  the  music  of  violins,  in  a  ball-room  fitted  up 
with  gold  and  silver  lace  and  illuminated  by  a  profusion  of 
wax  candles.  Dampier  relates  the  very  natural  mistake  into 
which  the  rajah  fell  regarding  one  of  these  quarter-deck  per- 
formers. John  Thacker,  a  common  Bucanier,  though  he 
could  neither  read  nor  write,  had  acquired  the  accomphshment 
of  dancing  about  some  "  of  the  music  houses  of  Wapping," 
and  coming  into  the  South  Sea  with  Captain  Harris,  had  been 
so  fortunate  in  acquiring  booty,  that  he  now  wore  fine  clothes, 
and  by  his  superior  dress  and  dancing,  was  supposed  by  the 
natives  to  be  a  person  of  noble  extraction.  When  the  rajah, 
to  satisfy  his  curiosity  on  this  important  point,  put  the  question 
to  one  of  the  company,  the  seaman  replied  humorously  that 
the  conjecture  as  to  Jack's  quality  was  quite  correct ;  and  that 
most  of  the  ship's  company  were  of  like  extraction,  at  least  all 
who  wore  good  clothes  and  had  money,  those  meanly  clad 
being  but  common  seamen.  The  rajah  from  this  time  por- 
tioned out  his  civilities  according  to  the  garb  of  his  new 
friends. 

Captain  Swan  was  by  this  time  deeply  chagrined  at  the  re- 
sult of  his  voyage.  Most  of  his  crew  were  turbulent  and  law- 
less ;  those  who  had  money  revelling  on  shore,  and  continu- 
ally involving  themselves  in  quarrels  with  the  natives, — while 
those  who  were  poor  were  growling  on  board  at  the  privations 
they  suffered,  and  the  time  wasted  in  inaction.  In  the  num- 
ber of  the  penniless  was  Dampier,  who  had  no  means  of  recre- 
ation and  no  source  of  enjoyment  save  the  faculty  of  a  power- 
ful and  quick  observation,  and  the  delight  of  entering  his 
remarks  in  his  journal.  The  single  and  undivided  object  of 
the  rest  of  the  crew  of  the  Cygnet  was  gold — the  plunder  of 
the  Manilla  ship  ;  nor  durst  the  commander  reveal  his  dislike 
to  their  project.  About  the  same  time  that  his  crew  grew  vio- 
lently discontented,  he  became  himself  suspicious  of  the  good 
faith  of  his  friend  Rajah  Laut,  who  for  the  iron  and  lead  which 
he  had  procured  continued  to  pay  with  fair  promises. 

Beef  was  one  of  the  articles  which  the  rajah  had  promised 
to  the  English,  and  a  party  went  a  hunting  with  him,  but  found 
no  prey.  Dampier,  a  practised  hunter,  was  always  of  these 
parties,  and  used  the  opportunities  they  aflforded  to  extend  his 
knowledge  of  the  country.  In  these  distant  hunting  excursions 
the  rajah  carried  his  wives,  children,  and  servants  along  with 
him  in  the  proas  of  the  countiy,  which  were  fitted  up  with 
rooms.  They  settled  at  some  village  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  hunting-ground,  the  chief  and  his  family  occupying  one 
end  of  the  house  and  the  Englishmen  the  other.  While  he 
and  his  men,  who  always  hunted  fi-om  dawn  till  late  in  tlie 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  177 

afternoon,  were  abroad,  the  Englishmen  were  frequently  left 
at  home  with  the  women  and  children.  Though  these  ladies 
never  quitted  their  own  apartments  while  the  chief  remained 
at  home,  he  was  no  sooner  gone  than  they  usually  flocked  to 
the  strangers'  room,  asking  a  thousand  questions  about  the 
condition  of  the  women,  and  the  fashions  and  customs  of  Eng- 
land. These  were  the  subject  of  long  and  earnest  argument 
among  themselves,  some  condemning  and  others  applauding 
the  custom,  which  all  allowed  to  be  singular,  of  even  the  king 
and  chiefs  having  but  one  wife.  Among  the  proselytes  to  mo- 
nogamy was  the  war-queen  or  wife,  the  lady  who  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  attending  the  rajah  to  battle  ;  and  her  reasons,  if 
they  did  not  convince,  at  least  silenced  her  opponents. 

During  this  excursion.  Dumpier,  from  the  conversation  of 
the  women,  considerably  increased  his  acquaintance  with  the 
character  and  customs  of  the  people.  They  bathed  daily,  and 
washed  after  every  meal ;  and  if  they  became  unclean  from 
touching  accidentally  any  forbidden  thing,  underwent  scrupu- 
lous purification.  Though  associating  so  intimately  with  the 
English,  they  did  not  like  to  drink  with  nor  after  them.  Wild 
hogs  abounded,  but  swine's  flesh,  and  every  part  of  that  filthy 
animal,  was  held  iu  the  utmost  abhorrence  by  the  Mindanai- 
ans  ;  and  though  they  invited  the  seamen  to  destroy  the  ani- 
mals that  came  to  the  city  during  the  night  to  feed  on  garbage 
under  the  houses,  they  were  ordered  to  take  the  swine  on 
board,  and  those  who  had  touched  these  abominable  creatures 
were  ever  afterward  loathed  and  avoided  by  the  natives,  and 
forbidden  their  houses.  This  superstitious  dislike  was  carried 
to  so  great  a  length,  that  the  Rajah  Laut  returned  in  a  rage  a 
pair  of  shoes  made  in  the  English  fashion,  of  leather  he  had 
furnished,  and  in  which  he  tiad  taken  great  pride,  till  he 
learned  that  the  thread  with  which  they  were  sewed  had  been 
pointed  with  hog's  bristles.  The  shoemaker  got  more  leather, 
and  made  a  quite  unexceptionable  pair,  with  which  the  chief 
was  satisfied. 

At  this  hunting  village,  in  the  evenings,  the  women  danced 
before  the  rajah ;  and  before  the  party  broke  up  to  return  to 
Mindanao,  he  entertained  the  English  with  a  jar  of "  rice 
drink,"  a  fermented  liquor,  on  which  he  and  his  attendants  got 
very  merry.  He  drank  first  himself,  and  then  his  men  ;  "  and 
they  all,"  says  Dampier,  "  were  as  drunk  as  swine  before  they 
suffered  us  to  drink." 

That  balance  in  human  affairs  which  pervades  all  conditions 
was  now  turning  the  scale  in  favour  of  the  less  fortunate  por- 
tion of  the  Cygnet's  crew.     The  Mindanaians,  though  hospit- 
able and  kind,  were,  when  offended,  vindictive  and  deadly  in 
16 


178  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

their  resentments  ;  the  conduct  of  these  dissolute  and  openly 
profligate  seamen  had  given  them  great  oftence  ;  and  sixteen 
of  the  Bucaniers  were  in  a  short  time  taken  ofi*  by  poison,  to 
which  more  afterward  fell  victims.  The  islanders  were  skilled 
in  subtle  poisons,  which  had  not  their  full  operation  till  a  long 
while  after  they  were  administered.  Some  of  the  men,  after 
they  were  conscious  of  having  been  poisoned,  lingered  on  for 
months.  When  they  died  their  livers  were  found  black,  dry, 
and  shrivelled  '-  like  cork." 

The  ship  had  not  lain  long  in  the  river  when  it  had  been  dis- 
covered that  her  bottom  was  eaten  with  worms,  which  bred  in 
such  great  numbers  in  this  place,  that  shortly  before  a  Dutch 
vessel  had  been  destroyed  by  them  in  two  months,  while  the 
Rajah  Laut  became  heir  to  her  great  guns.  It  began  to  be 
suspected  that  he  entertained  the  hope  of  being  equally  fortu- 
nate in  a  legacy  from  the  Cygnet,  as  he  had  given  no  intima- 
tion of  a  danger  which  the  Mindanaians  always  avoided  by 
placing  their  barks  and  boats  in  a  dry-dock  the  moment  they 
came  into  port,  even  when  only  returned  from  fishing.  He 
shook  his  head  and  seemed  displeased  when  he  saw  that  the 
sheathing  of  the  vessel  had  prevented  serious  damage,  and 
gravely  remarked,  "  that  he  never  did  see  a  ship  with  the 
cunning  device  of  two  bottoms  before."  Dampier  had  seen 
the  same  kind  of  worms  in  myriads  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy, 
and  in  the  Bay  of  Panama,  and  in  smaller  numbers  in  Vir- 
ginia.    They  are  never  seen  far  at  sea. 

This  alarming  damage  was  rep.iired  in  time,  though,  taken 
with  other  circumstances,  it  strengthened  the  suspicions  of 
Captain  Svran,  and  excited  the  discontent  of  the  men  by  in- 
creasing their  alarm.  Rajah  Laut  also,  if  he  did  not  absolute- 
ly refuse,  still  delayed  to  furnish  the  beef  and  rice  necessary 
to  their  subsistence,  and  which  were  to  be  the  price  of  the 
commodities  with  which  Captain  Swan  had  so  largely  furnished 
him.  His  English  friend  had  also  lent  the  rajah  twenty  ounces 
of  gold,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  a  solemn  ceremonial  observed 
shortly  before,  when  his  son  had  been  circumcised.  This 
splendid  ceremony,  at  which  the  English  assisted,  had  been 
celebrated  with  music,  dances,  the  singular  war-dance  of  the 
country,  banquets,  pageants,  and  processions  by  torchhght. 
The  Rajah,  in  a  manner  not  uncommon  in  eastern  countries, 
.not  only  refused  to  repay  the  gold,  but  when  urged,  insisted 
that  it  had  been  a  present,  and  finally  demanded  payment  for 
all  the  victuals  Swan  and  his  men  had  consumed  at  his  hos- 
pitable board. 

While   the  rajah  thus  refused  to  discharge  his  debts,  the 
Bucanier  crew  clamoured  to  be  gone,  and,  becoming  openly 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  179 

mutinous,  a  party  of  them  resolved  to  carry  off  the  ship. 
Neither  Dampier,  who  happened  to  be  on  board,  nor  the  sur- 
geon's mate,  approved  of  this  treacherous  design,  but  they 
were  reluctantly  compelled  to  go  with  the  rest,  leaving  Captain 
Swan  and  thirty-six  men  at  Mindanao,  from  whence  the 
Cygnet  sailed  on  the  14th  of  January,  1687,  intending  to  cruise 
off  Manilla.  A  Bucanier  of  Jamaica,  named  Read  was  chosen 
commander.  The  first  intimation  Swan  had  of  his  abandon- 
ment was  the  gun  which  was  fired  as  the  ship  got  under  way. 
To  his  own  irresolution,  bad  temper,  and  want  of  firmness, 
Dampier  imputes  this  misfortune.  If,  when  apprized  of  the 
design  of  the  mutineers,  he  had  come  on  board  and  behaved 
with  prudence  and  courage,  he  might  have  brought  back  the 
greater  part  of  the  men  to  their  duty,  and  taken  his  own 
measures  with  the  ringleaders,  to  some  of  whom  he  had  cer- 
tainly given  just  cause  of  discontent. 

After  leaving  at  Mindanao,  the  Cygnet,  with  a  crew  now 
reduced  by  various  causes  to  eighty  men,  coasted  to  the  west- 
ward. They  fell  in  with  a  great  many  Keys,  or  small  low 
islets,  between  which  and  Mindanao  there  was  a  good  chan- 
nel. On  the  east  of  these  Keys  they  anchored  and  obtained 
green-turtle.  At  different  places  they  cut  ratans,  such  as  were 
used  in  England  for  walking-canes.  They  saw  here  large 
bats,  "  seven  or  eight  feet  from  tip  to  tip"  of  the  extended 
wings,  which  regularly  at  dusk  took  their  flight  from  the 
smaller  islands  to  the  main  island  in  swarms  like  bees,  and  re- 
turned like  a  cloud  before  sunrise.  On  the  23d  they  reached 
Luconia,  having  captured  a  Spanish  vessel  laden  with  rice  and 
cotton  cloth,  bound  for  Manilla.  The  master  had  been  boat- 
swain of  the  Acapulco  ship  which  had  escaped  them  at 
Guahan,  and  which  now  lay  safe  in  port.  Nothing,  therefore, 
of  consequence  could  be  hoped  for  this  season,  and  to  beguile 
the  time,  and  wait  a  more  favourable  opportunity,  they  resolv- 
ed to  sail  for  the  Pulo  Condore  or  "  Islands  of  Calabashes," 
a  group  of  small  islands  on  the  coast  of  Cambodia,  They  an- 
chored at  Condore  on  the  14th  of  March. 

At  this  place  the  Bucaniers  remained  for  a  month;  after 
which  they  cruised  in  the  G  ulf  of  Siam  and  in  several  parts  of 
the  China  seas,  taking  all  barks  that  fell  in  their  way,  whether 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  or  native  vessels.  From  the  crew  of  a 
junk  belonging  to  the  Island  of  Sumatra,  they  learned  that  the 
English  had  estabhshed  a  factory  on  that  island.  The  sur- 
geon and  Dampier,  who  had  accompanied  "this  mad  crew" 
against  their  inclination,  "and  were  sufficiently  weary  of 
them,"  would  have  escaped  here,  and  taken  their  chance  of 


180  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

getting  to  this  or  some  other  English  factory;  but  they  were 
constrained  to  remain  in  the  Cygnet. 

The  next  destination  of  the  Bucaniers  was  the  Ponghou  Isl- 
ands, which  in  no  respect  answered  their  purpose  of  quiet  and 
security.  At  the  place  where  they  anchored  there  was  a  large 
town  and  a  Tartar  garrison. 

In  the  charts  which  they  possessed  there  were  laid  down, 
marked  by  the  figure  5,  a  group  of  islands  situated  between 
Luconia  (the  cynosure  of  their  hopes)  and  Formosa;  and 
these,  which  offered  a  tolerably  convenient  station,  they  hoped 
might  be  either  uninhabited  or  only  peopled  by  tribes  from 
whom  they  might  with  impunity  plunder  provisions,  without 
danger  of  the  outrage  being  heard  of  in  the  Philippines. 
They  steered  for  them,  and  upon  the  6th  of  August  reached 
the  interesting  group  now  known  as  the  Bashee  Islands. 

These  five  islands  were  more  particularly  named,  1.  Orange 
Island,  so  called  by  the  Dutchmen  among  the  crew  in  honour 
of  their  native  prince.  It  is  the  largest  and  most  westerly  ot* 
the  group,  and  was  uninhabited.  2.  Grafton  Island  was  so 
named  by  Dampier  in  compliment  to  the  noble  family  in 
whose  household  he  had,  as  has  been  mentioned,  left  his  wife. 
3.  Monmouth  Island  was  named  by  the  seamen  after  the  un- 
fortunate Duke  of  Monmouth,  the  son  of  Charles  II.  The 
other  two  were  called  the  Goat  and  the  Bashee  Island,  from 
the  number  of  goats  seen  on  the  one,  and  the  abundance  of  the 
beverage  which  gained  the  approbation  of  the  seamen  that 
was  made  on  the  other.  The  two  latter  are  small  islands, 
lying  to  the  south,  in  the  channel  which  divides  Orange  Island 
from  Grafton  and  Monmouth  Islands.  Monmouth  Island  is 
high,  and  so  fenced  with  steep  rocks  and  precipitous  cliffs,  that 
the  Bucaniers  did  not  land  upon  it  as  they  did  upon  all  the 
other  islands.  Grafton  and  Monmouth  Islands  were  thickly 
inhabited,  and  on  Bashee  there  was  one  village. 

The  natives  were  "short  squat  people,  generally  round- 
visaged,  with  low  foreheads  and  thick  eye-brows ;  their  eyes 
small  and  hazel-coloured,  yet  bigger  than  those  of  the  Chinese ; 
short  low  noses,  their  lips  and  mouths  middle-proportioned; 
ther  teeth  white,  their  hair  black,  thick,  and  lank,  which  they 
wore  cut  short ;  it  will  just  cover  their  ears,  and  so  is  cut 
round  very  even,"  says  Dampier,  and  to  this  fashion  they 
seemed  to  attach  great  importance.  Their  skins  are  a  dark 
copper-colour.  They  wear  neither  hat,  cap,  turban,  nor  any 
thing  to  keep  off  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  men  had  a  cloth 
about  their  middle,  and  some  wore  jackets  of  plantain-leaves, 
**  as  rough  and  bristly  as  a  bear's  skin."     The  women  were 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  181 

clothed  with  a  short  cotton  petticoat,  which  fell  below  the 
knees;  of " a  thick,  stubborn"  cloth  that  they  manufactured 
themselves.  Both  men  and  women  wore  large  earrings  of  a 
yellow  glistering  metal,  found  in  the  mines  in  their  own  moun- 
tains, rcsembhng  gold,  but  paler  in  colour. 

No  foreign  commodities  of  any  kind  were  seen  amono-  the 
Basheeans,  nor  any  thing  that  could  have  been  introduced  by 
sea,  save  a  few  bits  of  iron  and  pieces  of  buffalo-hides.  In  all 
points  they  appeared  an  unmixed  race,  in  their  dispositions 
singularly  mild,  amiable,  and  peaceful.  Their  islands  produ- 
ced plantains,  bananas,  pumpkins,  and  plenty  of  yams,  which 
made  the  principal  part  of  their  food.  They  had  no  grain  of 
any  kind,  and  consequently  but  few  fowls,  which  Dampier 
never  saw  in  plenty  where  there  was  not  either  maize,  rice,  or 
grain  of  some  sort. 

The  dwellings  of  the  islanders,  and  the  places  upon  which 
they  had  perched  them,  were  among  the  most  singular  features 
of  their  social  condition.  In  describing  them  we  adopt  the 
words  of  Dampier : — "  These  people  made  but  low,  small 
houses.  The  sides,  which  were  made  of  small  posts,  wattled 
with  boughs,  and  not  above  four  feet  and  a  half  high:  the 
ridge  pole  is  about  seven  or  eight  feet  high.  They  have  a 
fireplace  at  one  end  of  their  houses,  and  boards  placed  on  the 
ground  to  lie  on.  They  inhabit  together  in  small  villages  built 
on  the  sides  and  tops  of  rocky  hills,  three  or  four  rows  of 
houses  one  above  another,  under  such  steep  precipices  that 
they  go  up  to  the  first  row  with  a  wooden  ladder,  and  so  with 
a  ladder  still  from  every  story  up  to  that  above  it,  there  being 
no  other  way  to  ascend.  The  plain  on  the  first  precipice  may 
be  so  wide  as  to  have  room  both  for  a  row  of  houses,  which 
stand  all  along  the  edge  or  brink  of  it,  and  a  very  narrow  street 
running  along  before  their  doors,  between  the  row  of  houses 
and  the  foot  of  the  next  precipice,  the  plain  of  which  is  in  a 
manner  level  with  the  roofs  of  the  houses  below,  and  so  for  the 
rest.  The  common  ladder  to  each  row,  or  street,  comes  up  at 
a  narrow  passage,  left  purposely  about  the  middle  of  it,  and  the 
street  being  bounded  with  a  precipice  also  at  each  end,  'tis 
but  drawing  up  the  ladder  if  they  be  assaulted,  and  then  there 
is  no  coming  at  them  from  below  but  by  climbing  a  perpendicu- 
lar wall.  And  that  they  may  not  be  assaulted  from  above  they 
take  care  to  build  on  the  side  of  such  a  hill  whose  back  hangs 
over  the  sea,  or  is  some  high,  steep,  perpendicular  precipice, 
altogether  inaccessible."  These  precipices  and  regular  ter- 
races appeared  quite  natural.  Grafton  and  Monmouth  Islands 
abounded  in  these  rocky  fortresses,  in  which  the  natives  felt 
16* 


183  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

themselves  secure  from  pirates,  and  from  enemies  whether 
foreign  or  domestic. 

The  men  of  the  Bashee  Islands,  while  the  Cygnet  lay  there, 
were  generally  employed  in  fishing,  leaving  the  plantations  to 
the  care  of  the  women.  Their  weapons  were  wooden  lances, 
of  which  only  a  few  were  headed  with  iron ;  their  armour  a 
buffalo's  hide,  as  thick  as  a  board,  wliich  covered  them  to  the 
knees,  having  holes  for  the  head  and  arms.  No  form  of  wor- 
ship was  observed  among  this  tribe,  nor  did  any  one  seem  to 
have  more  authority  than  another.  Every  man  had  one  wife, 
and  ruled  his  own  household, — the  single  wife  appearing  affec- 
tionate and  happy,  and  the  children  respecting  and  honouring 
their  parents.  The  boys  went  out  to  fish  with  their  fathers, 
while  the  girls  attended  to  domestic  duties  with  their  mothers. 
Their  plantations  were  in  the  valleys,  where  each  family  had 
one ;  and  thither  the  young  girls,  as  soon  as  they  were  able  for 
the  task,  descended  every  day  from  their  rocky  abodes  to  dig 
yams  and  potatoes,  which  they  carried  home  on  theh*  heads  for 
the  use  of  the  family. 

In  no  part  of  the  world  had  Dampier  seen  people  so  per- 
fectly quiet  and  civil  as  these  islanders.  "  They  dealt  justly 
and  with  great  sincerity,"  he  says,  "  and  made  us  very  wel- 
come to  their  houses  with  Bashee-drink." 

Meanwhile  the  cruise  off  Manilla  was  not  forgotten.  Eighty 
hogs  were  salted,  and  yams  and  potatoes  laid  up  for  sea-store. 
The  crew  had  taken  in  water,  and  now  only  waited  the  settling 
of  the  eastern  monsoon  to  take  their  departure.  On  the  24th 
of  September  the  wind  shifted  to  the  east,  and  by  midnight 
blew  so  fiercely  that  they  were  driven  to  sea,  leaving  six  of 
their  men  on  the  island.  It  was  the  1st  of  October  before  they 
were  able  to  recover  their  anchoring  ground.  The  natives 
immediately  rowed  their  comrades  on  board.  As  soon  as  the 
ship  was  out  of  sight,  the  islanders  increased  in  hospitality 
and  kindness  to  the  strangers  left  among  them.  They  only 
stipulated  that  the  Bucaniers  should  cut  their  hair  in  the  Ba- 
shee fashion;  and  on  this  condition  offered  each  of  them  a 
wife,  and,  as  a  dowry,  a  plantation  and  implements  of  labour. 
The  late  storm,  their  long  and  profitless  cruise,  now  extend- 
ing with  some  of  them  to  years,  and  the  penalties  to  which 
their  criminal  acts  made  them  all  alike  liable  in  every  civilized 
country,  combined  to  depress  the  spirits  of  the  crew  of  the 
Cygnet;  and  once  more  every  man  heartily  wished  himself  at 
home,  "  as  they  had  done  a  hundred  times  before.'*  They 
were,  however,  persuaded  by  the  captain  and  master  to  try 
one  more  chance,  and  agreed  to  steer  for  Cape  Comorin,  for 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  183 

ever  renouncing  the  long^-indulged  dream  of  capturing  the 
Manilla  ship.  Dampier  beUeved  that  the  ultimate  object  of 
the  pirate  commanders  was  to  cruise  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  by 
one  more  desperate  effort  to  make  or  for  ever  mar  their  for- 
tunes. Of  all  the  company  none  was  more  heartily  tired  than 
our  navigator,  who  had  been  betrayed  into  this  voyage,  and 
whose  thoughts,  since  leaving  Mindanao,  had  run  continually 
on  making  his  escape  to  some  Enghsh  settlement.  To  avoid 
the  danger  of  meeting  English  or  Dutch  ships,  with  which,  in 
taking  the  best  and  most  direct  course,  they  were  in  danger  of 
falling  in,  they  agreed,  instead  of  steering  for  the  Straits  of 
Malacca,  to  go  round  the  east  side  of  the  Philippines,  and, 
keeping  south  to  the  Spice  Islands,  pass  these,  and  enter  the 
Indian  Ocean  about  Timor.  To  Dampier  all  routes  were 
alike.  "I  was  well  enough  satisfied,"  he  says,  "knowing 
that  the  farther  we  went  the  more  knowledge  and  experience  I 
should  get,  which  was  the  main  thing  I  regarded,  and  should 
also  have  the  more  variety  of  places  to  attempt  an  escape  from 
them. 

On  the  3d  of  October  they  sailed  from  the  Bashee  Isles, 
leaving,  for  the  first  time,  a  somewhat  favourable  impression 
of  their  characters,  and  bearing  away  grateful  and  affectionate 
remembrances  of  this  gentle  and  amiable  tribe.  They  steered 
S.  S.  W.,  with  the  wind  at  W.  and  fair  weather;  and  passed 
certain  islands  which  lie  by  the  north  end  of  Luconia.  Leav- 
ing the  coast  of  this  island,  and  with  it  "  all  their  golden  pros- 
pects," they  steered  southward,  keeping  to  the  east  of  the 
Philippines,  and  on  the  15th  anchored  between  the  two  small 
islands  named  Candigar  and  Sarangan,  near  the  south-east 
end  of  Mindanao;  and  next  day,  at  the  north-west  end  of  the 
most  easterly  of  the  islands,  found  a  fit  place  to  careen  and  refit 
the  ship.  While  they  lay  here  the  nephew  of  the  sultan,  who> 
in  name  of  his  uncle,  had  formerly  been  treating  with  Captain 
Swan  to  visit  and  garrison  his  island,  and  take  in  a  cargo  of 
spice,  came  on  board  and  requested  a  passage  home,  as  they 
were  understood  to  be  going  southward.  From  him  they  ob- 
tained intelligence  of  Captain  Swan  and  their  deserted  com- 
rades, who  had  been  fighting  under  Rajah  Laut  with  a  hostile 
tribe  in  the  interior.  The  Englishmen  had  conducted  them- 
selves so  bravely  in  fight,  that  they  were  now  in  high  favour 
at  Mindanao ;  though  it  was  feared  they  had  been  found  too 
powerful  and  useful  as  allies  to  be  permitted  easily  to  leave 
their  new  service.  Swan  had  for  some  time  been  attempting, 
unsuccessfully,  to  hire  a  vessel  to  convey  him  to  Fort  St. 
George. 


184  WILLIAM    DAMPIER. 

At  this  time  Dampicr  took  an  opportunity  of  persuading  the 
men  to  return  to  their  duty,  to  carry  the  ship  back  to  the  river 
of  Mindanao,  and  give  her  up  to  the  true  commander;  but 
before  this  could  be  effected,  one  man,  who  seemed  the  most 
zealously  to  embrace  the  proposal,  gave  information,  and 
Captain  Read  deemed  it  prudent  to  weigh  anchor  with  all  ex- 
pedition, and  without  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  prince,  to  whom 
a  passage  had  been  promised.  Read  held  a  course  south-west, 
and  once  more  disappointed  the  hopes  of  Dampier,  who  be- 
lieved that,  by  carrying  home  the  young  chief,  they  might,  at 
his  uncle's  island,  establish  a  factory  and  a  lawful  traffic. 

The  ultimate  fate  of  Captain  Swan,  of  whom  we  are  now 
to  lose  .sight,  was  not  a  little  painful.  Two  supercargoes  or 
merchants  of  the  ship,  Harthop  and  Smith,  died  at  Mindanao; 
and  when  the  commander,  after  a  series  of  vexations  and  dis- 
appointments, was  going  out  to  a  Dutch  vessel  which  lay  in 
tlie  river,  hoping  to  get  away  at  last,  the  boat  was  run  down 
by  the  emissaries  of  Rajah  Laut,  and  Swan  and  the  surgeon 
were  either  drowned  or  killed  in  the  water.  The  property  of 
the  English  captain  was  immediately  seized  by  the  perfidious 
chief,  who  justified  his  conduct  by  imputing  as  crimes  to  the 
unfortunate  Englishman  the  idle  impotent  threats  wrung  from 
him  by  hope  deferred,  irritation,  and  grief. 

The  Cygnet  continued  her  bootless  voyage  among  the  isl- 
ands and  channels  of  the  Philippines  on  to  the  Spice  Isles, 
and  anchored  off  Celebes,  where  the  seamen  obtained  a  supply 
of  turtle,  and  found,  among  other  shellfish,  cockles  of  so  mon- 
strous a  size  that  the  meat  of  one  of  them  made  a  meal  for 
seven  or  eight  persons.  It  was  palatable  and  wholesome. 
Here  they  also  found  a  vine,  of  which  the  leaves,  pounded 
and  boiled  with  lard,  made  an  infallible  sea-salve.  One  of  the 
company  had  formerly  learned  its  uses  from  the  Indians  of  the 
Darien;  and  most  of  the  seamen  now  laid  up  a  store,  such  as 
had  ulcers  finding  great  benefit  from  its  healing  properties. 
On  the  29th  of  November  they  left  this  place  ;  and  after  en- 
countering the  dangers  of  the  shoals  which  surround  Celebes, 
and  experiencing  fierce  tornadoes,  on  the  1st  of  December 
saw,  and  on  the  5th  approached,  the  north-west  end  of  the 
island  of  Bouton.  On  the  evening  of  the  30th  they  had  seen 
at  a  distance  two  or  three  water-spouts,  but  escaped  them  all. 

An  Indian  mIio  spoke  the  Malay  tongue  came  on  board  at 
this  time  with  some  of  the  turtle-strikers,  and  informed  them 
of  a  good  harbour  on  the  east  side  of  Bouton,  for  which  they 
sailed.  They  came  to  anchor  within  a  league  of  CaUasusung^ 
a  clean  and  handsome  town,  situated  upon  a  hill  in  the  middle 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  185 

of  a  fertile  plain,  surrounded  with  cocoa-trees.  The  people 
resembled  the  inhabitants  of  Mindanao,  and  their  houses  were 
built  in  the  same  style ;  but  they  appeared  in  all  respects  more 
*'neat  and  tight."  They  were  Mohammedans,  and  spoke  the 
Malay  language.  The  same  description  seems  to  fit  every 
sultan  whom  the  voyagers  saw, — "  a  little  man  about  forty  or 
fifty,  with  a  great  many  wives  and  children."  Unaware  of  the 
exact  character  of  his  visiters,  the  Sukan  of  Boulonwas  pleas- 
ed to  hear  that  they  were  English,  and  made  them  a  visit  in  a 
handsomely  ornamented  proa,  with  a  white  silk  flag  displayed 
at  the  masthead,  edged  with  red,  and  having  in  the  centre, 
neatly  painted,  the  device  of  the  prince, — a  green  griffin 
trampling  upon  a  dragon  or  winged  serpent. 

They  had  no  object  in  remaining  here ;  and  as  a  forlorn 
hope,  or  from  curiosity,  resolved  to  steer  for  New-Holland, 
"to  see  what  that  country  could  afford  them."  In  leaving 
Bouton  they  got  among  shoals,  and  it  was  about  three  weeks 
before  they  passed  Timor,  and  got  clear  of  all  the  dangers  of 
this  chain.  They  stood  off  south,  and  on  the  4th  of  January 
fell  in  with  the  north-west  coast  of  New-Holland  in  16^  50". 
They  ran  close  in,  but  found  no  safe  anchoring-ground,  as  the 
coast  lay  open  to  the  N.  E.  They  steered  for  about  twelve 
leagues  N.  E.  by  E.,  keeping  close  in  by  the  shore,  and  reach- 
ed a  point,  three  leagues  to  the  eastward  of  which  they  found 
a  deep  bay  with  many  islets,  and  finally  anchored  at  about  a 
mile  from  the  land.  Seeing  people  walking  on  the  shore,  a 
canoe  was  sent  off,  but  the  natives  ran  away  and  hid  them- 
selves; and  though  traces  of  fires  were  seen,  no  habitation 
could  be  discovered.  Toys  and  trinkets  were  left  on  the  shore 
at  such  places  as  the  people  were  likely  to  find  them. 

The  coast  here  was  low  and  level,  with  sandbanks.  No 
water  could  be  found,  though  at  several  places  old  wells  were 
seen  dry  in  the  sandy  bays.  Having  failed  of  their  object  on 
the  mainland,  neither  provisions  nor  water  being  found,  nor  a 
hope  of  them,  some  of  the  boats  visited  the  islands  in  the  bay, 
and  surprised  a  party  of  the  natives.  The  men  at  first  threat- 
ened the  intruders,  and  showed  their  lances  and  swords;  but 
the  noise  of  a  single  gun  frightened  them,  and  the  women 
seemed  in  very  great  alarm.  Screaming,  they  ran  away  with 
their  children,  while  the  men  stood  to  parley.  Those  who 
from  sickness  or  feebleness  were  unable  to  follow,  lay  still  by 
their  fires  uttering  doleful  lamentations ;  but  when  it  was  seen 
that  no  harm  was  intended  them,  they  became  tranquil,  and 
many  of  the  fugitives  returned. 

The  Bucaniers  had  entertained  no  design  against  these 
wretched  people  more  flagitious  than  to  make  them  labour  in 


tm 


WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 


carrying  the  water-casks  to  the  boats.  To  this  they  tried  to 
bribe  them  with  ragged  shirts  and  old  breeches,  finery  which 
could  have  charmed  some  of  the  insular  families  of  the  Pacific, 
though  they  were  totally  disregarded  by  the  inert  natives  of 
New-Holland,  whose  first  associations  with  European  finery 
were  connected  with  hard  and  compulsory  labour.  "  We  put 
them  on  them,"  says  Dampier,  speaking  of  the  tattered  rags 
of  the  Bucaniers,  "  thinking  this  finery  would  make  them  work 
heartily  for  us  ;  and  our  water  being  filled  in  barrels  of  about 
six  gallons,  we  brought  these  new  servants  to  the  wells,  and 
put  a  barrel  on  each  of  their  shoulders  to  carry  to  the  canoe. 
But  all  the  signs  we  could  make  were  to  no  purpose ;  for  they 
stood  like  statues  without  motion,  but  grinned  like  so  many 
monkeys,  staring  upon  one  another."  It  was  found  that  they 
had  not  even  strength  sufficient  for  the  task  of  being  carriers 
of  water  ;  and  Dampier  believed  that  an  Enghsh  ship  boy  of 
ten  years  old  would  have  been  able  to  bear  heavier  burdens 
than  these  feeble  savages.  "  So  we  were  forced,"  he  says,  "to 
carry  our  water  ourselves ;  and  they  very  fairly  put  the  clothes 
off*  again,  and  laid  them  down,  as  if  clothes  were  only  to  work 
in.  I  did  not  perceive,"  he  adds,  "  that  they  had  any  great 
liking  to  them  at  first;  neither  did  they  seem  to  admire  any 
thing  we  had." 

The  Mosquito-men  were  busily  employed  during  the  time 
that  the  ship  was  cleaned  and  the  sails  repaired;  nor  did 
Dampier  miss  the  opportunity  of  once  again  persuading  his 
messmates  to  go  to  some  English  factory  and  surrender  the 
vessel  and  themselves.  The  threat  of  being  left  on  this  bar- 
ren and  melancholy  coast,  among  the  most  wretched  of  the 
human  race,  compelled  him  to  consult  his  prudence  rather  than 
his  duty,  and  to  wait  a  fairer  chance  of  escape. 

The  destination  of  the  Cygnet  was  still  CapeComorin;  and 
on  the  4th  of  May  they  made  the  Nicobar  Islands,  the  chief 
commodities  of  which  were  ambergris  and  fruits,  which  the 
inhabitants  disposed  of  to  any  European  vessels  that  chanced 
to  visit  them.  Dampier  now  openly  expressed  his  intention 
of  leaving  the  ship;  and  Captain  Read,  believing  that  he  could 
not  more  effectually  punish  his  refractory  shipmate  than  by 
granting  his  wish,  and  leaving  him  at  this  island,  at  once  gave 
him  leave  to  go  on  shore.  Lest  Read  might  change  his  mind, 
Dampier  immediately  lowered  his  bedding  and  chest,  and  got 
some  one  to  row  him  to  the  land.  He  had  not  been  long  on 
shore  when  a  party  were  sent  from  the  ship  to  bring  him  back, 
and  he  complied,  aware  that  if  he  persisted  in  going  away 
against  their  will,  the  Bucaniers  would  not  hesitate  to  make  a 
descent  on  the  coast  and  kill  some  of  the  natives,  who  would 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  187 

in  turn  revenge  themselves  on  him.  On  returning  to  the  ship, 
he  found  that  his  spirited  example  had  moved  some  of  the 
other  persons  who  had  long  entertained  a  similar  design  of 
effecting  their  escape,  and  three  of  them  now  joined  his  party, 
of  whom  the  surgeon  was  one.  The  captain  and  crew  refu- 
sed on  any  terms  to  let  the  surgeon  depart ;  but  after  some 
altercation  Dampier  and  his  two  companions,  on  a  fine  clear 
moonlight  night,  were  landed  and  left  in  a  sandy  bay  of  this 
unknown  island.  One  of  the  seamen  who  rowed  them  ashore 
stole  an  axe  and  gave  it  to  them,  as  the  means  of  propitiating 
the  natives,  or  of  buying  provisions.  They  were  speedily 
joined  by  four  Acheenese  previously  found  in  a  captured  proa, 
whom  Captain  Read  released  before  setting  sail;  and  now  they 
fancied  themselves  strong  enough  to  row  to  Sumatra.  A  Por- 
tuguese, taken  prisoner  by  the  Bucaniers  long  before,  was  also 
landed,  and  the  party  of  eight  considered  itself  able  for  de- 
fence if  attacked  by  the  natives,  though  no  one  offered  to  dis- 
turb them. 

From  the  owner  of  an  empty  hut  in  which  they  slept  they 
bought  a  canoe  with  the  stolen  axe,  and,  placing  their  goods  in 
it,  embarked  for  Acheen.  It  upset  as  soon  as  under  way, 
and  though  no  life  was  lost  their  clothes  were  wetted,  and  what 
to  Dampier  was  of  far  greater  importance,  the  journals  of 
many  years  and  his  drafts  were  damaged.  Three  days  were 
spent  in  drying  their  things,  and  altering  their  canoe  into  a 
saihng  boat,  which  was  expertly  done  by  the  Acheenese,  who 
fitted  her  with  a  mast,  outriggers,  and  suit  of  mat-sails.  With 
the  natives,  who  watched  all  their  movements,  though  more 
from  curiosity  than  suspicion,  they  bartered  rags  and  strips*  of 
cloth  for  mellory, — a  fruit  the  size  of  the  bread-fruit,  shaped 
like  a  pear  with  a  tough,  smooth,  light-green  rind,  which 
Dampier  asserts  is  confined  to  these  islands.  They  also  ob- 
tained cocoanuts,  which  the  Acheenese  gathered,  and  might 
have  had  hogs,  but  that  they  did  not  choose  to  disgust  their 
Malayan  friends,  who  were  Mahommedans.  Once  more  they 
embarked  in  their  frail  vessel,  their  only  guides  a  pocket  com- 
pass, with  which  Dampier  had  provided  himself,  and  a  sketch 
of  the  Indian  Seas,  which,  contemplating  escape,  he  had  pre- 
viously from  a  chart  in  the  ship,  copied  into  his  pocket-book. 

They  had  been  out  three  days  when  the  weather  became 
threatening  and  soon  rose  to  a  tempest.  We  shall  employ  the 
striking  language  of  Dampier  himself  to  describe  what  follow- 


*  A  strip  of  cloth  which  those  islanders  wear  attached  to  their  slight  cover- 
ing led  Linseus  into  the  ludicrous  mistake  of  asserting,  on  the  authority  of 
an  ignorant  Swedish  saDor,  that  here  existed  a  race  of  men  with  tails. 


188  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

ed,  nor,  while  it  reveals  so  much  of  his  true  character  and 
feelings,  could  a  better  specimen  of  his  more  elevated  and 
earnest  style  be  easily  selected : — 

"  The  wind  continued  increasing  all  the  afternoon,  and  the 
sea  still  swelled  higher  and  often  broke,  but  did  us  no  damage ; 
for  the  ends  of  the  vessel  being  very  narrow,  he  that  steered 
received  and  broke  the  sea  on  his  back,  and  so  kept  it  from 
coming  in,  which  we  were  forced  to  keep  heaving  out  contin- 
ually. The  evening  of  this  day  was  very  dismal.  The  sky 
looked  very  black,  being  covered  with  dark  clouds.  The  wind 
blew  hard,  and  the  seas  ran  high.  The  sea  was  already  roar- 
ing in  a  white  foam  about  us;  a  dark  night  coming  on,  no 
land  to  shelter  us,  and  our  little  bark  in  danger  to  be  swallow- 
ed by  every  wave ;  and,  what  was  worst  of  all,  none  of  us 
thought  ourselves  prepared  for  another  world.  I  had  been  in 
many  imminent  dangers  before  now,  but  the  Avorst  of  them  all 
was  but  play-game  in  comparison  with  this.  I  had^long  before 
this  repented  me  of  that  roving  course  of  life,  but  never  with 
such  concern  as  now.  I  did  also  call  to  mind  the  many  mira- 
culous acts  of  God's  providence  towards  me  in  the  whole 
course  of  my  life,  of  which  kind,  1  believe  few  men  have  met 
the  hke.  And  for  all  these  I  returned  thanks  in  a  pecuhar 
manner,  and  once  more  desired  God's  assistance,  and  com- 
posed my  mind  as  well  as  I  could  in  the  hopes  of  it,  and,  as 
the  event  showed,  I  was  not  disappointed  of  my  hopes.  Sub- 
mitting ourselves  therefore  to  God's  good  providence,  and 
taking  all  the  care  we  could  to  preserve  our  lives,  Mr.  Hall  and 
I  took  turns  to  steer,  and  the  rest  to  heave  out  the  water ;  and 
thus  we  provided  to  spend  the  most  doleful  night  I  ever 
was  in." 

The  pious  trust  of  Dampier  and  his  companions  did  not  fail 
them.  After  enduring  great  hardship,  they  reached  a  small 
fishing  village  in  a  river's  mouth,  of  the  Island  of  Sumatra,  at 
which  their  companions,  the  Malays  of  Acheen,  were  previ- 
ously acquainted.  They  were  so  much  exhausted  when  they 
arrived  here  as  to  be  unable  to  row  their  canoe  to  the  village, — 
another  example  of  the  sudden  prostration  of  strength  to  which 
persons  who  have  been  in  imminent  jeopardy  are  liable  as 
soon  as  the  danger  appears  to  be  past.  The  people  of  the 
place  assisted  them  in,  and  a  chief  who  came  to  see  them, 
being  given  to  understand  that  they  were  prisoners  escaped 
like  the  Acheenese  from  the  pirates,  treated  them  with  great 
kindness.  A  house  was  provided  for  their  reception,  and  far 
more  provisions  sent  to  it  than  they  could  use,  as  they  were 
all  sick  from  excessive  fatigue,  and  the  cold  and  heat  to  which 
thej  had  alternately  been  exposed,  now  scorching  unsheltered 


WILLIAM    DAMPIER*  189 

in  the  noontide  sun,  and  again  bleaching  in  the  chill  rains  of 
midnight.  After  resting  for  ten  days,  though  not  yet  restored 
to  health,  they  entreated  to  be  allowed  to  proceed  to  Acheen  to 
their  countrymen  ;  and  they  were  provided  with  a  large  proa, 
and  permitted  to  depart.  On  their  arrival  at  Acheen  they  were 
strictly  examined  by  the  native  magistrate,  and  then  given  up 
to  the  care  of  an  Irish  gentleman  connected  with  the  factory. 
The  Portuguese  died,  and  Ambrose,  one  of  the  Englishmen 
who  left  the  Cygnet  did  not  long  survive  him.  Dampier, 
originally  robust,  and  whose  constitution  was  now  by  his  hardy 
mode  of  life  almost  invincible,  recovered,  though  slowly ;  the 
remedies  of  a  Malay  doctor,  to  whose  care  he  was  committed, 
having  proved  worse  than  the  original  disease. 

We  may  here  take  a  farewell  glance  of  the  Bucaniers,  and 
especially  of  those  left  by  Dampier  in  the  South  Sea.  In  pur- 
suing their  old  vocation  they  became  more  successful  after  the 
Cygnet  crossed  the  Pacific  They  captured  many  vessels, 
and  revelled  in  the  plunder  of  several  towns  ;  sometimes 
cruising  together,  but  as  often  in  detached  bands.  Townley 
was  so  far  fortunate  as  to  obtain  with  ease  at  Laveha  the  trea- 
sure and  merchandise  landed  from  the  Lima  ship  on  the  for- 
mer year,  for  which  Swan  had  watched  so  long  in  vain,  and 
for  which  the  whole  Bucanier  force  had  battled  in  the  Bay  of 
Panama.  Townley  afterward  died  of  wounds  received  in 
another  attack.  The  French  party  stormed  Granada;  and 
Groignet,  dying  of  his  wounds,  was  succeeded  by  Le  Picard. 
Harris  followed  Swan  across  the  Pacific  ;  and  Knight,  satiated 
with  plunder,  returned  by  Cape  Horn  to  the  West  Indies. 

The  French  Flibustiers  countenanced  by  their  government, 
continued  to  flourish  during  the  war  which  followed  the  ac- 
cession of  William  III.  to  the  throne  of  England.  At  length 
Bucaniering  having  been  severely  checked,  changed  into  the 
more  legitimate  channel  of  privateering ;  yet  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  a  few  desperate  characters,  English,  or  English 
Creoles,  outlaws  or  deserters,  pretending  to  be  the  true  suc- 
cessors of  the  old  Rovers,  who  had  strictly  limited  their  depre- 
dations to  the  Spanish  West  Indies,  continued  to  infest  the 
commerce  of  every  nation,  and  haunted  every  sea  from  Cape 
Wrath  to  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  wherever  robbery 
could  be  practised  with  impunity  either  by  land  or  water. 

As  to  Dampier,  want  of  room  forbids  us  to  describe  minute- 
ly the  further  progress  of  this  voyage  in  all  its  details  ;  suffice 
it  to  say  that  after  some  time  spent  at  Fort  St.  George  on  the 
island  of  Bencoolen,  an  English  vessel  arrived  from  Mindanao, 
laden  with  clove  bark,  and  having  on  board  an  Indian  prince 
by  the  name  of  Jeoly,  whom  Dampier  had  formerly  seen  as  a 
17 


I9(^  WILLIAM   DAMPIER. 

slave  at  that  place,  and  whom  Mr.  Moody,  the  supercargo  of 
the  ship,  had  purchased  from  his  owner  on  a  speculation.  In 
this  speculation  Dampier  now  became  interested,  and  con- 
cluded to  return  home  in  the  ship.  The  voyage  from  the  ill- 
ness of  the  crew  proved  tedious  and  troublesome,  but  it  was 
completed  at  last ;  though  the  same  bad  fortune  which  had 
attended  Dampier  at  so  many  turns  of  life  deprived  him  of  all 
advantage  from  l)ringing  home  Jeoly.  He  arrived  in  the 
Thames  in  utter  poverty,  and  was  compelled  by  necessity  to 
sell  his  share  of  the  "  painted  prince  ;"  thus  forever  renounc- 
ing the  project  of  carrying  him  back  to  Meangis,  which  poor 
Jeoly  was  destined  never  again  to  revisit.  After  being  seen 
by  many  "  eminent  persons,'*  he  caught  the  small-pox  at  Ox- 
ford, and  died. 

Of  Dampier  at  this  time  we  hear  no  more.  The  narrative 
of  his  eight  years'  ramble  around  the  globe  breaks  off  abruptly 
by  saying,  "  We  luffed  in  for  the  Downs,  where  we  anchored, 
Sept.  16th,  1691." 

In  1699,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
Dampier  undertook  a  voyage  of  discovery  to  New-Holland, 
which  terminated  in  several  important  geographical  results. 
In  this  voyage  Dampier  gave  name  to  islands,  capes,  promon- 
tories, straits,  and  so  forth,  in  the  South  Seas,  of  which  Euro- 
peans had  before  but  little  if  any  knowledge.  On  the  return 
home  from  this  voyage,  while  near  the  island  of  Ascension,  the 
ship  being  old  and  damaged,  sprung  a  leak,  and  was  obhged 
to  be  abandoned.  Dampier  remained  on  board  to  the  very 
last.  He  had  to  regret  the  loss  of  many  of  his  books  and  pa- 
pers, and  a  collection  of  shells  gathered  at  New-Holland. 
After  remaining  at  Ascension  about  five  weeks,  an  Indiaman 
and  three  Enghsh  ships  of  war  came  into  the  bay.  In  these 
Dampier  and  his  crew  took  passage  home. 

Captain  Dampier  had  not  been  long  at  home  when  the  death 
of  King  William  III.  took  place,  and  was  followed  by  the  war 
of  the  Succession.  Among  the  private  enterprises  attendin^^ 
this  war  with  France  and  Spain  was  extensive  privateering; 
and  he  obtained  the  command  of  the  St.  George  and  Cinque 
Ports,  two  vessels  equipped  by  a  company  of  English  mer- 
chants, and  intended  to  cruise  against  the  Spaniards  in  the 
South  Seas.  The  St.  George  left  the  Downs  in  April,  1703, 
with  Captain  Dampier  on  board  ;  but  it  was  September  before 
both  vessels  left  Kmsale.  The  basis  of  the  expedition  was  the 
old  Bucanier  maxim,  no  prey ^  no  pay, — a  principle  ill-adapted 
to  the  maintenance  of  discipline  or  order  in  a  ship.  In  this 
voyage  Dampier  had  in  view  three  special  objects, — namely, 
the  capture  of  the  Spanish  galleons  that  sailed  from  Buenos 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  191 

Ayres;  and,  failing  that,  to  pass  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  or 
double  Cape  Horn,  and  lie  in  wait  for  the  ship  that  carried 
gold  from  Baldivia  to  Lima;  or,  finally,  the  oft-attempted  ex- 
ploit of  the  seizure  of  the  Manilla  galleon.  The  St.  George 
carried  twenty-six  guns,  and  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

Before  the  voyage  was  well  begun  quarrels  broke  out  among 
these  irresponsible  officers,  and  some  of  them  quitted  the  ship, 
while  the  commander,  without  being  invested  with  salutary 
power  to  restrain  them,  was  left  to  bear  the  blame  of  the  mis- 
cx)nduct  of  the  whole  company. 

The  ships  doubled  Cape  Horn,  and  reached  Juan  Fernan' 
dez  without  any  remarkable  adventure.  While  lying  here  a 
strange  sail  was.  seen,  to  which  both  ships  gave  chase.  She 
proved  to  be  a  French  ship  cruising  in  these  seas,  and  so 
strongly  did  the  old  Bucanier  associations  influence  Dampier, 
that  he  acknowledged  it  was  with  reluctance  he  attacked  a 
European  vessel  of  whatever  nation.  He  however  engaged, 
and  after  a  fight  of  seven  hours,  in  which  both  ships  suffered 
considerably,  they  parted. 

Before  the  proper  latitude  was  reached,  the  Baldivia  treasure- 
ships  had  sailed.  Though  Dampier  was  the  nominal  com- 
mander, Stradling,  in  the  Cinque  Ports,  acted  independently; 
and  as  they  differed  about  their  future  operations,  the  ships 
parted  company.  A  design  to  surprise  Santa  Maria  in  the 
Bay  of  Panama  failed;  and  though  Dampier  captured  a  few 
small  vessels,  he  obtained  no  prize  of  any  value. 

While  lying  in  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya,  the  commander  and  his 
chief  mate,  John  Clipperton,  quarrelled,  and  the  latter,  with 
twenty-one  of  the  crew,  seized  the  tender,  in  which  were  most 
of  the  ammunition  and  stores,  and  put  out  to  sea.  It  is  alleged 
that  Clipperton  at  this  time  stole  his  commander's  commission. 
No  captain  ever  sailed  with  a  worse-disposed  and  more  turbu'- 
lent  set  of  men  and  officers  than  those  whom  Dampier  now 
commanded.  They  had  all  the  bad  qualities  of  Bucaniers, 
without  their  bravery,  experience,  and  hardihood. 

The  St.  George  bore  northward,  and  on  the  6th  of  Decem- 
ber, while  only  a  short  way  beyond  Port  de  Navidad,  descried 
a  sail,  which  proved  to  be  the  Manilla  galleon.  The  Manilla 
ship  had  no  suspicion  of  any  enemy  being  on  this  coast,  and 
she  received  several  broadsides  from  the  St.  George  before  be- 
ing cleared  for  action.  Even  taken  thus  at  disadvantage,  when 
her  guns,  which  were  of  far  heavier  metal,  were  brought  into 
play,  they  at  once  drove  in  the  rotten  planks  of  the  St.  George, 
and  obliged  Dampier  to  sheer  oft*.  The  galleon  also  held  on. 
It  is  presumed  that  the  number  of  her  men  quadrupled  those 
of  the  English  ship,  and  her  guns  were  eighteen  and  twenty- 


192 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 


four  pounders,  while  those  of  the  St,  George  were  only  fire- 
pounders. 

This  proved  a  bitter  disappointment,  and  the  men  became 
more  and  more  impatient  to  end  so  profitless  and  fatiguing:  a 
voyage.  In  hopes  of  better  fortune,  they  were,  however,  indu- 
ced to  continue  the  cruise  for  a  few  weeks  longer  on  the  coast 
of  New  Spain ;  but  this  produced  nothing,  and  it  was  agreed 
to  part  company.  One  party,  instigated  by  Funnel,  the  men- 
dacious historian  of  the  voyage,  resolved  to  sail  for  India,  and 
by  this  route  return  home.  A  brigantine  of  seventy  tons  whicli 
had  been  captured  was  given  up  to  him,  and  the  thirty-four 
men  who  chose  to  follow  his  counsels;  and  the  stores,  small 
arms,  and  ammunition  were  divided,  four  of  the  St.  George's 
guns  being  also  given  to  this  party.  Dampier's  crew  was  thus 
left  reduced  to  twenty-nine.  After  refitting  his  crazy  disabled 
ship  he  returned  to  the  coast  of  Peru.  They  plundered  the 
town  of  Puna,  and  cruised  along  tilltheir  ship  was  no  longer 
fit  to  keep  the  sea,  when  they  abandoned  her  riding  at  anchor 
at  Lobos  de  la  Mar,  and  embarking  in  a  brigantine  which  they 
had  captured  from  the  Spaniards,  crossed  the  Pacific. 

Of  this  voyage,  and  of  the  subsequent  misfortunes  of  Dam- 
pier  in  India,  there  remain  no  certain  or  distinct  accounts.  It 
is  however  known,  that,  not  having  a  commission  to  show,  he 
was  thrown  into  prison  by  the  Dutch,  but  was  at  length  libera- 
ted and  returned  home. 

The  fortunes  of  Dampier  must  have  been  at  a  very  low  ebb 
when  he  returned  to  England  after  this  disastrous  voyage ;  and 
it  is  with  pain  we  find  this  veteran  navigator,  as  much  distin- 
guished by  superiority  of  understanding  as  by  nautical  skill 
and  experience,  obhged,  in  1708,  to  act  as  a  pilot  under 
younger  and  very  inferior  commanders.  This,  which  was 
Dampier's  last  voyage,  again  proved  to  be  one  round  the  world, 
and  was  undertaken  in  the  Duke  and  Duchess,  two  privateers 
fitted  out  by  several  Bristol  merchants. 

Copious  narratives  of  this  voyage  are  written  by  the  com- 
manders, Woodes  Rogers  and  Cook,  but  it  is  only  incidentally 
that  we  learn  any  thing  from  them  of  their  distinguished  pilot. 

At  Juan  Fernandez,  Woodes  Rogers,  on  this  voyage, 
brought  off*  the  celebrated  Alexander  Selkirk,  who  had  been 
left  or  rather  abandoned  here  by  Dampier's  violent  and  tyran- 
nical consort,  Captain  Stradling,  four  years  previously.  On 
the  recommendation  of  Dampier,  Selkirk  was  made  second 
mate  of  the  Duke. 

The  cruise  of  the  privateers  was  successful.  After  captur- 
ing several  rich  prizes,  they  turned  their  thoughts  homeward, 
and  keeping  the  usual  track  of  the  galleons,  reached  Guahan 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  198 

on  the  10th  of  March,  after  a  run  of  exactly  two  months,  and 
anchored  under  Spanish  colours.  Apart  from  this  venial  de- 
ception, employed  to  facilitate  the  purchase  of  supplies,  the 
conduct  of  the  English  privateers  was  unexceptionable.  They 
rested  for  ten  days,  and  made  the  north  of  Gilolo  in  about  a 
month  afterward.  At  Bouton  they  stopped  to  take  in  provis- 
ions and  water,  and  next  sailed  for  Batavia,  where  they  expe- 
rienced those  noxious  effects  of  climate  from  which  hardly  any 
ship's  company  escapes  at  that  most  unhealthy  station. 

They  sailed  from  Batavia  in  the  end  of  October,  waited  long 
at  the  Cape  for  a  homeward-bound  fleet,  and  coming  round 
the  north  of  Scotland,  five-and-twenty  sail,  Dutch  and  Eng- 
lish, anchored  in  the  Texel  in  July  of  the  following  year,  and 
in  October,  1711,  came  to  the  Thames  with  booty  in  money 
and  merchandize  valued  at  £150,000.  From  this  date  we 
hear  no  more  of  Captain  Dampier,  whose  name  appears  less 
frequently  in  the  narrative  of  Rogers  than,  from  the  eminent 
nautical  abihties  of  the  man  who  bore  it,  it  ought  to  have  done. 
In  dithculties  he  was,  it  appears,  constantly  applied  to,  and  his 
former  knowledge  and  experience  taken  as  guides.  At  Bou- 
ton, where  he  had  been  in  the  Cygnet,  he  was  intrusted  to  carry 
the  present  to  the  sultan;  and,  from  respect  to  his  judgment 
and  integrity,  he  was  also  chosen  umpire  in  the  very  delicate 
affair  of  deciding  what  was  plunder  for  immediate  division, 
and  in  allotting  the  respective  shares. 

Dampier  was  of  the  number  of  those  men  distinguished 
above  their  fellows,  "who  are  not  without  honour  save  in  their 
own  country;"  or  if  at  home  his  merits  were  appreciated, 
wanting  the  most  worthless  quality  of  success,  the  glare  and 
show,  they  failed  of  their  reward.  By  French  and  Dutch  nav- 
igators and  men  of  science  he  has  been  uniformly  regarded 
with  the  warmest  admiration,  as  a  man  to  whose  professional 
eminence  his  own  country  has  scarce  done  justice.  They  de- 
light to  style  him  the  "eminent,"  the  "skilful,"  the  "exact," 
the  "incomparable  Dampier."  Humboldt  has  borne  testimo- 
ny to  his  merits,  placing  the  Bucanier  seaman  above  those 
men  of  science  who  afterward  went  over  the  same  ground; 
Make  Brun  terms  him  "the  learned  Dampier;  and  the  author 
of  the  voyages  to  Australia  inquires,  "  3fais  ou  trouve-t-on  des 
Navigatcurs  comparahles  a  DampierV*  The  acuteness,  ac- 
curacy, and  clearness  of  his  nautical  observations,  and  of  his 
descriptions  and  general  remarks,  have  made  his  voyages  be 
ittssumed  by  foreign  navigators  as  unerring  guides  and  authori- 


*  But  where  shall  we  find  navigators  to  be  compareel  with  Dampiet  I 

17* 


194  WILLIAM  DAMPIER. 

ties  in  all  subsequent  expeditions  ;  and  his  rapidity  and  power 
of  observation  are  fully  as  remarkable  as  his  accuracy.  His 
hasty  glance  at  the  places  of  New-Holland  where  he  touched, 
has  left  subsequent  voyagers  little  to  do  save  to  verify  his  de- 
scriptions. Dampier's  veracity  has  in  no  instance  been  ques- 
tioned, even  by  those  the  most  disposed  to  cavil  at  facts  which, 
being  remote  from  their  limited  experience,  appear  extraor- 
dinary or  impossible.  Other  writers,  combining  into  one  the 
relations  of  many  different  travellers,  have  amplified  his  de- 
scriptions; but  there  is  no  detached  account  of  the  countries 
he  visited  more  full  of  vital  interest  and  exact  information  than 
the  voyages  of  this  wandering  seaman. 

The  succession  of  brilliant  discoveries  which  illustrated  the 
early  part  of  the  reign  of  George  III.  for  a  time  threw  the  ad- 
ventures of  Dampier,  and  of  every  previous  navigator,  into  the 
shade,  but  they  are  again  emerging  into  popularity.  Compar- 
ed with  the  voyages  of  recent  navigators,  his  long  solitary 
rambles  are  as  the  emprises  of  the  single  knightly  combatant, 
bearing  no  proportion  to  the  magnitude  and  splendour  of  regu-- 
lar  battle-field,  but,  from  their  individuality,  aften  commanding 
a  more  intense  and  powerful,  because  a  more  concentrated, 
interest. 

The  cloud  which  rested  on  the  personal  character  of  Dam- 
pier  from  the  ignorance  or  misrepresentations  of  envious  con- 
temporaries, and  the  carelessness  and  haste  with  which  writers 
for  the  press  copy  from  each  other  and  adopt  current  state- 
ments, is  fast  clearing  away. 

"  It  is  not  easy  to  name  another  voyager  or  traveller  who  has 
given  more  useful  information  to  the  world,  or  to  whom  the 
merchant  and  the  mariner  are  more  indebted."  The  philoso- 
pher and  the  naturalist,  have  rarely  been  so  much  indebted  to 
any  adventurer  whose  pursuits  were  so  entirely  remote  from 
their  subjects  of  speculation. 

Though  the  life  of  this  navigator  was  spent  in  incessant  ac- 
tion, his  natural  genius  appears  to  have  been  rather  speculative 
than  enterprising.  He  liked  to  reason  and  to  scheme,  and  lost 
sight  of  present  small  but  certain  advantage  in  extensive  and 
brilhant  plans  for  the  future,  which  his  evil  fortune  forbade  him 
to  realize.  If,  indeed,  there  be  such  things  as  good  and  bad 
fortune  in  human  affairs  independent  of  skill  and  exertion, 
Dampier  may  be  pointed  out  as  an  example  of  what  the  world 
calls  an  unlucky  man, — one  to  whom  every  event  proves  ad- 
verse,— who  seems  singled  out  for  misfortune.  Except  the 
capital  error  of  the  mode  of  life  upon  which  he  entered,  none 
of  his  misadventures  can  be  traced  to  himself;  and  this  law- 
less life  enriched  many  of  his  contemporaries,  while  it  kept 


WILLIAM  DAMPIER.  195 

him  in  poverty  and  left  him  a  beggar.  In  relating  its  inci- 
dents, he  has  never  once  attempted  to  justify  or  palliate  his 
manner  of  existence  for  so  many  years.  Amid  the  vicissi- 
tudes and  temptations  to  which  it  exposed  him,  his  excellent 
understanding  and  the  principles  he  had  imbibed  in  the  vir- 
tuous household  of  a  Somersetshire  yeoman  preserved  him,  if 
not  entirely  spotless  from  evil  contagion,  yet  from  that  decay 
and  deadness  of  moral  feeling  which  are  of  the  worst  conse- 
quences of  vicious  companionship.  He  was  humane,  just  in 
the  most  strict  and  also  in  the  most  liberal  sense,  candid  and 
charitable  in  his  judgments,  and  (rare  virtues  in  a  Bucanier!) 
orderly  and  temperate,  detesting  the  riotous  excess  of  his  asso- 
ciates. Get  over  the  stumbling-block  of  his  early  life  being 
squared  by  "  the  good  old  rule,"  and  Dampier  the  Bucanier 
was  a  virtuous  man.  In  the  South  Sea,  and  afterward  in  the 
Cygnet,  he  might  have  obtained  command,  such  was  the  re- 
spect his  shipmates  entertamed  for  his  abihties;  but  the  love  of 
adventure  was  his  strongest  passion,  and  his  sole  ambition  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge. 

He  appears  latterly  to  have  deeply  felt  the  disgrace  and 
galling  servitude  of  his  lawless  life,  and  serious  reflection  and 
remorseful  feelings  pressed  upon  his  mind  with  great  force 
long  before  he  was  able  to  get  free  of  his  wild  associates  in  the 
Cygnet. 

By  the  time  that  Dampier  returned  to  England  with  Woodes 
Rogers  he  was  far  advanced  in  life,  and  his  career  for  forty 
years  had  been  one  of  unremitting  hardihood  and  professional 
exertion.  It  is  therefore  probable  that  he  never  embarked  in 
any  subsequent  voyage  ;  and  as  the  remaining  part  of  his  life, 
whether  long  or  short,  is  involved  in  complete  obscurity,  there 
is  but  too  much  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  passed  in  neglect, 
if  not  in  poverty.  Of  this  eminent  seaman  and  traveller,  though 
little  more  than  a  century  can  have  elapsed  since  his  death,  no 
one  is  able  now  to  tell  how  the  evening  of  his  life  was  spent, 
when  he  died,  or  where  he  was  buried.  Had  he  expired  in 
some  remote  island  of  the  Pacific,  or  perished  in  the  element 
on  which  so  great  a  portion  of  his  life  was  passed,  some  im- 
perfect record  might  have  remained  to  satisfy  our  natural  desire 
to  knowthe  last  of  the  worn-out  and  veteran  navigator;  but  it 
was  his  fate  to  sink  unheeded  amid  the  conflicting  waves  and 
tides  of  society ;  and  no  memorial  or  tradition  remains  of  his 
death,  in  whose  remarkable  life  the  adventures  of  Selkirk, 
Wafer,  and  the  Bucanier  commanders  of  the  South  Sea  ap* 
pear  but  as  episodes.     So  much  for  human  fame ! 


CAPTAIN  JAMES  COOK. 


The  first  expedition  of  importance,  fitted  out  wholly  for 
scientific  objects,  was  that  intrusted  to  the  command  of  the 
celebrated  Captain  James  Cook.  This  great  navigator  was 
born  of  humble  parents :  his  father  was  an  agricultural  la- 
bourer, whose  steady  conduct  was  at  length  rewarded  by  his 
employer  with  the  situation  of  hind  or  under  steward.  As 
he  had  nine  children,  and  his  means  were  slender,  he  was 
unable  to  assist  materially  their  individual  exertions  to  procure 
a  livelihood.  James,  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  shopkeeper  at  Straiths,  a  fishing  town  not  far  from 
Whitby  ;  but  the  predilection  of  young  Cook  for  the  sea  was 
soon  manifested  with  that  strength  of  inchnation  which  is  sure 


JAMES    COOK.  197 

to  accompany  peculiar  talents.  He  engaged  himself  for  seven 
years  with  the  owners  of  some  ships  employed  in  the  coal 
trade ;  and,  when  the  period  of  his  engagement  was  expired, 
he  was  promoted  by  his  employers  to  the  rank  of  mate  of  one 
of  their  vessels.  The  coal  trade  of  England,  being  chiefly 
carried  on  near  a  singularly  dangerous  coast,  where  unceasing 
vigilance  is  required  on  the  part  of  the  seamen,  constitutes  the 
best  school  of  practical  mariners  in  the  world.  Cook,  who 
obeyed  his  own  inclinations  when  he  turned  sailor,  profited, 
no  doubt,  in  the  highest  degree,  from  the  opportunities  which 
his  coasting  voyages  afforded  him  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  practical  part  of  navigation.  At  length,  being  in  the 
Thames,  in  1755,  when  impressments  were  carried  on  to  a 
great  extent,  he  resolved  to  anticipate  the  impending  neces- 
sity, and  offered  himself  to  serve  on  board  the  Eagle,  a  man- 
of-war  of  sixty  guns.  Shortly  after,  the  friends  and  patrons 
of  his  family  in  Yorkshire  having  warmly  recommended  his 
interests  to  the  care  of  Mr.Osbaldiston,the  member  for  Scarbo- 
rough, and  captain  (afterwards  Sir  Hugh)  Palhser,  who  com- 
manded the  Eagle,  reporting  well  of  his  conduct  and  capacity, 
he  was  appointed  master  of  the  Mercury,  a  small  vessel  which 
soon  afterwards  joined  the  fleet  of  Sir  Charles  Saunders  in  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Here  the  talents  and  resolution  of 
Cook  soon  became  conspicuous. 

It  was  found  necessary,  in  order  that  the  fleet  might  co- 
operate with  the  army  under  General  Wolfe,  that  it  should  take 
up  a  position  along  the  shore  in  front  of  the  French  encamp- 
ments ;  but  before  this  manoeuvre  could  be  put  in  execution, 
the  channel  of  the  river  was  to  be  sounded.  This  diflScult  task 
required  the  union  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  in- 
trepidity, and  Cook  was  the  person  selected  for  the  purpose. 
For  several  nights  he  carried  on  his  operations  unperceived  ; 
but  at  length  the  enemy  discovered  his  movements,  and,  send- 
ing out  a  great  number  of  boats  after  it  grew  dark,  attempted 
to  surround  and  cut  him  off.  Cook  pushed  for  the  Isle  of  Or- 
leans ;  and  so  narrowly  did  he  escape  being  captured,  that  as 
he  stepped  on  shore  from  the  bow  of  his  boat,  the  Indians  in 
pursuit  of  him  entered  at  the  stern  ;  and  the  boat  itself,  which 
was  a  pinnace  belonging  to  a  man-of-war,  was  carried  off  by 
the  enemy.  Cook,  however,  had  accomplished  his  task,  and 
laid  before  the  admiral  of  the  fleet  a  survey  of  the  chunnel, 
which  was  found  to  be  both  full  and  accurate.  After  the  con- 
quest of  Quebec  he  was  appointed  to  examine  the  more  diffi- 
cult portions  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  with  the  navigation  of 
which  the  English  had  but  little  acquaintance.  His  zeal  and 
abihties  soon  after  procured  him  an  appointment  as  master  to 


198 


JAMES  COOK. 


the  Northumberland,  which  bore  the  commodore's  flag  atHali* 
fax.  Here  he  found  leisure  to  apply  himself  to  the  study  of 
elementary  mathematics,  and  to  improve  those  talents  as  a 
practical  hydrographer  of  which  he  had  given  such  ample 
proofs  in  his  first  rude  essays.  An  opportunity  also  soon  oc- 
curred of  displaying  his  improvement  by  surveying  a  part  of  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland.  This  island  had  lately  fallen  into  the 
power  of  the  Enghsh ;  and  its  importance  as  a  fishing  station 
being  fully  appreciated  by  Sir  Hugh  Palliser,  who  was  ap- 
pointed governor  in  the  year  1764,  he  strongly  represented  to 
government  the  necessity  of  making  an  accurate  survey  of 
its  coasts  ;  and,  accordingly,  by  his  recommendation.  Cook 
was  appointed  marine  surveyor  of  Newfoundland  and  Labra- 
dor, and  the  Grenville  schooner  was  placed  under  his  com- 
mand for  this  purpose.  The  manner  in  which  Cook  executed 
this  task  confirmed  the  high  opinion  already  entertained  of  his 
zeal  and  ability.  A  short  paper  which  he  communicated  to 
the  Royal  Society  on  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  observed  in  New- 
foundland, and  the  longitude  of  the  place  as  calculated  from 
it,  procured  him  the  character  of  a  respectable  mathematician. 
But  still  higher  honours  awaited  him.  The  transit  of  the 
planet  Venus  over  the  sun's  disc,  calculated  to  take  place  in 
1769,  was  looked  forward  to  by  the  scientific  world  with  much 
anxious  interest ;  and  it  was  earnestly  desired  that  all  the  ad'- 
vantage  which  could  be  derived  to  science  from  so  rare  a  phe- 
nomenon might  be  secured  by  observing  it  in  distant  quarters 
of  the  globe.  In  accordance  with  this  view,  the  Royal  So- 
ciety presented  an  address  to  the  king,  setting  forth  the  advan- 
tage of  observing  the  transit  in  the  opposite  hemisphere,  their 
inability  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  purpose,  and  praying 
his  majesty  to  equip  a  vessel  to  be  despatched  to  the  South 
Sea  under  their  direction.  This  petition  was  at  once  complied 
with.  The  person  at  first  designed  to  command  the  expedi- 
tion was  Mr.  Dalrymple,  chief  hydrographer  to  the  Admiralty, 
and  no  less  celebrated  for  his  geographical  knowledge  than  for 
his  zeal  in  maintaining  the  existence  of  an  Australian  conti- 
nent. Dalrymple  had  never  held  a  commission  in  his  majes- 
ty's navy  ;  and  the  experience  of  Dr.  Halley  had  proved  that 
one  so  circumstanced  cannot  expect  obedience  from  a  crew 
subjected  to  the  discipline  of  the  navy.  The  pride  of  the  pro- 
fession scorns  to  submit  to  those  who  have  not  acquired  their 
authority  by  passing  through  the  ordinary  routine  of  promo- 
tion. Dalrymple,  however,  refused  to  engage  in  the  expedition 
unless  with  the  amplest  powers  of  a  commander.  The  admi- 
ralty, on  the  other  hand,  were  unwilling  to  intrust  him  with 
powers   which  might  embroil  him  with  his  officers.    Neither 


JAMES    COOK.  199^ 

party  would  yield  ;  and,  while  the  affair  thus  remained  in  sus- 
pense, Cook  was  proposed.  Enquiries  were  then  made  as  to 
his  abilities  ;  and,  as  all  who  knew  him  spoke  favourably  of 
him,  and  great  confidence  is  usually  felt  in  the  steady  and  con- 
centrated talents  of  the  self-taught,  he  was  chosen  to  command 
the  expedition,  being  first  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant. 
It  is  a  proof  of  Cook's  natural  strength  of  understanding, 
that  his  mind  was  not  enslaved  by  habit,  but  that  he  was 
always  ready  to  introduce  innovations  into  his  practice  when- 
ever they  were  recommended  by  common  sense  and  experi- 
ence. Instead  of  selecting  a  frigate,  or  vessel  of  that  descrip- 
tion, for  his  voyage,  he  chose  a  vessel  built  for  the  coal  trade, 
with  the  sailing  qualities  of  which  he  was  well  acquainted. 
He  justly  represented,  that  a  ship  of  this  kind  was  more  capa- 
ble of  carrying  the  stores  requisite  for  a  long  voyage;  was  ex- 
posed to  less  hazard  in  running  near  coasts — an  object  of  great 
importance  in  a  voyage  of  discovery ;  was  less  affected  by 
currents;  and,  in  case  of  any  accident,  might,  without  much 
difficulty  or  danger,  be  laid  on  shore  to  undergo  repairs.  The 
ship  which  he  chose  was  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  tons  bur- 
den, and  named  the  Endeavour.  No  pains  were  spared  by 
the  Admiralty  in  fitting  her  out  for  the  voyage;  and,  as  the 
improvement  of  science  was  its  main  object,  persons  qualified 
to  attain  the  desired  end  were  appointed  to  accompany  the  ex- 
pedition. Mr.  Green  was  named  by  the  Royal  Society  as  the 
astronomer;  Dr.  Solander,  a  learned  Swede  and  pupil  of  Lin- 
naeus, went  as  naturalist;  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir  Joseph)  Banks, 
a  gentleman  of  large  fortune,  and  at  that  time  very  young,  who 
afterwards  reflected  so  much  lustre  on  his  country  by  devoting 
a  long  life  and  ample  means  to  the  interests  of  learning,  re- 
nounced the  ease  to  which  his  affluence  entitled  him,  and 
commenced  his  active  and  honourable  career  by  a  voyage 
round  the  world.  Being  accompanied  by  able  draftsmen,  and 
being  himself  zealously  attached  to  the  study  of  natural  histo- 
ry, and  amply  provided  with  every  thing  conducive  to  the 
gratification  of  his  favourite  pursuit;  being  at  the  same  time 
of  a  lively,  open,  liberal,  and  courageous  temper,  his  company 
was  no  less  agreeable  than  it  was  advantageous.  Before  the 
preparations  were  completed.  Captain  Walhs  returned  from 
his  voyage  round  the  world ;  and  having  been  advised  to  fix 
on  some  spot  in  the  South  Sea  conveniently  situated  for  the 
erection  of  an  observatory,  he  named  Port  Royal  in  King 
George  the  Third's  Island  as  a  place  well  adapted  for  that 
purpose. 

Every  thing  being  now  prepared.  Lieutenant  Cook  sailed 
from  Plymouth  on  the  26th  of  August,  1768.     He  touched  at 


200  JAMES   COOK- 

Rio  Janeiro,  where  the  Portuguese  governor,  no  less  ignorant 
than  suspicious,  was  much  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  the  object 
of  the  expedition;  nor,  after  much  trouble,  was  he  able  to  form 
a  juster  idea  of  it,  than  that  it  was  intended  to  observe  the 
north  star  passing  through  the  south  pole.  It  was  only  by 
stealth  that  Mr.  Banks  could  go  ashore,  though  nature  seemed 
here  to  teem  with  tiie  objects  of  his  research,  and  brilliant 
butterflies  flew  round  the  ship  to  the  height  of  the  mast.  In 
leaving  this  port.  Cook,  after  the  example  of  Byron,  sailed 
over  the  position  which  had  been  assigned  by  Cowley  to 
Pepys'  Island,  and  finally  dispelled  all  belief  in  its  existence. 
He  then  directed  his  course  through  the  Straits  of  Le  Maire, 
to  pass  round  Cape  Horn. 

The  naturahsts  of  the  expedition  landed  pn  Terra  del  Fuego, 
and,  crossing  a  morass  and  some  low  woods,  ascended  the 
highest  eminence  they  could  descry.  It  was  now  midsummer 
in  this  region,  and  the  temperature  during  the  day  was  mod- 
erately warm,  but  as  night  approached  snow  fell  in  great  quan- 
tities, and  the  cold  became  excessive.  The  exploring  party, 
who  had  incautiously  advanced  too  far,  were  unable  to  efiect 
their  return  to  the  shore  before  sunset,  and  were  obhged  to 
spend  the  night  exposed  to  all  the  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
in  a  singularly  desolate  and  unsheltered  region.  Dr.  Solander, 
who,  having  travelled  in  the  north  of  Europe,  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  fatal  effects  of  cold  on  the  constitution, 
repeatedly  admonished  his  companions  to  resist  the  first  ap- 
proach of  drowsiness,  as  the  sleep  superinduced  by  cold  is 
sure  to  prove  fatal;  but  he  was  the  first  to  feel  the  dangerous 
torpor  he  predicted,  and  entreated  his  companions  to  allow 
him  to  lie  down  and  take  his  rest;  but  they,  fortunately  in- 
structed by  his  lessons,  persisted  in  dragging  him  along,  and 
thus  saved  his  life.  On  reaching  the  woods  in  their  descent, 
they  kindled  a  fire,  round  which  they  spent  the  night,  and 
when  the  sun  rose  they  made  their  way  to  the  ships ;  but  two 
of  the  party,  servants  of  Mr.  Banks,  who  lay  down  to  rest  in 
the  snow,  were  found  dead  the  next  morning. 

The  voyage  round  Cape  Horn  into  the  Pacific  occupied 
thirty-four  days;  and  Cook,  who  was  rather  fortunate  in  his 
weather,  seems  to  think  it  preferable  to  the  passage  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan.  In  his  voyage  through  the  ocean,  he 
descried  some  small  islands,  of  the  group  which  had  been  pre- 
viously visited  by  Wallis  and  Bougainville.  He  proceeded, 
however,  direct  to  the  place  of  his  destination,  not  allowing 
himself  to  be  detained  by  unimportant  discoveries.  At  length 
he  arrived  at  King  George  the  Third's  Island,  to  which  he 
found  that  the  natives  gave  the  name  of  Otaheite,  and  anchored 


JAMES    COOK.  2^1 

in  Matavai,  or  Port  Royal  Bay.  From  the  inhabitants  he  met 
with  the  most  friendly  reception,  and  being  instructed  by  the 
errors  of  his  predecessors,  he  drew  up  a  set  of  regulations  to 
guide  his  people  in  their  intercourse  with  the  natives,  which 
reflect  the  highest  honour  on  his  good  sense  and  humanity. 
He  changed  names  with  the  chief  of  the  island  ;  thus  solemnly 
professing  friendship  according  to  the  custom  of  the  South  Sea 
islanders.  Permission  was  easily  obtained  to  erect  tents  on 
shore  for  the  sick  ;  a  small  fort  was  constructed,  and  the  ob- 
servatory set  up.  As  the  time  approached  for  the  observation 
of  the  transit,  the  greatest  anxiety  existed  among  the  officers 
respecting  the  result,  as  a  temporary  cloudiness  or  unfavoura- 
ble change  of  weather  might  totally  frustrate  the  grand  object 
of  the  expedition.  A  party,  however,  was  prudently  sent  to 
Eimeo,a  small  island  about  twenty  leagues  distant,  and  another 
was  stationed  in  Otahcite,  considerably  to  the  west  of  Matavai 
Bay,  in  order  to  lessen,  by  the  number  of  observers,  the  chances 
of  a  total  failure.  At  length  the  important  day,  the  3d  of  June, 
arrived,  and  the  sun  rose  without  a  cloud.  The  observation 
was  made  successfully  by  all  the  parties,  and  the  minds  of  our 
voyagers  were  relieved,  the  chief  object  of  their  mission  being 
thus  happily  fulfilled. 

The  mild  and  judicious  conduct  of  Cook  completely  won  the 
confidence  of  the  Otaheitans,  and  enabled  him  to  form  a  more 
accurate  opinion  of  their  character  than  the  voyagers  who  had 
previously  visited  their  island.  They  were  remarkably  friend- 
ly and  affectionate,  and  indeed  their  attachments  alone  seem- 
ed exempted  from  the  characteristic  levity  which  prevented 
them  from  fixing  their  attention  on  the  same  object  for  any 
length  of  time.  They  are  a  handsome  people,  finely  made, 
and  with  open  vivacious  countenances  :  their  ingenuity  was  in 
nothing  more  conspicuous  than  in  the  fine  cloth,  or  rather 
paper,  which  they  made  of  the  inner  bark  of  a  tree.  The 
garments  of  this  material,  which  they  wore,  were  becoming, 
and  even  elegant,  and  were  arranged  by  the  women  so  as  to 
produce  an  effect  little  short  of  the  classic  draperies  of  anti- 
quity. Their  houses  were  little  more  than  sheds,  erected  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  trees  under  which  they  reclined  and 
took  their  meals  during  the  day.  These  habitations  stood  very 
thick  in  the  groves  which  cover  the  low  margin  of  the  island. 
High  mountains  rose  behind,  and  a  number  of  small  streams 
stole  down  the  declivities  to  the  sea-shore  ;  the  whole  present- 
ing, from  a  distance,  a  most  enchanting  picture. 

It  was  conjectured  by  M.  de  Bougainville  that  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Otaheite  were  composed  of  two  different  races,  and  that 
one  of  these  was  in  a  servile  condition  :  Cook  also  notices  the 
18 


302  JAMES  COOK. 

Buperiority  of  the  chiefs  in  figure  and  appearance,  but  does  not 
venture  to  ascribe  this  difference  to  any  circumstances  of  origin 
or  descent.  He  does  not  seem  to  have  observed  the  power 
which  the  chiefs  usually  exercised  over  their  retainers,  and 
which  the  French  navigator,  with  perhaps  too  httle  reason, 
seems  to  have  considered  as  absolutely  despotic.  But  the 
king,  it  was  evident,  though  treated  with  respect  by  all,  pos- 
sessed no  power  but  what  was  derived  from  the  voluntary  at- 
tachment of  the  chiefs,  whose  obedience  or  support  in  every 
enterprise  could  be  secured  only  by  consulting  them.  The 
rule  of  succession  among  these  islanders  is  singular  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  son,  as  soon  as  he  is  born,  succeeds  to  the  au- 
thority of  his  father,  who  at  once  becomes  only  a  regent  in- 
stead of  king,  if  he  be  fitted  for  that  office.  Associations  of  a 
licentious  character  existed  among  the  chief  persons  in  these 
islands ;  and,  among  other  bad  effects,  tended  to  encourage 
the  crime  of  infanticide;  a  crime  to  which  the  law  of  inherit- 
ance just  mentioned  may  have  held  out  some  inducement,  as 
the  ambition  of  the  parent  was  at  once  blighted  by  the  birth  of 
a  son. 

At  the  time  of  Cook's  visit,  the  sovereignty  had  devolved  on 
a  boy  only  seven  years  old,  the  son  of  Homai  and  Oberea,  the 
latter  of  whom  had  figured  so  conspicuously  in  Captain  Walhs' 
narrative  as  queen  of  the  island.  She  lived  separate  from  her 
husband,  and  though  still  treated  as  a  noble,  no  longer  enjoyed 
the  same  degree  of  power  and  consideration  which  had  ren- 
dered her  friendship  so  valuable  to  the  commander  of  the 
Dolphin.  As  a  further  proof  of  the  progress  made  by  these 
islanders  towards  civilization,  it  deserves  to  be  remarked,  that 
their  women  were  not  condemned  to  labour,  as  is  usually  the 
case  amongst  rude  nations.  They  had,  indeed,  abundance  of 
domestic  occupation,  in  making  and  dyeing  their  cloth,  pre- 
paring the  meals,  and  similar  offices ;  but  though  they  were 
not  permitted  to  eat  with  the  men,  they  were  in  general  treated 
with  respect  and  attention. 

When  M.  de  Bougainville  arrived  here,  he  found  the  island- 
ers already  acquainted  with  the  use  of  iron,  which  they  called 
aouri,  a  name  which  he  supposed  them  to  have  learned  from 
the  Enghsh,  who  had  preceded  him  ;  but  Captain  Wallis  ob- 
served that  they  were  not  wholly  ignorant  of  that  metal  in  his 
time,  though  he  does  not  mention  by  what  name  they  called  it; 
for  as  soon  as  they  were  presented  with  iron  nails,  they  began 
to  sharpen  them,  while  they  took  no  such  pains  with  pieces  of 
brass  and  copper.  Cook  circumnavigated  and  surveyed  the 
coasts  of  Otaheite,  which  he  found  to  have  a  circumference  of 
about  thirty  leagues ;  and  after  a  stay  of  about  three  months 


JAMES  COOK.  36t 

he  prepared  to  depart.  In  leaving  the  affectionate  islanders, 
he  remarks,  "  that,  allowing  for  their  theft,  they  need  not  fear 
a  comparison  with  any  people  on  earth."  A  native  named 
Tupia,  one  of  Oberea's  ministers,  and  well  instructed  in  all 
the  learning  of  his  countrymen,  offered  to  accompany  the 
Enghsh,  and  the  proposal  was  readily  accepted.  The  Ota- 
heitans,  it  appeared,  sometimes  ventured  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  through  the  ocean  in  their  open  canoes  ;  and  Tupia  had 
a  vague  knowledge  of  above  eighty  islands,  the  position  of 
many  of  which  he  attempted  to  describe.  He  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  heavens  ;  and,  in  every  part  of  the  subse- 
quent voyage  in  the  Endeavour,  he  was  enabled  to  point  out 
the  direction  of  his  native  island. 

Preparations  were  now  made  for  departing ;  and  Captain 
Cook  hoped  to  quit  the  island  without  any  misunderstanding 
with  the  natives,  but  in  this  he  was  mistaken.  Two  foreign 
sailors  having  been  out,  one  of  them  was  robbed  of  his  knife, 
and  striving  to  recover  it,  the  Indians  attacked  and  wounded 
him  in  a  dangerous  manner  with  a  stone;  his  companion  also 
received  a  slight  wound  in  the  head.  As  Captain  Cook  would 
have  been  unwilhng  to  have  taken  farther  notice  of  the  trans- 
action he  was  not  sorry  the  offenders  had  made  their  escape. 

Another  affair  equally  disagreeable,  soon  after  happened. 
In  the  evening  two  young  mariners  retired  secretly  from  the 
fort,  and  in  the  morning  were  not  to  be  met  with.  Notice 
having  been  given  for  all  the  company  to  go  on  board  the  next 
day,  and  that  the  ship  would  sail  that  day  or  the  day  ensuing, 
Captain  Cook  began  to  fear  that  the  mariners  intended  to  re- 
main on  shore.  He  was  apprized,  that  no  effectual  steps 
could  be  taken  to  recover  them,  without  risking  the  harmony 
and  good  fellowship  which,  at  present  subsisted  between  the 
English  and  the  natives,  and  therefore  resolved  to  wait  a  day 
in  hopes  of  their  returning. 

The  mariners  not  having  returned  the  following  morning, 
an  inquiry  was  made  after  them,  when  the  Indians  declared 
they  did  not  propose  returning,  having  taken  refuge  in  the 
mountains  where  it  was  impossible  to  discover  them  ;  and  that 
each  had  taken  a  wife.  In  consequence  of  which  it  was  inti- 
mated to  several  chiefs,  who  were  in  the  fort  with  their  women, 
that  they  would  not  be  suffered  to  quit  it  till  the  deserters  were 
produced.  They  received  the  intimation  with  very  little  signs 
either  of  fear  or  discontent,  assuring  the  captain  that  the  mari- 
ners should  be  sent  back;  but  night  coming  on,  Captain  Cook 
judged  it  was  not  prudent  to  let  the  hostages  remain  in  the 
fort ;  and  he  therefore  ordered  them  to  be  brought  on  board. 
This  gave  an  unusual  alarm  ;  and  several  of  them,  especially 


204 


JAMES    COOK. 


the  females,  testified  their  apprehensions  with  great  ablation  of 
mind,  and  floods  of  tears  when  they  were  coming  on  board. 

One  of  the  mariners  was  brought  back  in  the  evening  by- 
some  of  the  Indians,  who  reported  that  the  other,  and  the  two 
people  who  were  sent  to  fetch  them  back,  would  be  detained 
till  Tootahah,  one  of  the  confined  should  be  liberated.  Mr. 
Hicks  was  immediately  despatched  in  the  long  boat,  with  sev- 
eral men  to  rescue  the  English  prisoners  ;  at  the  same  time, 
Captain  Cook  told  Tootahah  that  it  was  incumbent  on  him  to 
assist  them  with  some  of  his  people,  and  to  give  orders  in  his 
name,  that  the  men  should  be  set  at  liberty  ;  for  that  he  should 
expect  him  to  answer  for  the  event.  Tootahah  immediately 
complied,  and  this  party  recovered  the  men  without  any  oppo- 
sition. 

When  the  deserters  were  examined,  it  was  discovered  that 
the  account  which  the  Indians  had  given  was  no  way  false. 
They  had  become  fond  of  two  females,  and  it  was  their  design 
to  keep  themselves  concealed  till  the  ship  had  set  sail,  and 
continue  upon  the  island. 

Tupia,  who  had  been  prime  minister  of  Oberea,  and  was 
also  the  principal  priest  of  the  island,  having  often  testified  a 
desire  to  go  with  them,  on  Wednesday  morning  the  12th,  came 
on  board  with  a  boy  about  twelve  years  of  age,  his  servant, 
named  Tuyota,  and  finally  requested  the  captain  to  receive 
them.  As  it  was  thought  he  would  be  useful  to  them  in  many 
ways,  his  request  was  complied  with.  Tupia  then  went  on 
shore,  for  the  last  time  to  see  his  friends,  and  took  with  him 
several  baubles  to  give  them  as  parting  tokens  of  remembrance. 

On  leaving  Otaheite,  Lieutenant  Cook  visited  the  neigh- 
bouring islands  of  Ulietea,  Borabora,  Otahah,  Huaheine,  and 
Raiataia.  Tupia  related,  that  in  the  time  of  his  grandfather  a 
friendly  ship  had  called  at  the  last  named  island,  and  he  also 
stated  that  a  ship  had  been  wrecked  on  a  low  island  called 
Oanna.  These  ships  were,  probably,  those  of  admiral  Rogge- 
wein's  squadron,  and  Oanna  may  have  been  the  Schadelyk, 
or  Pernicious  Island  of  that  navigator.  At  Huaheine,  Cook 
contracted  a  friendship  with  Oree,  the  old  chief  of  the  island, 
from  whom  he  experienced  unremitting  kindness,  and  to  whom, 
at  his  departure,  he  gave,  along  with  some  valuable  presents,  a 
small  bag  containing  coins  and  medals,  and  a  pewter  plate 
with  an  inscription,  as  a  memorial  of  his  visit  to  this  part  of 
the  world.  These  gifts  the  old  chief  promised  to  keep  in  safe- 
ty. The  people  of  Borabora  had  invaded  some  of  the  islands 
in  the  neigbourhood,  and  with  such  success  that  they  were 
looked  upon  as  invincible,  and  were  become  objects  of  dread 
to  the  simple  islanders.     Tupia  was  anxious  that  the  English 


JAMES  COOK.  205 

should  terrify  those  haughty  conquerors,  and  exhibit  their  su- 
periority by  firing  great  guns  at  Borabora ;  and  at  length,  to 
calm  his  importunity,  a  ball  was  fired  towards  the  island  when 
the  ship  was  at  least  seven  leagues  distant  from  shore.  To 
the  group  of  islands,  which  Lieutenant  Cook  now  quitted,  he 
gave  the  collective  name  of  the  Society  Islands. 

After  sailing  four  days  to  the  west  and  south-west,  an  island 
was  discovered  to  which  Tupia  gave  the  name  of  Oheteroa, 
The  natives  crowded  on  the  shore  to  resist  the  landing  of  the 
strangers  :  they  were  a  handsome  vigorous  people,  and  seem- 
ed far  to  excel  the  natives  of  the  Society  Islands  in  the  beauty 
of  their  dress.  The  cloth  was  dyed  in  various  patterns,  and  of 
several  colours,  though  bright  yellow  seemed  to  predominate. 
Their  robes  being  collected  round  their  waist  by  a  belt  of  red 
cloth,  gave  them  a  gay  and  warlike  appearance.  Some  had 
caps  made  of  the  feathers  of  the  tropic  bird,  while  others  wore 
small  turbans  of  a  very  elegant  appearance.  Their  canoes 
were  well  constructed;  and,  as  well  as  the  javelins,  were  carved 
in  a  manner  highly  creditable  to  their  taste  and  ingenuity. 
But  no  anchorage  could  be  found  near  the  island  ;  and  as  the 
natives  seemed  bent  on  hostility,  our  navigators  gave  up  all 
thoughts  of  cultivating  an  acquaintance  with  them,  and  pur- 
sued their  voyage. 

On  the  15th  of  August  they  sailed  from  Oheteroa,  and  in 
the  beginning  of  October  perceived,  in  the  colour  of  the  sea, 
in  the  weeds  with  which  it  was  covered,  and  the  birds  which 
flew  around  them,  unequivocal  signs  of  the  proximity  of  land. 
At  length,  on  the  6th  of  that  month,  land  was  distinctly  seen 
stretching  to  a  great  extent  in  the  horizon  ;  several  ranges  of 
hills  were  distinguished  rising  one  above  another,  and  a  chain 
of  mountains  of  an  enormous  height  terminated  the  picture  in 
the  rear.  The  general  opinion  was,  that  they  had  discovered 
the  Terra  Australis  Incognita,  but  it  was  soon  perceived  that 
this  must  be  a  part  of  New  Zealand  or  Staaten  Land,  discov- 
ered by  Abel  Tasman  in  1642. 

A  party  who  went  on  shore  in  order  to  open  an  intercourse 
with  the  natives  met  with  no  success.  They  were  fierce,  and 
obstinately  hostile  ;  but  it  was  discovered,  to  the  surprise  and 
pleasure  of  our  navigators,  that  when  Tupia  spoke  to  them  in 
his  native  language,  he  was  perfectly  understood.  In  a  quar- 
rel which  ensued,  one  of  them  was  killed,  and  his  dress  ap- 
peared, on  examination,  to  correspond  exactly  with  the  draw- 
ing appended  to  Tasman's  voyage.  As  it  was  found  impossi- 
ble to  commence  an  amicable  correspondence  with  them  by 
gentle  means,  it  was  determined  to  resort  to  force,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  method  followed  by  the  first  Spanish  navigators,  to 
18* 


206  JAMES  COOK. 

capture  the  Indians  first,  in  order  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
treating  them  with  kindness.  This  plan  of  proceeding  can 
hardly  be  justified  upon  principles  of  reason  or  morality,  and 
it  has  never  been  attended  vrith  such  unequivocal  success  as 
to  palliate  its  demerits.  Two  canoes  were  seen  entering  the 
bay,  and  the  ship's  boats  proceeded  immediately  to  intercept 
them  :  in  one,  the  natives  escaped  by  paddling  ;  but  those  in 
the  other,  which  was  a  sailing  canoe,  finding  it  impossible  to 
get  off,  boldly  prepared  for  battle.  Of  seven  Indians  who 
were  in  the  canoe,  four  were  killed  on  the  first  discharge  of 
musketry,  and  the  other  three,  who  were  all  young,  immediate- 
ly jumped  overboard,  and  attempted  to  save  themselves  by 
swimming :  they  were,  however,  overtaken  and  picked  up  by 
the  boat,  though  not  without  some  difficulty.  They  expected 
to  be  put  to  death  at  once  ;  but  as  the  studious  kindness  with 
which  they  were  treated  soon  convinced  them  of  their  error, 
their  consternation  gave  way  to  transports  of  joy.  They  con- 
versed freely  with  Tupia  ;  and  after  having  been  kept  a  day 
on  board  the  ship,  were  again  sent  ashore. 

The  account  which  the  boys  gave  to  their  countrymen  of 
their  treatment  on  board  the  ship  led  to  a  correspondence, 
which  did  not,  however,  bear  the  appearance  of  confirmed 
friendship.  The  New  Zealanders  still  maintained  a  fierce 
and  independent  carriage,  and  acted  so  little  in  concert,  that 
the  behaviour  of  different  individuals  was  often  of  a  totally 
opposite  character:  but  their  distrust  could  not  be  generally 
overcome,  nor  an  intercourse  established  which  was  likely  to 
prove  safe  and  advantageous.  An  attempt  was  made  by  them 
to  carry  off*Tayeto,  Tupia's  boy,  and  they  nearly  succeeded; 
but  guns  being  fired  at  the  canoe  as  it  paddled  off,  the  natives, 
in  a  moment  of  fear,  let  go  their  hold,  and  the  boy  leaped  into 
the  water.  The  New  Zealanders  made  great  exertions  to  se- 
cure their  prize,  but  the  ships'  boats  finally  succeeded  in  pick- 
ing up  the  youth,  whose  terror  at  the  violent  conduct  of  these 
savages  was  increased  by  the  conviction  which  our  navigators 
had  obtained,  that  they  were  cannibals,  and  even  that  they  re- 
garded human  flesh  as  a  dainty. 

This  bay,  in  which  no  provisions  could  be  procured,  was 
named  Poverty  Bay  ;  and  our  voyagers,  on  leaving  it,  pro- 
ceeded along  the  coast  towards  the  north.  They  gave  the 
name  of  Mercury  Bay  to  the  inlet  in  which  they  anchored 
while  observing  a  transit  of  that  planet  over  the  sun.  They 
were  surprised  to  find  that  the  natives,  notwithstanding  their 
ferocity,  were  not  unacquainted  with  the  art  of  cultivating  the 
ground.  They  had  gardens,  in  which  they  reared  gourds 
and  several  kinds  of  fruits.     A  decked  canoe  also  was  found 


JAMES  COOK.  207 

on  this  shore,  which  indicated  their  proficiency  in  maritime 
affairs.  Their  heppahs  or  hamlets  were  forts  neatly  construct- 
ed on  elevated  situations,  defended  by  lines  and  trenches,  and 
accessible  only  by  a  steep  and  narrow  entrance.  They  had 
no  knowledge  of  iron  when  our  voyagers  first  touched  here, 
although  iron  sand  was  found  in  the  beds  of  several  streams. 
The  women  were  thickly  painted  with  oil  and  red  ochre,  and 
the  men  were  tattooed  after  the  usual  fashion  of  the  South 
Seas.  They  were  strong  and  active,  not  deficient  in  intelli- 
gence, or  in  sentiments  of  generosity,  notwithstanding  the 
cruelty  of  disposition  engendered  by  their  habits  of  continual 
warfare.  Tupia  conversed  much  with  their  priests ;  and  from 
the  superiority  of  his  knowledge  and  the  variety  of  his  super- 
stitious lore,  he  was  regarded  by  them  with  peculiar  respect 
and  veneration. 

In  prosecuting  his  examination  of  the  coast  towards  the 
north,  Cook  entered  a  deep  inlet  terminating  in  a  large  river, 
which  he  explored  to  the  distance  of  fourteen  miles:  from  the 
magnitude  of  this  river,  and  the  general  appearance  of  the 
country  round  it,  he  named  it  the  Thames.  The  timber 
which  grewhere  was  of  enormous  size,  trees  being  seen  nearly 
twenty  feet  in  girth  six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  above  eighty 
feet  in  height  to  the  branches. 

Having  finished  the  examination  of  the  north-western  shore 
of  New  Zealand,  Cook  experienced  such  severe  gales,  though 
it  was  now  midsummer  in  these  latitudes,  that  in  five  weeks  he 
did  not  advance  above  fifty  leagues  in  his  course  along  the 
western  shore.  He  at  length  reached  a  secure  and  capacious 
harbour,  which  he  named  Queen  Charlotte^s  Sound.  The 
country  was  here  taken  possession  of,  and  the  sound  carefully 
surveyed.  Wood,  water,  and  fish,  were  in  the  greatest  abun- 
dance, the  natives  friendly,  and  plants  of  an  antiscorbutic 
quality  were  gathered  on  the  shore,  which  soon  restored  the 
crew  to  perfect  health.  Here  our  voyagers  were  particularly 
struck  with  the  exquisite  warbling  of  the  birds,  which,  like  our 
nightingales,  sing  only  during  the  night. 

On  ascending  a  height  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sound, 
Cook  was  surprised  on  descrying  the  sea  to  the  south-east,  and 
thus  found  that  the  land,  the  continuity  of  which  he  had  not 
before  suspected,  was  divided  by  a  strait.  Passing  through 
this  strait,  to  which  geographers  have  unanimously  given  the 
name  of  its  discoverer,  he  directed  his  course  towards  the  north 
till  he  arrived  near  the  point  where  his  examination  of  this 
country  had  commenced.  He  then  resumed  his  course  to  the 
eouth-east,  and  followed  the  coast  of  the  southernmost  of  the 
two  islands  comprised  under  the  name  of  New  Zealand,,  re- 


208  JAMES  COOK. 

turning  again  from  the  south  to  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound, 
The  southern  island,  or  as  the  natives  call  it,  Tavai  Poenam- 
moo,  is  a  rugged  country,  with  mountains  of  prodigious  height, 
and  covered  with  snow  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  The  in- 
habitants also,  though  not  more  fierce,  are  ruder  than  their 
northern  neighbours.  They  differ  likewise  in  dialect  from  the 
inhabitants  of  Eaheinomauwe,  as  the  northern  island  is  called, 
where,  as  the  climate  is  more  genial  and  the  soil  more  luxuri- 
ant, the  population  is  considerably  greater,  and  the  arts  as  well 
as  the  institutions  of  rude  society  much  more  advanced. 

Of  the  natives  of  New  Zealand,  Cook  entertained  a  highly 
favourable  opinion,  notwithstanding  their  cannibalism,  of 
which  he  saw  numerous  incontestible  proofs.  He  could  not 
collect  from  them  any  tradition  respecting  the  arrival  of  Tas- 
man  on  their  shores  ;  but  they  heard  of  a  country  called  Uli- 
maroa,  situated  N.  W.  by  W.,  where  the  people  eat  hogs,  and 
whence  some  canoes  seemed  to  have  accidentally  arrived  in 
their  country.  The  circumnavigation  of  New  Zealand  was 
the  first  grand  discovery  of  Cook.  When  Tasman  touched  on 
that  country,  he  imagined  it  to  be  a  part  of  the  great  Terra 
Australis,  or  continent  supposed  to  extend  to  the  south  pole. 
Our  navigator  was  satisfied  with  having  disproved  this  suppo- 
sition ;  and  as  the  lateness  of  the  season  would  not  permit  him 
to  continue  his  researches  in  higher  latitudes,  he  determined 
to  direct  his  course  to  the  eastern  coast  of  New  Holland,  re- 
specting which  the  learned  world  was  still  in  total  ignorance. 

He  took  leave  of  New  Zealand  on  the  31st  of  March,  1770, 
and  in  twenty  days  discovered  the  coast  of  New  Holland  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  point  where  the  survey  of  Tasman  had 
terminated.  In  proceeding  to  the  north,  an  inlet  was  entered, 
in  which  the  ship  rode  securely  for  some  days.  Inhabitants 
were  seen,  but,  from  their  shyness  and  timidity,  they  could 
not  be  induced  to  approach  the  strangers  :  they  seemed  to  be 
sunk  ill  that  brutal  condition  which  is  insensible  even  to  the 
promptings  of  curiosity.  From  the  variety  of  new  plants  col- 
lected here  by  the  naturalists  of  the  expedition,  this  inlet  re- 
ceived the  name  of  Botany  Bay.  No  rivers  were  discovered 
by  Cook  in  his  voyage  along  this  coast,  which  has  since  been 
found  abundantly  supplied  with  fine  streams.  The  natives, 
wherever  they  were  seen,  manifested  the  same  repugnance  to 
the  strangers,  and  the  same  indifference  to  the  trinkets  pre- 
sented to  them.  Towards  the  north,  the  country  grew  more 
hilly,  and  the  navigation  of  the  coast  became  more  dangerous 
and  intricate. 

No  accident  had  yet  occurred  in  a  voyage  of  two  thousand 
miles  along  a  coast  hitherto  unexplored ;  but  in  latitude  16*^  S. 


JAMES  COOK.  209 

a  high  headland  being  in  sight,  which  from  the  circumstance 
was  afterwards  named  Cape  Tribulation^  the  ship  during  the 
night  struck  on  some  coral  rocks  with  so  much  force  that  there 
seemed  imminent  danger  of  her  going  to  pieces.  The  planks 
which  formed  her  sheathing  were  seen  floating  off,  and  the 
water  rushed  in  with  such  impetuosity,  that,  though  all  the 
pumps  were  manned,  the  leak  could  hardly  be  kept  under. 
As  day  broke,  land  was  descried  eight  leagues  distant,  without 
an  island  between,  to  which  the  boats  might  convey  the  crew 
in  case  of  the  ship's  foundering.  The  guns  and  all  the  stores 
that  could  be  spared  were  thrown  overboard,  and  preparations 
were  made  to  heave  the  ship  off  the  rocks,  although  it  was 
thought  probable  that  she  would  sink  soon  after.  On  the  fol- 
lowing night,  however,  she  was  got  afloat,  and,  to  the  surprise 
of  all,  it  was  found  that  the  leakage  did  not  increase.  By  con- 
stant exertion  and  cool  perseverance,  the  ship  was  navigated 
to  a  small  harbour  opportunely  discovered  on  the  coast,  and 
the  only  harbour,  indeed,  seen  by  our  people  during  the  whole 
voyage,  which  could  have  afforded  them  the  same  relief.  On 
examining  the  injury  done  to  the  vessel,  it  was  found  that  a 
large  piece  of  the  coral  rock,  having  forced  its  way  through 
the  timbers,  had  remained  fixed  in  the  aperture ;  and  but  for 
this  providential  circumstance  the  ship  must  have  sunk  the 
moment  she  was  got  off  the  reef. 

The  cove  in  which  our  navigators  found  shelter  is  situated 
at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream,  to  which  was  given  the  name 
of  the  Endeavour  River.  Here  the  natives  appeared  rather 
more  familiar  ;  but  they  set  little  value  on  anything  offered  to 
them,  except  food.  When  some  turtle,  which  they  coveted, 
was  refused  them,  they  avenged  the  affront  by  setting  fire  to 
the  long  grass  near  the  tents ;  an  action  which  had  nearly 
been  attended  with  disagreeable  consequences.  Mr.  Banks 
and  Dr.  Solander  found  here  abundance  of  employment;  al- 
most every  thing  connected  with  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdoms  being  absolutely  new.  Our  naturalists  were  partic- 
ularly pleased  with  the  animal  called  by  the  natives  kangaroo  ; 
they  saw  several  at  a  distance,  but  a  long  time  elapsed  before 
they  could  succeed  in  shooting  one. 

When  the  natives  had  become  familiar  with  the  ship's  crew, 
one  of  them  was  desired  to  throw  his  lance,  which  he  did  with 
such  dexterity  and  force,  that  though  it  was  not  above  four  feet 
from  the  ground  at  the  highest,  it  penetrated  deeply  into  a  tree 
at  the  distance  of  fifty  yards.  On  the  19th  they  saw  several  of 
the  women,  who  as  well  as  the  men  were  quite  naked.  They 
were  one  day  visited  by  ten  of  the  natives,  who  seemed  resolved 
to  have  one  of  the  turtle  that  was  on  board,  which  being  refused, 


210  JAMES    COOK. 

they  expressed  the  utmost  rage  and  resentment.  At  length 
they  laid  hands  on  two  of  the  turtles,  and  drew  them  to  the 
side  of  the  ship  where  the  canoe  lay  ;  but  the  sailors  took  them 
away.  They  made  several  similar  attempts,  but  being  equally 
unsuccessful  they  leaped  into  their  canoe  and  rowed  off.  At 
this  instant  the  captain  with  Mr.  Banks  and  five  or  six  seamen, 
went  ashore,  where  they  arrived  before  the  Indians.  As  soon 
as  the  Indians  landed,  one  of  them  snatched  a  fire-brand  from 
under  a  pitch-kettle,  and  running  to  the  windward  of  what 
effects  were  on  shore,  set  fire  to  the  dry  grass,  which  rapidly 
spread  and  endangered  one  of  the  tents.  Appearing  deter- 
mined on  further  mischief,  a  musket  loaded  with  small  shot, 
was  now  fired,  and  one  of  them  being  wounded  they  ran  off. 

The  natives  continuing  still  in  sight  a  musket  charged  with 
balls  was  fired  near  them,  upon  hearing  which  they  soon  got 
out  of  sight ;  but  their  voices  being  soon  heard  in  the  woods, 
the  captain,  with  a  few  of  the  men,  went  to  meet  them.  When 
they  were  in  sight  of  each  other,  both  parties  stopped,  except 
an  old  Indian,  who  advanced  before  the  rest  a  little  way,  and 
speaking  a  few  words,  retreated  to  his  brethren.  The  English 
having  seized  some  of  their  darts,  followed  them  about  a  mile, 
and  then  sat  down  ;  the  Indians  sitting  about  a  hundred  yards 
from  them.  The  old  man  again  came  forward,  having  in  his 
hand  a  lance  with  a  point.  He  stopped  and  spoke  several 
times;  on  which  the  captain  made  signs  of  friendship.  The 
old  Indian  now  turned  to  his  companions,  and  having  spoken 
to  them,  they  placed  their  lances  against  a  tree,  and  came 
forward  as  in  friendship;  whereupon  their  darts  which  had 
been  taken  were  returned,  and  the  whole  quarrel  seemed  to  be 
at  an  end.  When  Captain  Cook  got  on  board,  he  saw  the 
woods  burning  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  fire  thus 
kindled  by  the  native.  By  the  night  of  the  20th,  the  fire  had 
extended  many  miles  round  them  on  the  hills.  The  next  day 
one  of  the  seamen  who  had  strayed  from  his  company,  met 
with  four  Indians  at  dinner  :  he  was  alarmed  at  this  unexpect- 
ed meeting,  but  had  prudence  enough  to  conceal  his  appre- 
hensions, and  sitting  down  gave  them  his  knife,  which  having 
all  looked  at,  they  returned.  He  would  have  left  them,  but 
they  chose  to  detain  him,  till,  by  feeling  his  hands  and  face, 
they  were  convinced  he  was  made  of  flesh  and  blood  like 
themselves.  They  then  dismissed  him,  and  directed  him  the 
nearest  way  to  the  ship. 

The  ship  being  repaired,  our  voyagers  left  the  harbour,  and, 
after  much  patient  labour  and  anxiety,  at  length  gained  the 
deep  sea,  having  been  three  months  entangled  within  the  reefs. 
They  now  prosecuted  their  voyage  to  the  north,  flattering 


JAMES  COOK.  211 

themselves  that  the  danger  was  gone  by,  when  the  wind  abated, 
and  the  ship  was  found  to  be  drifting  fast  towards  the  reefs 
which  hned  this  coast  nearly  in  its  whole  extent,  and  on  which 
the  great  waves  of  the  Southern  Ocean  break  with  a  tremend- 
ous surf.  Her  destruction  seemed  inevitable,  when  a  narrow 
channel  through  the  reefs  was  descried  at  no  great  distance; 
and  although  the  attempt  was  attended  with  great  risk,  yet  the 
ship  was  steered  to  run  through  it.  Having  thus  entered  from 
necessity  a  second  time  within  the  reef.  Cook  resolved  to  perse- 
vere through  all  difficulties  in  following  the  coast,  lest  he  might 
lose  the  strait  that  separates  New  Holland  from  New  Guinea; 
"if,"  as  he  doubtfully  expresses  it,  "such  a  strait  there  be." 
He  at  length  reached  a  point  of  land  from  which  he  could  dis- 
cern an  open  sea  to  the  south-west,  and  was  thus  convinced 
that  he  had  found  the  strait  in  question.  He  then  landed,  and 
in  the  name  of  his  sovereign  took  possession  of  the  immense 
hue  of  coast  that  he  had  discovered,  and  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  New  South  Wales.  The  little  island  on  which  the 
ceremony  was  performed  received  the  name  of  Possession 
Island. 

The  crew  of  the  Endeavour  had  suffered  so  much  from 
sickness  and  fatigue,  that  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  pro- 
long the  voyage  by  an  examination  of  the  coasts  of  New 
Guinea.  Our  navigator,  therefore,  held  his  course  for  Bata- 
via,  where  he  wished  to  refit  his  vessel. 

On  the  10th  of  October  the  captain  went  on  shore  and  visit- 
ed the  only  En'glish  gentleman  then  resident  at  Batavia.  This 
gentleman  whose  name  was  Leith,  received  his  countryman 
in  the  politest  manner  and  entertained  him  with  hospitality. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  there  happened  a  most 
terrible  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning,  accompanied  with 
very  heavy  rain,  by  which  a  Dutch  East  Indiaman  was  great- 
ly damaged  both  in  her  masts  and  rigging.  The  Endeavour, 
though  near  this  Dutch  ship,  escaped  without  damage,  owing 
in  Captain  Cook's  opinion,  to  an  electrical  chain,  which  con- 
ducted the  lightning  over  the  side  of  the  vessel.  A  sentinel  on 
board  the  Endeavour,  who  was  charging  his  musket  at  the 
time  of  the  storm,  had  it  shaken  out  of  his  band,  and  the  ram- 
rod was  broken  to  pieces  :  the  electrical  chain  looked  like  a 
streak  of  fire,  and  the  ship  sustained  a  very  violent  shock. 

Next  day  Captain  Cook  waited  on  the  council,  who  inform- 
ed him  that  all  his  requests  should  be  comphed  with.  In  the 
interim,  a  contract  was  made  with  the  master  of  a  hotel  to 
furnish  them  with  as  much  tea,  coffee,  punch  and  tobacco,  as 
they  might  have  occasion  for. 


212    '  JAMES  COOK. 

Tupia  in  the  mean  lime  had  been  on  board  dangerously  ill, 
yet  persisted  to  refuse  every  medicine  that  was  offered  him. 
He  was  now  removed  to  the  town,  and  soon  his  whole  frame 
appeared  as  if  reanimated.  The  houses,  carriages,  people, 
and  many  other  objects  were  totally  new  to  him  and  filled  him 
with  astonishment. 

Captain  Cook  now  applied  to  several  persons  to  advance 
him  money  sufficient  to  defray  the  expense  of  repairing  the 
ship,  but  not  one  could  be  found  who  had  the  requisite  sum  in 
his  possession,  or,  if  he  had,  was  willing  to  advance  it;  he 
therefore  made  application  to  the  governor,  who  issued  his 
orders  that  he  should  be  supplied  out  of  the  treasury  of  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company. 

After  little  more  than  a  week  spent  at  Batavia,the  ill  effects 
of  the  climate  began  to  be  severely  felt.  By  the  twenty-fifth 
of  the  month  very  few  of  the  crew  were  well  enough  to  do  duty. 
By  the  fifth  of  November,  death  was  advancing  with  rapid 
strides.  Several  Malay  servants  were  engaged  to  wait  on 
those  who  were  ill,  but  these  people  were  so  remiss  in  their 
duty,  that  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  sick  man  to  leave 
his  bed  in  search  of  his  attendant.  By  the  twentieth,  not  above 
ten  men  out  of  the  whole  ship's  crew,  were  able  to  do  duty, 
and  these  were  employed  in  getting  the  water  and  stores 
aboard,  and  in  putting  up  the  rigging.  The  ship  at  length 
being  repaired,  and  the  sick  taken  on  board,  they  set  sail  on 
the  morning  of  the  25th. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  land,  which  proved  to  be  the  Lizard, 
was  discovered  by  the  same  boy  who  had  first  seen  New  Zeal- 
and ;  and  on  the  12th,  Cook  came  to  an  anchor  in  the  Downs, 
having  been  employed  two  years  and  eleven  months  in  his 
voyage  round  the  earth. 

The  first  important  discovery  made  by  Cook  was  effected 
by  the  circumnavigation  of  New  Zealand.  When  Tasman 
described  that  country,  he  supposed  it  to  be  a  part  of  the 
great  Terra  Australis  Incognita,  extending  probably  across  the 
southern  Pacific  Ocean  ;  but  Cook's  voyage  at  once  overturn- 
ed this  theory.  An  opinion,  however,  which  has  long  existed, 
cannot  be  at  once  dispelled,  although  utterly  groundless,  and 
many  still  continued  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  southern 
continent,  although  Cook's  discoveries  had  cut  off  the  connec- 
tion between  their  theory  and  the  facts  which  hitherto  had 
been  adduced  in  its  support:  but  to  set  the  question  of  a  south- 
ern continent  completely  at  rest,  another  expedition  was  ne- 
cessary, and  the  Enghsli  government,  having  now  made  the 
advancement  of  science  the  object  of  national  exertions,  re- 


JAMES  COOK.  213 

solved  to  continue  their  laudable  researches.  The  king  was 
partial  to  tlie  scheme;  and  the  earl  of  Sandwich,  who  was  at 
the  head  of  the  admiralty,  possessed  a  mind  sufficiently  liberal 
and  comprehensive  to  second  effectively  the  wishes  of  his 
sovereign. 

Captain  Cook  was  named  at  once  as  the  fittest  person  to 
command  the  new  expedition.  Two  ships,  the  Resolution 
and  the  Adventure,  the  former  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-two, 
the  latter  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  tons  burden,  were 
fitted  out  for  the  voyage  ;  and,  that  no  opportunities  might  be 
lost  to  science  from  the  want  of  persons  capable  of  observing 
nature  under  every  aspect,  astronomers  and  naturalists  of 
eminent  ability  were  engaged  to  accompany  the  expedition; 
Messrs.  Wales  and  Bayley  proceeding  in  the  former.  Rein- 
hold  Forster  and  his  son  in  the  latter  capacity.  The  ships 
were  amply  stored  and  provided  for  a  long  and  difficult  voyage, 
particularly  with  antiscorbutics,  and  whatever  was  thought 
likely  to  preserve  the  health  of  the  crews. 

Cook  sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  13th  of  July,  1772,  on 
his  second  voyage  of  discovery.  On  his  arrival  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  he  was  induced,  by  the  entreaties  of  Mr.  Forster, 
to  allow  the  celebrated  naturahst  Sparmann  to  join  the  expe- 
dition. He  now  directed  his  course  to  the  south,  in  search  of 
the  land  said  to  have  been  discovered  by  the  French  navigator 
Bouvet,  but  violent  gales  drove  him  far  to  the  east  of  the  me- 
ridian in  which  it  was  supposed  to  lie.  After  long  struggling 
with  adverse  winds,  he  at  length  reached  the  same  meridian, 
some  leagues  to  the  south  of  the  latitude  assigned  to  Cape 
Circumcision.  Having  thus  proved  that  the  land  said  to  have 
been  seen  by  Bouvet,  if  it  existed  at  all,  was  certainly  no  part 
of  a  southern  continent,  he  continued  his  course  to  the  south 
and  east. 

On  the  10th  of  December  our  navigators  first  met  with 
islands  of  ice,  and  on  the  following  days  these  occurred  in 
greater  numbers  and  of  larger  size :  some  of  them  were  nearly 
two  miles  in  circuit,  and  sixty  feet  high  ;  yet  such  was  the 
force  of  the  waves,  that  the  sea  broke  quite  over  them.  This 
was  at  first  view  a  gratifying  spectacle,  but  the  sentiment  of 
pleasure  was  soon  swallowed  up  in  the  horror  which  seized  on 
the  mind  from  the  contemplation  of  danger;  for  a  ship  ap- 
proaching these  islands  on  the  weather  side  would  be  dashed 
to  pieces  in  a  moment.  Amidst  the  obstructions  to  which  our 
navigators  were  exposed  from  the  ice  islands  continually  suc- 
ceeding one  another,  they  derived  the  advantage  of  having  an 
abundant  supply  of  fresh  water ;  large  masses  of  ice  were 
19 


214  JAMES  COOK. 

carried  off,  and  stowed  on  deck,  and  the  water  produced  from 
its  melting  was  found  perfectly  sweet  and  well  tasted. 

On  the  17th  of  January,  1773,  our  navigators  had  reached 
the  latitude  of  67°  15'  S.,  and  they  saw  the  ice  extending  from 
east  to  west-south-west,  without  the  least  appearance  of  an 
opening.  It  was  vain,  therefore,  to  persist  any  longer  in  a 
southerly  course  ;  and  as  there  was  some  danger  of  being  sur- 
rounded by  the  ice,  prudence  dictated  a  retreat  to  the  north. 
On  the  8th  of  February,  the  weather  beng  extremely  thick  and 
hazy,  it  was  found  that  the  Adventure  had  parted  company  : 
the  rendezvous  appointed  in  case  of  this  accident  was  Queen 
Charlotte's  Sound,  in  New  Zealand;  and  thither  Cook  direct- 
ed his  course.  In  the  latitude  of  62°  S.,  on  the  17th  of  the 
same  month,  between  midnight  and  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, lights  were  seen  in  the  heavens,  similar  to  those  that  are 
known  in  the  northern  hemisphere  by  the  name  of  the  Aurora 
Borealis.  Captain  Cook  had  never  heard  that  the  Aurora 
Australis  had  been  seen  before,  but  the  same  phenomenon 
was  witnessed  repeatedly  in  the  sequel  of  this  voyage.  During 
his  run  to  the  eastward  in  this  high  latitude,  he  had  ample 
reason  to  conclude  that  no  land  lay  to  the  south,  unless  at  a 
very  great  distance.  At  length,  after  having  been  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  days  at  sea,  during  which  time  he  hsid 
sailed  three  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty  leagues  without 
having  come  once  within  sight  of  land,  he  saw  the  shores  of 
New  Zealand  on  the  25tli  of  March,  and  on  the  following  day 
came  to  an  anchor  in  Dusky  Bay.  Notwithstanding  the 
length  and  hardships  of  his  voyage,  there  was  no  sickness  in 
the  ship;  the  attention  which  he  paid  to  the  health  of  the  men, 
by  enforcing  cleanliness,  by  keeping  the  vessel  dry  and  well 
ventilated,  and  by  the  judicious  use  of  antiscorbutic  diet,  being 
attended  with  complete  success.  Having  surveyed  Dusky 
Bay,  he  proceeded  to  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  where  Cap- 
tain Furneaux  had  arrived  before  him. 

The  Adventure,  after  parting  company  with  the  Resolution, 
had  followed  a  more  northerly  course,  and  traced  the  coasts  of 
Van  Dieman's  Land  along  the  southern  and  eastern  shores. 
Captain  Furneaux  reported,  "that  in  his  opinion  there  arc  no 
straits  between  this  land  and  New  Holland,  but  a  very  deep 
bay."  Cook  had  intended  to  investigate  this  point,  but,  con- 
sidering it  to  be  now  settled  by  the  judgment  of  his  colleague, 
he  resolved  to  prosecute  his  researches  to  the  east,  between  the 
latitudes  of  41°  and  46°.  But  before  he  left  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound  he  succeeded  in  establishing  a  friendly  and  mutually 
advantageous  intercourse  with  the  natives.     He  endeavoured 


JAMES  COOK.  216 

to  give  them  substantial  proofs  of  his  kind  intentions,  by  making 
an  addition  to  their  stock  of  useful  animals.  He  put  on  shore 
a  ewe  and  ram,  and  also  two  goats,  a  male  and  female.  A 
garden  also  was  dug,  and  a  variety  of  seeds  of  culinary  veget- 
ables, adapted  to  the  climate,  were  sown  in  it. 

Although  it  was  the  winter  season.  Cook  determined  not  to 
lose  his  time  in  utter  inactivity.  His  ships  being  sound,  and 
his  crews  healthy,  he  thought  that  he  might  safely  proceed  to 
examine  the  Southern  Ocean  within  the  latitude  of  46^ ;  and 
then,  refreshing  at  some  of  the  islands  between  the  tropics,  re- 
turn in  the  summer  season  to  carry  his  researches  to  a  higher 
latitude.  His  voyage  from  'New  Zealand  towards  the  east  was 
not  productive  of  any  interesting  discoveries,  nor  diversified  by 
any  but  the  ordinary  details  of  navigation.  He  felt  convinced, 
from  the  great  sea  that  rolled  from  the  south,  that  no  land  of 
any  extent  could  lie  near  him  in  that  direction.  When  he  had 
advanced  so  far  as  to  find  himself  to  the  north  of  Carteret's 
track,  he  could  no  longer  entertain  any  hope  of  finding  a  con- 
tinent ;  and  this  circumstance,  with  the  sickly  state  of  the  Ad- 
venture's crew,  induced  him  to  direct  his  course  to  the  Society 
Islands.  During  this  part  of  his  voyage,  he  saw  a  number  of 
tliose  small  low  islands  which  compose  the  Dangerous  Archi- 
pelago of  Bougainville. 

The  ships  narrowly  escaped  destruction  by  drifting  on  the 
coral  reefs  at  Otaheite  :  they  were  saved  only  by  the  prompt- 
ness of  their  commander  and  the  unremitting  exertions  of  the 
crew.  On  the  24tli  of  August  they  anchored  in  their  old  sta- 
tion in  Matavai  Bay.  The  men  on  board  the  Resolution  were 
at  this  time  in  perfect  health ;  but  the  crew  of  the  Adventure, 
on  the  other  hand,  suffered  dreadfully  from  the  scurvy,  though 
the  two  ships  were  equipped  alike,  and  the  same  precautiona- 
ry system  to  preserve  the  health  of  the  men  was  prescribed  to 
both  ;  but  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  officers  was  requisite  to  give 
efficacy  to  the  orders,  and  their  example  was  necessary  to  en- 
courage the  men  to  sacrifice  old  habits  in  order  to  preserve  their 
constitutions. 

During  this  visit  to  Otaheite,  our  navigators  obtained  a  more 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  manners  and  character  of  the 
natives.  Of  their  religious  doctrines  they  were  unable  to  ac- 
quire a  distinct  knowledge  ;  but  they  ascertained  that  human 
victims  were  often  sacrificed  to  their  gods.  They  also  wit- 
nessed the  Heavas  or  dramatic  representations  of  the  people, 
and  found  them  not  devoid  of  archness  and  ingenuity.  The 
performance  was  generally  extemporaneous,  founded  upon 
some  incidents  presented  at  the  moment,  and  in  which  our 
navigators  usually  made  a  prominent  figure.     Otoo,  the  pres- 


216  JAMES  COOK. 

ent  king  of  Otaheite,  a  man  of  fine  figure  but  of  remarkably 
timid  disposition,  contracted  an  intimate  friendship  with  Cap- 
tain Oook.  Oberea,  who,  when  the  island  was  first  visited  by 
Captain  WaJlis,  was  so  conspicuous  a  character,  was  now  re- 
duced to  an  humble  station,  and  had  declined  as  much  in  per- 
sonal appearance  as  in  rank.  It  is  remarkal)le  that  few  inqui- 
ries were  made  after  Tupia,  who  had  accompanied  Cook  in 
his  former  voyage,  or  after  Aootooroo,  the  native  of  Otaheite 
who  had  accompanied  Bougainville  to  Europe;  but,,  though 
the  islanders  were  neglectful  of  their  own  countrymen,  they 
were  uniformly  sohcitous  in  inquiring  after  Mr.  Banks. 

On  leaving  Otaheite,  Cook  visited  the  other  islands  of  the 
group,  where  he  found  provisions  in  greater  abundance.  Oree, 
the  chief  of  Huaheine,  evinced  towards  him  the  most  affec- 
tionate regard.  Omai,  a  native  of  Ulietea,  being  desirous  to 
accompany  the  English,  was  admitted  by  Captain  Furneaux 
on  board  the  Adventure:  Captain  Cook  wonderc'd  that  Cap- 
tain Furneaux  would  encumber  himself  with  this  man,  who  in 
his  opinion,  was  not  a  proper  sample  of  the  inhabitants  of  these 
happy  islands,  not  having  any  advantage  of  birth  or  acquired 
rank,  nor  being  eminent  in  shape,  figure  or  complexion.  After 
his  arrival  in  England,  however.  Cook  changed  his  opinion, 
and  doubted  whether  any  other  of  the  natives  would  have 
given  more  general  satisfaction,  by  his  behaviour  among  them. 
"Omai,"  he  observes,  "has  certainly  a  very  good  understand- 
ing, quick  parts  and  honest  principles.  He  is  of  good  natural 
behaviour,  which  rendered  him  acceptable  to  the  best  compa- 
ny, and  a  proper  degree  of  pride,  which  taught  him  to  avoid 
the  society  of  persons  of  inferior  rank.  He  has  passions  of 
the  same  kind  with  other  young  men,  but  has  judgment  enough 
not  to  indulge  them  in  any  improper  degree.  I  do  ifot  ima- 
gine that  he  has  any  dishke  to  liquor,  and  if  he  had  fallen  into 
company  where  the  person  who  drank  the  most  met  with  the 
most  approbation,  I  have  no  doubt  but  he  would  have  endeav- 
oured to  gain  the  applause  of  those  with  whom  he  associated, 
but  fortunately  for  him,  he  perceived  that  drinking  was  very 
little  in  use  but  among  the  inferior  people,  and  as  he  was  very 
watchful  into  the  manners  and  conduct  of  the  persons  of  rank 
who  honoured  him  with  their  protection,  he  was  sober  and 
modest,  and  I  never  heard  that  during  the  whole  time  of  his 
stay  in  England,  which  was  two  years,  he  ever  once  was  dis- 
guised with  wine,  or  ever  showed  an  incUnation  to  go  beyond 
the  strictest  rules  of  moderation. 

"  During  his  stay  in  England,  he  was  caressed  by  the  princi- 
pal nobility,  and  did  nothing  to  forfeit  the  esteem  of  any  one 
of  them;  but  his  principal  patrons  were  the  Earl  of  Sandwich, 


JAMES  COOK.  217 

Mr.  Banks  and  Dr.  Solander.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  though 
Omai  lived  in  the  midst  of  amusements  during  his  residence  in 
England,  his  return  to  his  native  country  was  always  in  his 
thoughts,  and  though  he  was  not  impatient  to  go  he  expressed 
a  satisfaction  as  the  time  of  his  return  approached.  He  em- 
barked with  me  in  the  Resolution,  when  she  fitted  out  for 
another  voyage,  loaded  with  presents  from  his  several  friends, 
and  full  of  gratitude  for  the  kind  reception  and  treatment  he 
had  experienced  among  us."  A  young  native  of  Borabora, 
named  Hete-Hete  or  Oedidee  (as  our  great  navigator  named 
him,)  was  at  the  same  time  allowed  by  Captain  Cook  to  em- 
bark in  the  Resolution. 

On  quitting  the  Society  Islands,  Cook  directed  his  course 
to  the  west,  where  he  had  reason  to  believe,  from  the  accounts 
of  the  natives,  that  much  yet  remained  to  be  explored.  At  the 
island  named  Middleburg  by  Roggewein,  he  was  well  treated 
by  a  chief  called  Tioony  :  at  Amsterdam  Island  his  reception 
was  equally  favourable.  The  language  of  these  islanders  dif- 
fered but  little  from  that  of  Otaheite,  and  they  were  evidently  of 
the  same  race.  Some  of  our  navigators  thought  them  much 
handsomer  ;  but  others,  and  among  these  Cook  himself,  were 
of  a  different  opinion.  The  men  were  grave  and  stately;  but 
the  women,  on  the  contrary,  were  remarkably  vivacious,  and 
prattled  unceasingly  to  the  strangers,  regardless  of  the  morti- 
fying fact  that  the  latter  could  not  understand  them.  But  these 
people  were  chiefly  distinguished  from  the  natives  of  the  Soci- 
ety Islands  by  their  superior  industry.  On  the  Island  of  Am- 
sterdam Captain  Cook  was  struck  with  admiration ;  when  he 
surveyed  the  cultivation  and  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  he 
thought  himself  transported  into  the  most  fertile  plains  of 
Europe :  there  was  not  an  inch  of  waste  ground.  The  roads 
or  paths  occupied  no  more  space  than  was  absolutely  necessa- 
ry, and  the  fences  did  not  take  up  above  four  inches  each;  nor 
was  this  small  portion  of  ground  wholly  lost,  for  the  fences 
themselves  contained  in  general  useful  trees  or  plants.  The 
scene  was  every  where  the  same ;  and  nature,  assisted  by  a 
little  art,  no  where  assumed  a  more  splendid  appearance  than 
in  these  islands. 

Cook  now  directed  his  course  again  to  New  Zealand ;  but, 
on  approaching  that  country,  the  ships  had  to  encounter  a  suc- 
cession of  severe  gales  and  continued  bad  weather,  during 
which  the  Adventure  was  again  lost  sight  of  and  never  after- 
wards rejoined.  ^On  the  3d  of  November  the  Resolution  an- 
chored in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound.  The  winter  had  been 
spent  not  unprofitably  in  revictualling  the  ships,  restoring  the 
health  of  the  crews,  and  obtaining  a  more  accurate  knowledge 
19* 


218  JAMES  COOK. 

of  the  islands  between  the  tropics.  And  now,  as  summer  ap- 
proached, it  was  Cook's  intention  to  run  from  New  Zealand, 
where  wood  and  water  were  to  be  procured  in  abundance, 
and  to  explore  the  high  southern  latitudes  from  west  to  east, 
in  which  course  he  might  reckon  upon  having  the  winds  and 
currents  in  his  favour.  While  the  Resolution  lay  in  Queen 
Charlotte's  Sound,  indubitable  proofs  presented  themselves 
that  cannibalism  was  common  among  the  natives:  one  of  them 
who  carried  some  human  flesh  in  his  canoe,  was  allowed  to 
broil  and  eat  it  on  board  the  Resolution,  in  order  to  satisfy  the 
doubts  of  some  of  the  officers.  Oedidee,  who  witnessed  all 
this,  was  shocked  beyond  measure  at  the  spectacle :  at  first  he 
stood  motionless  as  a  statue,  but  his  horror  at  length  gave 
way  to  rage,  which  vented  itself  not  only  on  the  New  Zealand- 
er,  but  on  the  officers  who  had  encouraged  him ;  and  he  could 
not  be  induced  even  to  touch  the  knife  which  had  been  employ- 
ed to  cut  the  human  flesh. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  Cook  sailed  to  prosecute  his  ex- 
amination of  the  antarctic  seas.  His  crew  were  in  good  health 
and  high  spirits,  not  at  all  dejected  by  the  arduous  task  which 
was  before  them.  In  a  few  days  they  crossed  the  antipodes  of 
London,  and  were  thus  on  the  point  of  the  globe  which  was 
most  distant  from  their  home.  The  first  ice  island  was  seen 
on  the  12th  of  December ;  and,  on  the  30th  of  that  month, 
our  navigators  had  reached  the  seventy-first  degree  of  south- 
ern latitude  :  but  here  the  ice  was  so  compact  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  proceed  any  farther  towards  the  south ;  and  it  was 
also  obvious  that  no  continent  existed  in  that  direction  but 
what  must  be  inaccessible  from  the  ice.  It  was  Cook's  inten- 
tion to  winter  again  within  the  tropic;  but,  in  proceeding 
thither,  he  wished  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  southern  land 
said  to  have  been  discovered  by  Juan  Fernandez.  He  sailed 
sufficiently  near  the  position  assigned  to  that  supposed  conti- 
nent to  assure  himself  that  it  could  not  have  been  any  thing 
more  than  an  island  of  moderate  size.  He  now  directed  his 
course  in  search  of  Davis'  Land  or  Easter  Island,  which  had 
been  sought  in  vain  by  Byron,  Carteret,  and  Bougainville: 
Cook,  however,  succeeded  better,  and  made  the  island  on  the 
11th  of  March,  1774.  The  natives  were  found  to  speak  a  lan- 
guage radically  the  same  with  that  of  Otaheite,  and  which  thus 
reaches  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  from  New  Zealand  to  the 
sequestered  islands  in  the  East.  Easter  Island  was  found  to 
be  remarkably  barren,  ill  supplied  with  water,  and  wholly 
without  wood.  But  the  attention  of  the  Enghsh  was  forcibly 
attracted  by  the  great  statues  seen  on  the  island  by  Roggewein. 
About  fifteen  yards  from  the  landing  place  was  found  a  per- 


JAMES  COOK.  219 

pendicular  wall  of  square  hewn  stones,  about  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  nearly  sixty  in  length  ;  another  wall  parallel  to 
die  first,  and  about  forty  feet  distant  from  it,  was  raised  to  the 
same  height ;  the  whole  area  between  the  walls  was  filled  up 
and  paved  with  square  stones  of  blackish  lava.  The  stones  of 
the  walls  were  so  carefully  fitted  as  to  make  a  durable  piece 
of  architecture.  In  the  midst  of  the  area  was  a  pillar  consist- 
ing of  a  single  stone,  about  twenty  feet  high  and  about  five  feet 
wide,  representing  the  human  figure  down  to  the  waist.  The 
workmanship  was  rude  but  not  bad ;  nor  were  the  features  of 
the  face  ill  formed,  but  the  ears  were  long  beyond  proportion. 
On  the  top  of  the  head  was  placed  upright  a  huge  round 
cylinder  of  stone,  above  five  feet  in  height  and  in  diameter; 
this  cap,  which  resembled  the  head-dress  of  an  Egyptian 
divinity,  was  formed  of  a  kind  of  stone  different  from  that 
which  composed  the  rest  of  the  pillar,  and  had  a  hole  on  each 
side,  as  if  it  had  been  made  round  by  turning.  It  appeared 
as  difficult  to  explain  how  the  natives  of  this  island,  who  were 
but  few  in  number,  could  carve  such  huge  statues  with  no 
better  tools  than  those  made  of  bones  or  shells,  or  how  they 
raised  them  on  their  pedestals  when  finished,  as  to  divine  for 
what  purpose  they  undertook  such  gigantic  labours;  for  it  did 
not  appear  that  the  statues  were  objects  of  worship ;  yet  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  island  they  were  numerous  enough  to 
employ  the  male  population  of  the  island  for  many  centuries  in 
their  construction.  The  skill  of  this  people  in  carving  was 
still  more  manifest  in  the  ornaments  of  their  canoes,  and  in 
small  wooden  figures,  of  which  the  English  brought  home 
many  curious  specimens. 

From  Easter  Island  Cook  directed  his  course  to  the  Mar- 
quesas, discovered  by  Mendana  in  1595  ;  and  on  the  6th  of 
April  he  got  sight  of  one  island  of  the  group  which  was,  how- 
ever, a  new  discovery,  and  received,  from  the  gentleman  who 
first  descried  it,  the  name  oi  Hoodh  Island.  The  other  islands 
seen  by  Mendana,  St.  Pedro,  Dominica,  and  St.  Christiana, 
were  afterwards  discovered  in  succession.  The  ship  with 
much  difficulty  anchored  in  Mendana's  Port,  in  the  last  men- 
tioned island.  Magdalena,  the  fifth  island  of  the  group,  was 
seen  only  at  a  distance.  Of  the  inhabitants  of  these  islands 
Captain  Cook  tells  us,  that  collectively  they  are  without  ex- 
ception the  finest  race  of  people  in  this  sea ;  for  fine  shape  and 
regular  features  they  perhaps  surpass  all  other  nations.  Nev- 
ertheless the  affinity  of  their  language  to  that  spoken  in  Ota- 
heite  and  the  Society  Islands  shows  that  they  are  originally  of 
the  same  nation.  Oedidee  could  converse  with  them  tolerably 
well,  though  the  English  could  not,  and  it  was  obvious  that 


220  JAMES  COOK.  ' 

their  languages  were  nearly  the  same.  In  their  manners  and 
arts  the  people  resembled  the  natives  of  Otaheite,  but  appeared 
to  be  rather  less  ingenious  and  refined.  Forts,  or  strong 
holds,  were  seen  on  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills  ;  but  they 
were  not  visited  by  the  English,  who  had  not  become  suffi- 
ciently acquainted  with  the  natives  to  venture  into  the  interior. 

Cook,  having  rediscovered  the  Marquesas  of  Mendana,  pro- 
ceeded to  Otaheite,  and  passing  by  a  group,  to  which  he  gave 
the  name  of  Palhser's  Islands,  and  some  others  which  had 
been  seen  by  Byron,  he  anchored  in  Matavai  Bay  on  the  22d 
of  April.  At  this  time  there  were  no  sick  on  board ;  but  as 
the  island  seemed  to  abound  with  provisions,  our  navigator 
was  willing  to  prolong  his  stay  here.  His  original  stock  in 
trade  was,  indeed,  now  exhausted;  but  he  found  that  the  peo- 
ple of  Otaheite  set  a  great  value  on  the  red  parrot  feathers,  of 
which  he  had  brought  a  considerable  supply  from  Amsterdam 
and  Middleburg  Islands.  He  thus  accidentally  learned  an 
advantageous  and  easy  course  of  traffic  in  the  South  Sea. 

Among  other  entertainments  with  which  our  navigators 
were  treated  during  this  visit  to  Otaheite  was  a  grand  naval 
review.  The  vessels  of  war  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  great  canoes,  from  fifty  to  ninety  feet  in  length ;  they 
were  decorated  with  flags  and  streamers ;  and  the  chiefs,  to- 
gether with  all  those  who  were  on  the  fighting  stages,  were 
dressed  in  their  war  habits.  The  whole  fleet  made  a  noble 
appearance,  such  as  our  voyagors  had  never  before  seen,  and 
could  not  have  expected  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Besides 
the  vessels  of  war,  there  were  one  hundred  and  seventy  sail  of 
smaller  double  canoes,  which  seemed  to  be  designed  for  trans- 
ports and  victuallers.  Upon  each  of  them  was  a  small  house 
or  shed ;  and  they  were  rigged  with  a  mast  and  sail,  which 
was  not  the  case  with  the  war  canoes.  Captain  Cook  estima- 
ted, at  a  moderate  computation,  that  there  could  not  be  less 
than  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  men  in  the  fleet; 
but  the  immense  number  of  natives  assembled  as  spectators 
astonished  the  English  more  than  the  splendour  of  the  arma- 
ment, and  they  were  still  farther  surprised  to  learn  that  this 
fleet  was  the  naval  force  of  only  one  of  the  twenty  districts 
into  which  the  island  is  divided.  On  these  equivocal  grounds 
they  were  led  to  form  an  extremely  exaggerated  calcuhition  of 
the  population  of  Otaheite,  which  they  estimated  to  be  at  least 
two  hundred  thousand  souls  ;  a  number  exceeding  the  truth, 
perhaps,  in  the  proportion  of  ten  to  one. 

From  Otaheite  our  navigators  proceeded  to  visit  the  Society 
Islands,  at  Huaheine.  Cook  was  affectionately  received  by 
the  old  chief  Orce,  who  still  carefully  preserved  the  medals. 


JAMES  COOK.  221 

coins,  and  pewter  plate  with  an  inscription  commemorating 
the  voyage,  which  our  commander  had  given  him  on  a  former 
visit.  Odidee,  who  for  seven  months  had  been  the  faithful 
companion  of  our  voyagers,  and  had  made  with  them  the  tour 
of  the  Pacific,  was  put  on  shore  at  Ulietea.  He  left  the  Eng- 
lish with  regret  demonstrative  of  a  strong  attachment  to 
them ;  and  nothing  could  have  torn  him  from  them  but  the  fear 
of  never  returning  to  his  native  country.  He  was  a  fine  young 
man,  of  a  docile  and  humane  disposition,  and  of  the  better 
class  of  natives,  being  nearly  related  to  Opoony,the  formidable 
chief  of  Borabora.  But  from  his  inexperience  and  imperfect 
acquaintance  with  the  traditionary  knowledge  of  his  country- 
men, but  httle  could  be  learned  from  him  respecting  their 
history. 

Cook  again  directed  his  course  to  the  Avest,  and  repeated  his 
visit  to  the  Friendly  Islands.  This  name  he  gave  to  a  group 
extending  through  about  three  degrees  of  latituda  and  two 
degrees  of  longitude,  and  comprising  Anamooka,  which  Tas- 
man,  who  first  discovered  it,  named  Rotterdam,  Tonga-taboo 
or  Amsterdam,  Eaoowee  or  Middleburg,  and  Pylstart  Islands. 
But  this  appellation,  to  which  these  islands  were  entitled  by 
the  firm  alliance  and  friendship  which  seemed  to  exist  among 
their  inhabitants,  and  their  courteous  behaviour  to  strangers, 
might  perhaps  be  extended  much  farther,  so  as  to  include  the 
Boscawen  and  Keppel  Isles,  discovered  by  Captain  Wallis, 
and  inhabited  by  people  of  the  same  friendly  manners. 

Pursuing  their  course  to  the  west,  our  navigators  discover- 
ed, on  the  16th  of  July,  land,  which  was  justly  conjectured  to 
be  the  Terra  Austrialis  del  Espirito  Santo  of  Quiros.  After 
exploring  the  coast  for  a  few  days.  Cook  came  to  an  anchor  in 
a  harbour  in  the  island  of  Mallicolo.  The  inhtibitants  of  this 
island  were  the  most  ugly  and  deformed  race  which  our  navi- 
gators had  yet  seen,  and  differed  in  every-  respect  from  the 
other  inhabitants  of  the  Southern  Ocean :  they  were  dark 
coloured,  of  small  stature,  with  long  heads,  flat  faces,  and 
countenances  resembhng  that  of  a  monkey.  Their  language, 
also,  was  found  not  to  have  any  discoverable  affinity  with  that 
prevailing  through  the  islands  with  which  the  English  had  any 
acquaintance.  This  people  differed,  likewise,  from  the  great 
Polynesian  race  not  more  by  their  language  and  figure  than 
by  their  scrupulous  honesty.  As  our  navigators  proceeded 
towards  the  south  from  Mallicolo,  they  passed  by  a  group 
which  Cook  named  Skepkerd^s  Isles,  Farther  to  the  south 
was  discovered  a  large  island  agreeably  diversified  with  woods 
and  lawns  over  the  whole  surface,  and  exhibiting  a  most 
beautiful  and  dehghtful  prospect.     This  our  navigator  named 


222  JAMES  COOK. 

Sandwich  Island^  in  compliment  to  his  friend  and  patron,  the 
Earl  of  Sandwich.  Still  farther  to  the  south  was  seen  another 
large  island,  called  by  the  natives  Erromango,  which  he  coast- 
ed for  three  days,  and  then  came  to  an  anchor  in  the  intention 
of  procuring  a  supply  of  wood  and  water.  This,  however, 
could  not  be  effected  without  a  violent  conflict  with  the  na- 
tives, who  were  both  fierce  and  treacherous.  It  was  observed 
that  they  differed  from  the  inhabitants  of  Mallicolo  both  in 
language  and  physical  conformation ;  they  were  well  shaped 
and  had  tolerable  features,  but  dark  coloured,  and  with  hair 
crisp  and  somewhat  woolly.  From  this  place  Cook  sailed  for 
an  island  which  had  been  descried  some  time  before  at  a  dis- 
tance. He  found  that  it  was  called  Tanna  by  the  inhabitants, 
from  whom  also  he  learned  the  names  of  three  other  islands  in 
its  neighbourhood — Immer,  Erronan,  and  Anaton.  Two  lan- 
guages were  found  to  be  spoken  in  Tanna  ;  one  of  them, 
which  was  said  to  have  been  introduced  from  Erronan,  was 
nearly  the  same  with  that  of  the  Friendly  Islands.  The  other, 
which  our  navigators  considered  peculiar  to  Tanna,  Erroman- 
go,  and  Anaton,  was  difl^'erent  from  any  they  had  hitherto  met 
with  in  the  course  of  their  researches.  The  people  at  Tanna 
were  well  proportioned,  but  not  robust.  They  had  good  fea- 
tures and  agreeable  countenances.  Though  active,  and  fond 
of  martial  exercise,  they  seemed  incapable  of  patient  labour. 
It  appeared  that  they  practised  circumcision,  and  that  they 
were  eaters  of  human  flesh  ;  though,  as  their  island  abounded 
with  hogs  and  fowls,  and  a  variety  of  fruits,  they  could  not  be 
driven  by  necessity  to  adopt  this  horrid  practice. 

Captain  Cook  devoted  above  a  month  to  the  survey  of  this 
archipelago,  with  which  previous  navigators  had  made  but  a 
superficial  acquaintance.  The  northern  islands  were  discov- 
ered, in  1606,  by  Quiros,  who  supposed  them  to  be  portions 
of  the  great  southern  continent.  Bougainville,  in  1768,  dis- 
pelled this  idea,  though  he  did  not  proceed  to  examine  the 
islands  near  which  he  sailed ;  but  Captain  Cook,  besides  as- 
certaining the  extent  and  situation  of  the  islands  already 
known,  explored  the  whole  group;  and,  conceiving  that  in 
consequence  he  had  a  right  to  name  them,  bestowed  on  them 
tiie  appellation  of  the  New  Hebrides. 

The  season  was  now  approaching,  when  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  resume  his  researches  in  a  high  southern  latitude,  and 
he  hastened  therefore  to  New  Zealand,  where  he  intended  to 
refresh  his  people  and  prepare  for  a  navigation  of  considerable 
length.  He  sailed  from  the  New  Hebrides  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, and  on  the  4th  discovered  land,  near  which  the  Reso- 
lution came  to  anchor  the  next  day.     The  inhabitants  were  a 


JAMES  COOK.  223 

strong,  active,  and  handsome  race,  bearing  some  resemblance 
to  the  people  of  Tanna,  and  those  of  the  Friendly  Isles.  The 
same  mixed  character  was  observed  in  their  language :  they 
had  never  seen  Europeans  before,  but  were  friendly  and  obhg- 
ingin  their  behaviour;  and,  what  is  still  more  remarkable  in 
the  South  Seas,  strictly  honest  in  all  their  deahngs.  To  this 
island  Captain  Cook  gave  the  name  of  New  Caledonia :  and 
though  compelled  by  necessity  to  leave  it  before  it  M^as  fully 
surveyed,  he  had  nevertheless  examined  it  sufficiently  to  prove, 
that,  excepting  New  Zealand,  it  is  perhaps  the  largest  island 
in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean.  As  the  Resolution  pursued  her 
course  from  New  Caledonia,  land  was  discovered,  which,  on  a 
nearer  approach,  was  found  to  be  an  island  of  good  height,  and 
about  five  leagues  in  circuit.  It  was  uninhabited,  and  proba- 
bly our  Enghsh  navigators  were  the  first  persons  who  had  ever 
set  foot  on  it.  In  its  vegetable  productions  it  bore  a  close  re- 
semblance to  New  Zealand:  the  flax  plant  of  that  country  was 
here  particularly  luxuriant;  but  the  chief  produce  of  the  island 
was  a  majestic  species  of  pine,  of  such  a  size  that,  breast  high, 
two  men  could  scarcely  clasp  the  trunk.  This  little  spot  was 
named  Norfolk  Island.  Its  fine  woods  and  fertile  soil  allured, 
some  years  later,  a  party  of  British  settlers  ;  who  finally 
abandoned  it,  however,  from  the  inaccessible  nature  of  its 
coast. 

On  the  18th  of  October  the  Resolution  came  to  anchor  in 
Queen  Charlotte's  Sound.  This  was  the  third  time  of  touching 
at  New  Zealand  during  this  voyage.  On  searching  for  the 
bottle  which  Cook  had  left  behind  on  his  last  visit,  containing 
the  particulars  of  his  arrival,  it  was  found  to  have  been  taken 
away ;  and  from  other  circumstances  it  was  evident  that  the 
Adventure  had  visit«d  the  harbour  after  the  Resolution  had  left 
it.  While  the  Resolution  remained  here,  the  intercourse  main- 
tained with  the  natives  was  of  the  most  friendly  description; 
Captain  Cook  continued  his  efibrts  to  stock  the  island  with 
useful  animals,  and  for  that  purpose  ordered  a  boar  and  sow 
to  be  put  on  shore. 

On  the  10th  of  November  he  left  New  Zealand,  to  pursue 
his  voyage  to  the  east.  Towards  the  close  of  that  month,  he 
had  reached  the  latitude  of  55^  40'  S.,  when,  deeming  it  use- 
less to  search  any  longer  for  a  continent  in  that  direction,  he 
bore  away  for  Cape  Horn;  and  on  the  17th  of  December,  had 
sight  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  This  is  the  first  instance  of  a  run 
quite  across  the  Southern  Pacific.  It  now  only  remained  for 
our  navigator  to  cross  the  Southern  Atlantic  to  the  point 
whence  he  had  commenced  his  explorations.  Having  com- 
pleted his  examination  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  Staaten  Land, 


224  JAMES    COOK. 

he  proceeded  towards  the  east ;  and,  after  a  voyage  of  ten  days, 
land  was  seen  at  a  distance  nearly  covered  with  snow.  On 
approaching  the  shore,  it  was  found  to  be  terminated  in  many 
places  by  perpendicular  ice  cliffs  of  considerable  height. 
Pieces  continually  broke  off  with  a  noise  like  the  report  of 
cannon,  and  floated  out  to  sea.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
country  was  savage  and  horrid  in  the  extreme.  The  wild 
rocks  raised  their  lofty  summits  till  they  were  lost  in  the  clouds, 
and  the  valleys  lay  covered  with  everlasting  snow.  Our  navi- 
gator, who  at  first  view  of  this  land  supposed  that  it  might  be 
a  continent,  confesses  that  he  was  not  much  disappointed  on 
discovering  his  error;  "  for  to  judge  of  the  bulk  by  the  sample 
it  would  not  be  worth  discovering."  In  latitude  59°,  and 
about  8°  to  the  east  of  Ncio  Georgia,  as  this  inhospitable 
shore  was  named,  land  was  again  seen,  presenting  an  elevated 
coast,  whose  lofty  snow-clad  summits  reached  above  the  clouds. 
To  this  bleak  region  Cook  gave  the  name  of  the  Southern  Thule, 
as  it  was  the  most  southern  land  which  had  yet  been  discover- 
ed ;  but  on  leaving  the  coast  he  gave  to  the  whole  country  the 
general  appellation  of  Sandwich  Land,  which  he  concluded 
to  be  either  a  group  of  islands  or  the  southern  continent.  But 
the  great  quantities  of  ice  which  he  met  with  led  him  to  infer 
the  existence  of  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  south  pole.  He 
now  sailed  as  far  as  the  latitude  assigned  to  Bouvet's  supposed 
discovery;  but  no  indications  of  land  occurred,  nor  was  it  pos- 
sible to  believe  any  longer  in  the  existence  of  Cape  Circum- 
cision. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  they  found  themselves  abreast  a  lofty 
promontory;  and  early  the  next  morning,  the  captain  went 
with  two  boats,  to  examine  the  coast,  to  look  for  a  proper  land- 
ing place,  wood  and  water.  At  this  time  the  natives  began  to 
assemble  on  the  shore,  and  by  signs  invited  them  to  land.  The 
captain  went  first  to  a  small  beach,  where  he  found  no  good 
landing.  Some  of  the  natives  who  were  there  offered  to  haul 
the  boat  over  the  breakers  to  the  sandy  beach,  which  was 
thought  a  friendly  offer ;  but  they  had  reason  afterwards  to 
alter  their  opinion.  They  put  into  the  shore  in  two  or  three 
places,  but  not  liking  the  situation  did  not  land.  By  this  time 
the  natives  conceived  what  they  wanted,  as  they  directed  the 
boat  round  the  rocky  point,  where,  on  a  fine  sandy  beach,  the 
captain  stept  out  of  the  boat  without  wetting  a  foot,  in  the  face 
of  a  great  multitude,  with  only  a  green  branch  in  his  hand. 
They  received  him  with  great  courtesy  and  politeness;  and 
would  retire  back  from  the  boat  on  his  making  the  least  motion 
with  his  hand.  A  man,  whom  he  took  to  be  a  chief,  seeing 
this,  made  them  form  a  semicircle  round  the  boat's  bow,  and 


JAMES  COOK.  225 

beat  such  as  attempted  to  break  through  this  order.  This 
man  he  loaded  with  presents,  giving  Hkewise  to  others,  and 
asked  by  signs  for  fresh  water,  in  hopes  of  seeing  where  they 
got  it.  The  chief  immediately  sent  a  man  for  some,  who  ran 
to  a  house,  and  presently  returned  with  a  little  in  a  bamboo  ; 
so  that  he  gained  but  little  information  by  this.  He  next  asked 
by  the  same  means  for  something  to  eat;  and  they  as  readily 
brought  him  a  yam  and  some  cocoa-nuts. 

In  short,  he  was  charmed  with  their  behaviour ;  and  the 
only  thing  which  could  give  the  least  suspicion  was,  that  most 
of  them  were  armed  with  clubs,  spears,  darts,  bows  and  ar- 
rows. For  this  reason  the  captain  kept  his  eye  continually 
upon  the  chief,  and  watched  his  looks  as  well  as  his  actions. 
He  made  many  signs  to  haul  the  boat  upon  the  shore,  and  at 
last  slipped  into  the  crowd,  where  the  captain  observed  him 
speak  to  several  people,  and  then  return,  repeating  signs  to 
haul  the  boat  up,  and  hesitating  a  good  deal  before  he  would 
receive  some  spike  nails  which  were  then  offered  him.  This 
made  him  suspect  something  was  intended,  and  immediately 
he  stepped  into  the  boat,  telling  them  by  signs  that  he  should 
soon  return.  But  they  were  not  for  parting  so  soon,  and  now 
attempted  by  force,  what  they  could  not  obtain  by  gentler 
means. 

As  they  were  putting  off  the  boat,  they  laid  hold  of  the  gang- 
board,  and  unhooked  it  off  the  boat's  stern  ;  but  as  they  did 
not  take  it  away,  it  was  thought  this  had  been  done  by  acci- 
dent, and  he  ordered  the  boat  in  again  to  take  it  up.  Then 
the  natives  hooked  it  over  the  boat's  stern,  and  attempted  to 
haul  her  ashore ;  others  at  the  same  time,  snatched  the  oars 
out  of  the  people's  hands.  On  pointing  a  musket  at  them, 
they  in  some  measure  desisted,  but  returned  in  an  instant, 
seemingly  determined  to  effect  their  purpose.  At  the  head  of 
this  party  was  the  chief.  Signs  and  threats  having  no  effect, 
their  own  safety  became  the  only  consideration ;  and  yet  the 
captain  was  unwilling  to  fire  on  the  multitude,  and  resolved  to 
make  the  chief  alone  fall  a  victim  to  his  own  treachery ;  but 
his  musket,  at  this  critical  moment,  missed  fire.  Whatever 
idea  they  might  have  formed  of  their  arms,  the  natives  must 
now  have  looked  upon  them  "as  childish  weapons,  and  began 
to  let  them  see  how  much  better  theirs  were,  by  throwing 
stones  and  darts,  and  by  shooting  arrows.  This  made  it  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  give  orders  to  fire.  The  first  discharge 
threw  them  into  confusion  ;  but  a  second  was  hardly  sufficient 
to  drive  them  off  the  beach.  Four  lay,  to  all  appearance,  dead 
on  the  shore;  but  two  afterwards  crawled  into  the  bushes. 
Happy  it  was  for  these  people,  that  not  half  the  muskets  would 
20 


296  JAMES  COOK* 

go  off,  otherwise  many  more  must  have  fallen.  One  sailor 
was  wounded  in  the  cheek  with  a  dart,  the  point  of  which  was 
as  thick  as  a  httle  finger,  and  yet  it  entered  above  two  inches  ; 
which  shows  that  it  must  have  come  with  great  force. 

As  soon  as  they  got  on  board,  the  captain  ordered  the  anchor 
to  be  weighed.  While  this  was  doing,  several  people  appeared 
on  the  rocky  point,  displaying  two  oars  which  had  been  lost 
in  the  scuffle.  This  they  supposed  was  a  sign  of  submission, 
and  of  their  wanting  to  give  them  the  oars.  He  nevertheless 
fired  a  four  pound  shot  at  them,  to  ht  them  see  the  effects  of 
their  great  guns.  The  ball  fell  short,  but  frightened  them  so 
much,  that  none  were  seen  afterwards;  and  they  left  the  oars 
standing  up  against  the  bushes. 

In  the  night  of  the  5th  of  August,  they  saw  a  volcano,  which 
they  observed  to  throw  up  vast  quantities  of  fire  and  smoke 
with  a  rumbling  noise.  They  now  made  sail  for  the  island 
whence  it  seemed  to  proceed,  and  presently  after  discovered 
a  small  inlet,  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  a  good  har- 
bour. Towards  evening  the  captain  landed  at  the  head  of  the 
harbour,  with  a  strong  party  of  men,  without  any  opposition 
being  made  by  a  great  number  of  natives,  who  were  assembled 
in  two  parties,  the  one  on  the  right  and  the  other  on  the  left, 
all  armed.  After  distributing  to  the  old  people  and  some 
others,  presents  of  cloth,  medals,  &c.,  he  ordered  two  casks  to 
be  filled  with  water  out  of  a  pond,  about  twenty  paces  behind 
the  landing  place,  giving  the  natives  to  understand  that  this 
was  one  of  the  articles  which  they  wanted.  Besides  water 
they  got  from  them  a  few  cocoa  nuts,  which  seemed  to  be  in 
plenty  on  the  trees  ;  but  they  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 
part  with  any  of  their  weapons.  These  they  held  in  constant 
readiness  and  in  the  proper  attitudes  of  offence  and  defence, 
so  that  little  was  wanting  to  make  them  attack  them.  Their 
early  re-embarking  probably  disconcerted  their  scheme,  and 
after  that  they  all  retired. 

While  they  were  bringing  the  ship  nearer  the  shore,  to  wood 
and  water,  they  observed  the  natives  assembling  from  all  parts, 
and  forming  themselves  into  two  parties,  as  they  did  the  pre- 
ceding evening,  one  on  each  side  the  landing  place,  to  the 
amount  of  some  thousands,  armed  as  before.  A  canoe  now 
and  then  came  ofl^,  bringing  a  few  cocoa-nuts  and  plantains. 
The  captain  made  an  old  man,  who  seemed  well  disposed, 
understand  by  signs  that  they  were  to  lay  aside  their  weapons, 
and  throwing  those  which  were  in  the  canoe  overboard,  made 
him  a  present  of  a  large  piece  of  cloth.  There  was  no  doubt 
that  he  understood  him,  and  made  this  request  known  to  his 
countrymen;  for  as  soon  as  he  landed,  they  observed  he  went 


JAMES  COOK.  227 

first  to  one  party  and  then  to  the  otlier ;  nor  was  he  ever  after 
seen  with  any  thing  like  a  weapon  in  his  hand.  After  this, 
three  fellows  came  in  a  canoe  under  the  stern,  one  of  them 
brandishing  a  club  with  which  he  struck  the  ship's  side,  and 
committed  other  acts  of  defiance,  but  at  last  offered  to  ex- 
change it  for  a  string  of  beads  and  some  other  trifles.  These 
were  sent  down  to  him  by  a  line  ;  but  the  moment  they  were 
in  his  possession,  he  and  his  companions  paddled  off  in  all 
haste  without  giving  the  club  in  return.  This  was  what  the 
captain  expected,  and  indeed  what  he  was  not  sorry  for,  as  he 
wanted  an  opportunity  to  show  the  multitude  on  shore  the 
effect  of  their  fire-arms,  without  materially  hurting  them. 
Having  a  fowling-piece  with  small  shot  he  gave  the  fellow  the 
contents  ;  and  when  they  were  above  musket  shot  off,  he  or- 
dered some  of  the  musketoons  to  be  fired,  which  alarmed  them 
much.  This  transaction,  however,  seemed  to  make  little  or 
no  impression  on  the  people  there  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  be- 
gan to  halloo  and  make  sport  of  it. 

After  mooring  the  ship,  and  placing  the  artillery  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  command  the  whole  harbour,  he  embarked  with 
the  marines  and  a  party  of  seamen,  in  three  boats,  and  rowed 
in  for  the  shore.  It  has  been  already  mentioned,  that  the  two 
divisions  of  the  natives  were  drawn  up  on  each  side  the  land- 
ing place.  They  had  left  a  space  between  them  of  about 
thirty  or  forty  yards,  in  which  were  laid  to  the  most  advantage, 
a  few  large  bunches  of  plantains,  a  yam,  and  two  or  three 
roots.  The  old  man  before  mentioned,  and  two  or  three  more, 
invited  them,  by  signs,  to  land;  but  the  former  trap  was  still 
in  their  memory,  Avhich  they  were  so  near  being  caught  in  at 
the  last  island,  and  this  looked  something  like  it.  In  short 
every  thing  conspired  to  make  them  believe  they  meant  to 
attack  them  as  soon  as  they  should  be  on  shore.  To  prevent 
this,  the  captain  ordered  a  musket  to  be  fired  over  the  party 
on  the  right,  which  was  by  far  the  strongest  body  ;  but  the 
alarm  it  gave  them  was  momentary.  In  an  instant  they  re- 
covered themselves,  and  began  to  display  their  weapons.  The 
ship  now  fired  a  few  guns,  which  presently  dispersed  them, 
when  the  party  landed  and  marked  out  the  limits,  on  the  right 
and  left,  by  a  line.  The  natives  came  gradually  to  them, 
seemingly  in  a  more  friendly  manner,  some  even  without  their 
weapons ;  but  far  the  greatest  part  brought  them,  and  when 
they  made  signs  to  lay  them  down,  they  gave  the  English  to 
understand  thdt  they  must  lay  down  theirs  first.  Thus  all 
parties  stood  armed.  Many  seemed  afraid  to  touch  what  be- 
longed to  the  visitors,  and  they  seemed  to  have  no  notion  of  eX' 
changing  one  thing  for  another. 


298  JAMES    COOK. 

Cook  had  now  made  a  circuit  of  the  Southern  Ocean  in  a 
high  latitude,  and  traversed  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  demon- 
strate that  no  southern  continent  existed,  unless  near  the  pole, 
and  beyond  the  reach  of  navigation.  During  this  circumnavi- 
gation of  the  globe,  from  the  time  of  his  leaving  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  to  his  return  to  it  again,  he  had  sailed  no  less 
than  twenty  thousand  leagues.  On  the  13th  of  July,  1775,  he 
landed  at  Portsmouth,  having  been  absent  from  Great  Britain 
three  years  and  eighteen  days  ;  during  which  time,  and  under 
all  changes  of  climate,  he  had  lost  but  four  men,  and  only  one 
of  them  by  sickness. 

It  has  been  related  above,  that  Captain  Cook,  on  approach- 
ing New  Zealand  for  the  second  time  in  the  course  of  this  voy- 
age, lost  sight  of  the  Adventure,  and  never  joined  company 
with  that  ship  again.  Captain  Furneaux  was  long  baffled  by 
adverse  winds  in  his  attempt  to  reach  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound, 
which  was  appointed  the  rendezvous  for  the  ships  in  case  of 
separation.  At  length,  on  the  30th  of  November,  the  Adven- 
ture got  safe  into  the  desired  port.  The  Resolution  not  being 
there,  Captain  Furneaux  and  his  company  began  to  entertain 
doubts  of  her  safety ;  but,  on  going  ashore,  they  observed  on 
an  old  stump  of  a  tree  these  words  cut  out — "  Look  under- 
neath." They  dug  accordingly,  and  soon  found  a  bottle 
corked  and  waxed  down,  with  a  letter  in  it  from  Captain  Cook, 
signifying  his  arrival  on  the  3d,  and  departure  on  the  24th. 
Great  exertions  were  now  made  to  get  the  Adventure  ready 
for  sea,  and  on  the  17th  of  December,  the  preparations  being 
completed,  Mr.  Rowe,  a  midshipman,  with  nine  men,  were 
sent  in  the  large  cutter  to  gather  a  stock  of  wild  greens  for  the 
ship's  company.  As  the  boat  did  not  return  the  same  evening 
nor  the  next  morning,  and  the  ship  was  now  ready  for  sea,  Mr. 
Burney,  the  second  heutenant,  proceeded  in  search  of  her,  in 
the  launch,  manned  with  the  boat's  crew  and  ten  marines. 
The  launch  proceeded,  firing  guns  into  all  the  coves  by  way 
of  signals,  but  no  traces  of  the  cutter  were  found  till  they 
reached  Grass  Cove :  here  a  great  many  baskets  were  seen 
lying  on  the  beach  tied  up ;  when  cut  open,  some  of  them  wero 
found  to  be  full  of  roasted  flesh,  and  some  of  fern  root,  which 
served  the  natives  for  bread.  On  further  search,  some  shoes 
were  picked  up,  and  a  hand,  which  was  immediately  known 
to  have  belonged  to  Thomas  Hill,  one  of  the  forecastle  men, 
the  initials  of  his  name  being  marked  on  it  with  an  Otaheitan 
tatooing  instrument.  The  natives  were  collected  in  considera- 
ble numbers  round  Grass  Cove,  shouting  and  inviting  the 
English  to  land,  but  evidently  with  no  friendly  intentions. 
From  their  numbers,  and  the  suspicion  which  their  conduct 


JAMES  COOK. 


2dd 


excited  in  our  people,  Lieutenant  Burney  did  not  deem  it  pru- 
dent to  trust  himself  among  them,  but  he  pursued  his  examin- 
ation far  enough  to  obtain  a  melancholy  certainty  as  to  the  fate 
of  his  unfortunate  companions.  "  On  the  beach,"  he  says, 
*'  were  two  bundles  of  celery,  which  had  been  gathered  for 
loading  the  cutter ;  a  broken  oar  was  stuck  upright  in  the 
ground,  to  which  the  natives  had  tied  their  canoes,  a  proof 
that  the  attack  had  been  made  here.  I  then  searched  all 
along  at  the  back  of  the  beach  to  see  if  the  cutter  was  there. 
We  found  no  boat,  but  instead  of  her  such  a  shocking  scene  of 
carnage  and  barbarity  as  can  never  be  mentioned  nor  thought 
of  but  with  horror;  for  the  heads,  hearts,  and  lungs  of  several 
of  our  people  were  seen  lying  on  the  beach  ;  and,  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, the  dogs  gnawing  their  entrails."  The  men  who  had 
thus  fiilleu  victims  to  the  barbarity  of  the  natives  were  among 
the  healthiest  and  best  of  the  ship's  crew. 

The  Adventure  was  detained  in  the  sound  four  days  after 
this  lamentable  occurrence;  during  which  time  no  natives 
were  seen.  On  the  23d  of  December,  however,  she  got  to 
sea,  and  in  little  more  than  a  month  reached  Cape  Horn,  being 
favoured  by  a  strong  current  running  to  the  east,  and  by  west- 
erly winds  which  blow  continually  in  the  summer  season  in 
the  great  ocean.  Captain  Furneaux  continued  his  course  east- 
ward to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  he  refitted  his  ship 
and  refreshed  his  people.  He  then  sailed  for  England,  and 
anchored  at  Spithead  on  the  14th  of  July,  1774. 

In  1769  some  discoveries  of  importance  were  made  in  the 
South  Seas  by  a  French  mercantile  adventurer.  Two  ships 
were  fitted  out  in  Bengal  by  MM.  Law  and  Chevalier,  for  a 
trading  voyage  to  Peru,  and  were  placed  under  the  command 
of  M.  ds  Surville.  While  he  was  preparing  to  embark,  news 
arrived  in  India  that  the  English  had  discovered  in  the  South 
Sea,  seven  hundred  leagues  from  Peru,  and  in  latitude  27^  S., 
an  island  exceedingly  rich,  and  inhabited  by  Jews.  This  story 
gained  credit,  being  congenial  to  the  avaricious  cravings  of 
mankind  ;  and  even  those  who  suspected  fiction  in  the  men- 
tion of  Jews  were  still  willing  to  believe  that  the  newly  discov- 
ered country  was  eminently  rich.  Surville,  touching  at  the 
Bashee  Islands,  carried  off  three  of  the  natives  to  supply  the 
deficiencies  of  his  crew  ;  thiis  furnishing  a  conspicuous  exam- 
ple of  that  overbearing  violence  which  has  almost  universally 
forced  weak  and  uncivilized  nations  to  regard  Europeans  as 
their  natural  enemies.  In  running  to  the  south-east  from  New 
Guinea  he  discovered  land,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  the 
Land  of  the  Arsacides,  and  which  was,  in  fact,  a  part  of  that 
long  chain  of  islands  that  had  already  been  seen  by  Bougain- 
20* 


230  JAMES    COOK. 

ville,  who  gave  the  name  of  Louisiade  to  the  portion  which  he 
had  examined.  Surville,  in  his  intercourse  with  the  natives, 
found  them  to  be  of  a  fierce,  intractable,  and  treacherous  dis- 
position, and  chose  to  desij^nate  them  Arsacides,  a  name  which 
he  supposed  to  be  equivalent  to  the  word  assassins.  Surville 
afterwards  visited  New  Zealand,  and  anchored  in  a  bay,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Lauriston.  Captain  Cook,  who 
named  it  Double  Bay,  was  at  the  same  time  employed  in  sur- 
veying its  shores,  yet  these  two  navigators  did  not  meet  nor 
descry  each  other.  The  French  commander,  having  lost  his 
boat  while  anchoring  here,  went  on  shore  with  an  armed  party 
to  punish  the  natives,  whom  he  supposed  to  have  stolen  it.  In 
a  short  time  he  burned  several  villages,  and  carried  off  a  native 
chief.  This  outrage,  perpetrated  by  some  of  the  first  Europe- 
ans who  visited  them,  was  soon  afterwards  repaid  with  cruel 
reprisals  by  the  New  Zealanders.  The  chief  died  at  Juan 
Fernandez,  and  Surville  was  drowned  while  going  on  shore  at 
Valparaiso. 

The  Land  of  the  Arsacides,  which  Surville  had  coasted  on 
the  north-eastern  side,  was  again  discovered  in  1789,  by  Lieu- 
tenant Shortland,  of  the  British  navy,  on  his  voyage  from  Port 
Jackson  to  the  East  Indies:  he  followed  its  southern  shores, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  New  Georgia,  and  passed 
through  the  straits  of  Bougainville,  which  he  named  from  him- 
self, being  apparently  ignorant  of  the  discoveries  of  the  French 
navigators.  The  chain  of  large  islands  thus  seen  successively 
and  partially  by  Bougainville,  Surville,  and  Shortland,  and 
which  stretch  from  north-west  to  south-east,  between  New 
Guinea  and  the  New  Hebrides,  are  unquestionably  the  Salo- 
mon Islands  of  the  early  Spanish  navigators.  The  Egmont 
Island  of  Carteret,  who  sought  the  Salomon  Islands,  and  who 
approached  them  very  closely  without  being  aware  of  it,  may 
be  considered  as  belonging  to  the  archipelago. 

It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  Bougainville  brought 
home  with  him  to  France  a  native  of  Otaheite  named  Aootoo- 
roo.  When  the  fame  of  Cook's  discoveries  began  to  excite  a 
general  interest  in  Europe,  Captain  Marion  du  Frcsne,  anima- 
ted with  a  desire  to  emulate  the  glory  of  the  English  navigator, 
offered  to  take  back  the  Otaheitean  to  his  native  land  from  the 
Isle  of  France  at  his  own  expense :  the  offer  was  accepted ; 
and  Kerguelen,  a  navigator  of  some  note,  was  commissioned 
to  carry  Aootooroo  to  the  Isle  of  France,  and  then  to  proceed 
to  examine  more  carefully  the  southern  part  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  The  Otaheitean  died  at  Madagascar ;  but  Marion 
did  not  on  that  account  relinquish  his  plans,  but  proceeded,  in 
the  ardent  hope  of  making  some  important  discoveries.     He 


JAMES    COOK.  S^ 

arrived  at  New  Zealand  without  any  accident,  and  anchored 
in  the  Bay  of  Islands,  where  his  people  lived  on  terms  of 
famiharity,  and  apparently  of  cordial  friendship  with  the  na- 
tives; but  some  offence  was  given  unawares  to  the  passionate 
and  capricious  savages:  Marion  was  murdered,  with  sixteen 
officers  and  men  who  had  accompanied  him  on  shore.  Anoth- 
er party  of  eleven  men,  who  were  employed  cutting  wood  in  a 
different  quarter,  were  at  the  same  time  set  upon  suddenly,  and 
only  one  escaped  to  the  ships  to  relate  the  dismal  fate  of  his 
companions.  When  the  French  landed  to  seek  the  remains 
of  their  unfortunate  commander,  the  natives  insultingly  cried 
to  them  from  their  fastnesses,  "  Tacowry  (the  chief  of  the  dis- 
trict) has  killed  and  eaten  Marion."  After  this  melancholy 
accident  the  ships  returned  to  the  Isle  of  France  under  the 
command  of  M.  Duclesmeur,  all  plans  of  discovery  being  aban- 
doned. 

Kerguelen  in  the  mean  time  sailed  from  the  Isle  of  France 
in  January,  1772;  and,  on  the  12th  of  February,  discovered, 
in  latitude  50^  5'  S.,  high  land,  near  the  coast  of  which  he  re- 
mained six  days;  during  this  time  he  was  separated  from  the 
corvette  which  accompanied  him.  To  the  bleak  and  sterile 
shores  which  he  had  discovered  he  gave  his  own  name ;  took 
formal  possession  of  them  for  his  sovereign ;  and,  on  his  return 
to  France,  described  their  appearance  in  such  glowing  terms, 
that  Louis  XV.,  deceived  by  his  representations,  hung  to  his 
button-hole,  with  his  own  hand,  the  cross  of  St.  Louis.  Ker- 
guelen's  enemies,  however,  insisted  that  he  had  seen  ice  at  a 
distance,  and  mistaken  it  for  land ;  they  called  on  him  to  show 
some  of  the  productions  of  the  country  as  a  proof  of  his  dis- 
covery, and  insinuated  that  he  had  purposely  got  rid  of  his 
comrade  that  he  might  be  at  liberty  to  indulge  in  gross  fictions. 
The  king,  however,  afforded  him  the  means  of  refuting  these 
aspersions:  Kerguelen  sailed  again  to  the  Southern  Atlantic; 
and,  in  December,  1773,  again  discovered  land  :  by  the  6th  of 
January  following  he  had  traced  its  coasts  above  eighty  leagues. 
It  was,  however,  a  barren,  inhospitable,  and,  in  general,  an 
unapproachable  shore,  affording  nothing  that  could  satisfy  the 
French  nation  of  the  importance  of  his  discoveries.  On  his 
return  he  was  accused  of  culpable  indifference  to  the  safety  of 
his  men  and  officers,  or  rather  of  purposely  exposing  those 
whom  he  disliked  to  dangers  which  eventually  proved  fatal. 
Being  unable  to  exculpate  himself,  he  was  deprived  of  his 
rank  and  thrown  into  prison. 

No  expedition,  fitted  out  for  the  purpose  of  maritime  discov- 
ery, had  ever  equalled  that  from  which  Captain  Cook  had  now 
returned,  in  the  magnitude  and  arduous  nature  of  its  peculiar 


232  JAMES  COOK. 

object;  and  none  had  ever  so  completely  answered  its  inten- 
tions, and  performed  its  task  with  so  httle  loss  of  life  or  injury 
to  the  ships.  The  success  of  CookVvoyage  was  gratifying-  in 
the  highest  degree  to  those  who  had  patronized  the  undertaking. 
The  F^arl  of  Sandwich  was  still  at  the  head  of  the  admiralty, 
and  felt  naturally  disposed  to  reward  liberally  one  whose  cour- 
age and  skill  had  so  well  justified  his  expectations.  Cook  was 
immediately  raised  to  the  rank  of  post  captain,  and  obtained 
a  more  substantial  mark  of  favour,  being  appointed  one  of  the 
captains  of  Greenwich  hospital^  which  fvfforded  him  a  liberal 
maintenance  and  repose  from  his  professional  labours.  In 
February,  1776,  only  a  hw  months  after  his  return,  he  was 
elected  a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Society;  and  on  the  evening  of 
his  first  appearance  there,  a  paper  was  read  containing  an  ac- 
count of  the  method  he  had  taken  to  preserve  the  health  of  the 
crew  of  his  majesty's  ship  the  Resolution,  during  her  voyage 
round  the  world.  The  humane  and  successful  attention  which 
Cook  bestowed  on  his  ship's  company  was  soon  after  reward- 
ed by  the  Copley  medal,  a  prize  annually  bestowed  by  the 
Royal  Society  on  the  author  of  the  best  experimental  paper  of 
the  year.  In  the  discourse  which  the  President,  Sir  John 
Pringle,  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  bestowing  the  medal,  he 
uses  the  following  emphatic  expressions  : — 

"What  inquiry  can  be  so  useful  as  that  which  has  for  its 
object  the  saving  the  lives  of  menl  and  where  shall  we  find 
one  more  successful  than  that  before  us?  Here  are  no  vain 
boastings  of  the  empiric,  nor  ingenious  and  delusive  theories  of 
the  dogmatist;  but  a  concise  and  artless,  and  an  uncontested, 
relation  of  the  means  by  which,  under  divine  favour.  Captain 
Cook  with  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  men  per- 
formed a  voyage  of  three  years  and  eighteen  days  throughout 
all  the  climates  from  fifty -two  degrees  north  to  seventy-one  de- 
grees south  latitude,  with  the  loss  ^only  one  man  by  sickness. 
I  would  now  inquire  of  the  most  conversant  with  the  bills  of 
mortality,  whether,  in  the  most  healthy  climate,  and  the  best 
condition  of  life,  they  have  ever  found  so  small  a  number  of 
deaths  within  that  space  of  time  1  How  great  and  agreeable, 
then,  must  our  surprise  be,  after  purusing  the  histories  of  long 
navigations  in  former  days,  when  so  many  perished  by  marine 
diseases,  to  find  the  air  of  the  sea  acquitted  of  all  malignity ; 
and,  in  fine,  that  a  voyage  round  the  world  may  be  undertaken 
with  less  danger,  perhaps,  to  health,  than  a  common  tour  in 
Europe!" 

The  great  question,  as  to  the  existence  of  a  southern  conti- 
nent, was  finally  set  at  rest  by  the  result  of  this  voyage  ;  not 
but  that  immense  tracts  of  land  might  eidst  in  the  neighbour- 


JAMES  COOK.  233 

hood  of  the  south  pole.  But  Cook's  researches  reduced  the 
hmits  of  the  southern  continent,  if  it  exist  at  all,  within  such 
high  latitudes,  as  completely  to  dispel  all  those  hopes  of  un- 
bounded wealth  and  fertihty  with  which  imagination  had  hith- 
erto graced  that  undiscovered  country.  One  grand  problem 
still  divided  the  opinions  of  speculative  geographers,  and  eluded 
every  attempt  made  at  a  practical  solution.  The  English  na- 
tion had  always  felt  a  pecuUar  interest  in  the  question  of  a 
north-west  passage.  Their  earliest  and  most  constant  efforts 
in  the  career  of  discovery  were  directed  towards  Hudson's  and 
Baffin's  Bays  in  search  of  a  communication  with  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  so  that  they  might  sail  by  a  shorter  navigation  to  China 
and  Japan.  In  consequence  of  the  disputes  between  Mr. 
Dobbs  and  Captain  Middleton,  respecting  the  feasibility  of  the 
scheme,  the  agitation  of  the  question  was  tolerably  recent  in 
the  public  mind,  and  government  adopting  the  views  of  the 
former  gentleman,  a  reward  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  was 
offered  by  act  of  parliament  to  those  who  should  discover  the 
desired  passage. 

The  British  government,  captivated  with  the  glory  that 
might  result  from  expeditions  destined  for  the  improvement  of 
science,  resolved  now  to  direct  its  exertions  towards  the  north- 
west ;  and,  as  a  preliminary  measure.  Captain  Phipps,  (after- 
wards lord  Mulgrave,)  was  despatched  towards  the  north  pole, 
to  ascertain  how  far  navigation  was  practicable  in  that  quar- 
ter. After  struggling  obstinately  with  innumerable  difficulties 
and  dangers,  arising  from  the  quantity  of  ice  that  beset  him, 
he  was  obliged  to  return,  after  having  penetrated  to  the  lati- 
tude of  80'' 30',  or  within  9J°  of  the  terrestrial  pole. 

The  hope  of  finding  a  passage  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific Oceans  was  not,  however,  abandoned;  and  consultations 
were  held  by  lord  Sandwich  with  Sir  Hugh  Palliser,  and  other 
experienced  officers,  relative  to  the  plan  which  should  be 
adopted  in  the  expedition,  and  to  the  choice  of  a  commander. 
Captain  Cook  had  earned,  by  his  eminent  services,  the  privi- 
lege of  honourable  repose ;  and  no  one  thought  of  imposing 
on  him,  for  the  third  time,  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a 
voyage  of  discovery  round  the  world :  but  being  invited  to  dine 
with  lord  Sandwich,  in  order  that  he  might  lend  the  light  of 
his  valuable  experience  to  the  various  particulars  under  dis- 
cussion, he  was  so  fired  with  the  observations  that  were  made 
on  the  benefits  likely  to  redound  to  science,  to  navigation,  and 
the  intercourse  of  mankind,  from  the  projected  expedition,  that 
he  voluntarily  offered  to  take  the  command  of  it  himself.  This 
proposal  was  too  much  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  lord 
Sandwich  to  be  rejected  through  motives  of  mere  delicacy; 


234  JAMES  COOK. 

and  Captain  Cook  was  appointed  accordingly  to  the  command 
of  the  expedition  in  February,  1776.  The  act  of  parhament, 
passed  in  1745,  which  secured  a  reward  of  twenty  thousand 
pounds  to  ships  belonging  to  any  of  his  majesty'' s  subjects, 
which  should  make  the  proposed  discovery,  was  now  also 
amended  so  as  to  include  ships  belonging  to  his  majesty,  and 
proceeding  in  any  direction,  for  the  old  act  referred  only  to 
ships  which  should  find  a  passage  through  Hudson's  Bay ; 
whereas  Cook  was  directed  by  his  instructions  to  proceed  into 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  to  commence  his  researches  on  the 
north-west  coast  of  America,  in  the  latitude  of  65^  ;  and  not 
to  lose  time  in  exploring  rivers  or  inlets  until  he  had  reached 
that  latitude. 

The  vessels  fitted  out  for  this  voyage  were  the  Resolution 
and  Discovery,  the  latter  under  the  command  of  Captain  Ed- 
ward Clerke.  Messrs.  Bay  ley  and  Anderson,  who  had  both 
accompanied  Captain  Cook  in  his  preceding  voyage,  now 
embarked  with  him  a  second  time,  the  former  in  the  capacity 
of  astronomer,  the  latter  in  that  of  naturalist.  Omai,  who, 
during  his  residence  in  England,  had  been  treated  with  great 
kindness,  and  loaded  with  presents  from  all  quarters,  now 
prepared  to  return  to  his  native  country ;  but  the  joy  which  he 
felt  at  the  idea  of  returning  to  his  relations  in  possession  of 
inestimable  riches,  (for  such  the  gifts  with  which  he  was  loaded 
appeared  to  him  to  be,)  scarcely  equalled  his  regret  at  quitting 
shores  where  he  experienced  so  much  kindness  and  attention, 
and  where  the  multiplicity  of  strange  objects  presented  to  his 
view,  awakened  him  as  it  were  to  a  new  existence. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  1776,  Captain  Cook  sailed  from  Ply- 
mouth Sound  on  his  third  voyage  of  discovery.  In  Table 
Bay,  near  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  he  was  joined  by  Captain 
Clerke,  whose  departure  had  been  unavoidably  retarded. 
Here  both  the  ships  increased  their  freight  of  live  stock,  con- 
sisting of  cows,  horses,  sheep,  and  goats,  which  were  destined 
for  the  supply  of  the  islands  in  the  South  Seas.  On  the  30th 
of  November  our  navigators  left  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  and, 
on  the  12th  of  the  following  month,  two  small  islands  were 
descried  :  they  had  been  previously  discovered  by  Marion  and 
Crozet ;  but  not  having  received  any  name  from  them.  Captain 
Cook  called  them  Prince  Edward's  Islands.  They  appeared 
to  be  bleak  and  desolate,  with  bold  rocky  shores,  and  moun- 
tains in  the  rear,  the  sides  and  summits  of  which  were  covered 
with  snow.  Though  it  was  now  summer  in  the  southern 
liemisphere,  the  weather  was  as  severe  as  it  usually  is  in  Eng- 
land in  the  depth  of  winter. 


JAMES  COOK.  235 

On  the  24th  high  land  was  again  seen,  which  proved  to  be 
that  discovered  not  long  before  by  the  French  navigator,  Ker- 
guelen.  A  bottle  was  found  on  shore  containing  a  piece  of 
parchment,  with  an  inscription  written  by  him,  intimating  that 
he  had  visited  this  country  in  1772  and  1773.  Cook  wrote 
the  names  of  his  ships  and  the  date  of  his  voyage  on  the  other 
side  of  the  parchment,  which  he  then  replaced  in  the  bottle. 
This  country  appeared,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  to  be 
little  better  than  a  huge  assemblage  of  bare  rocks  ;  it  had  a 
little  herbage,  but  not  a  single  shrub  or  tree.  Some  verdure, 
which  from  the  sea  had  an  enticing  appearance,  was  found,  on 
nearer  approach,  to  be  occasioned  by  a  small  plant  resembling 
saxifrage,  which,  with  a  few  species  of  mosses  and  lichens, 
constituted  the  whole  vegetable  productions  of  this  inhospitable 
shore.  Fresh  w  ter,  however,  was  abundant,  and  the  rocks 
were  covered  with  penguins  and  with  seals:  the  latter  so  un- 
used to  be  disturbed,  that  they  evinced  no  timidity  ;  and  as 
many  as  were  wanted  for  their  oil  or  skins  were  killed  with- 
out difficulty.  Cook  found  that  Kerguelen's  Land,  instead  of 
being  a  continent,  as  its  first  discoverer  had  supposed,  was 
only  an  island,  extending  in  breadth  from  north  to  south  not 
more  than  one  hundred  miles.  He  did  not  wish  to  change  the 
name  which  it  had  received  from  its  first  discoverer,  but  that 
which  he  suggested  as  extremely  applicable  to  it — The  Island 
of  Desolation, — has  since  been  generally  adopted  in  English 
maps.  Soon  after  leaving  this  desolate  coast,  our  navigators 
fell  in  with  winds  from  the  north,  which  brought  on  so  dense  a 
fog  that  the  ships  ran  above  three  hundred  leagues  in  the  dark : 
they  could  rarely  descry  each  other,  and  it  was  necessarjr  to 
fire  guns  continually  to  prevent  the  inconvenience  of  a  separa- 
tion. At  length,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1777,  the  ships 
anchored  in  Adventure  Bay,  on  the  southern  coast  of  Van 
Dieman's  Land.  Here  their  first  care  was  to  collect  grass  for 
the  cattle,  which  had  suffered  much  from  the  severity  of  the 
weather  and  the  distresses  of  a  long  sea  passage.  Two  young 
bulls,  one  heifer,  two  rams,  and  several  of  the  goats,  had  died 
while  the  ships  were  employed  in  the  survey  of  Kerguelen's 
Land. 

While  the  English  remained  here  they  were  agreeably  sur- 
prised by  a  visit  from  some  of  the  natives,  who  in  their  abject 
misery,  rooted  indolence,  and  stupidity,  appeared  to  be  on  an 
equality  with  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  Terra  del  Fuego. 
Their  most  comfortable  dwellings  were  the  trunks  of  large 
trees  hollowed  out  by  fire.  They  appeared  to  be  ignorant  of 
the  art  of  fishing  ;  not  a  single  canoe  was  seen  on  their  whole 


236  JAMES  COOK. 

coast.  Their  chief  subsistence  was  derived  from  small  birds 
and  shell-fish,  which  they  collected  along  the  shore. 

A  sufficient  supply  of  fodder  being  procured  for  the  cattle, 
Captain  Cook  left  Van  Dieman's  Land,  of  which,  relying  on 
the  erroneous  conclusions  of  Captain  Furneaux,  he  observes, 
"It  is  well  known  to  be  the  southern  part  of  New  Holland." 

The  ships  anchored  on  the  12th  of  February  in  their  old 
station  in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound.  On  their  arrival  in  New 
Zealand  there  were  but  two  invalids  in  both  the  crews.  Cap- 
tain Cook  was  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  shyness  and  mistrust 
of  the  natives,  most  of  whom  were  known  to  him,  and  had  ex- 
perienced his  kindness  on  his  former  voyages ;  but  he  soon 
discovered  the  cause  of  their  timidity.  Omai  was  on  board 
the  Adventure  with  Captain  Furneaux  on  the  former  voyage, 
when  ten  of  the  crew  of  that  vessel,  as  above  related,  fell  vic- 
tims to  the  ferocity  of  the  natives.  Seeing  Omai  now  on  board 
the  Resolution,  they  judged  that  Captain  Cook  could  not  be 
ignorant  of  the  affair,  and  dreaded  his  vengeance  in  conse- 
quence ;  but  as  soon  as  he  understood  the  cause  of  their  mis- 
trust, he  laboured  to  convince  them  of  his  friendly  intentions, 
assuring  them  that  he  had  no  design  of  retaliating  on  them  for 
the  consequences  of  an  affray  to  which  he  was  a  stranger ;  and 
that  so  long  as  they  conducted  themselves  peaceably  they 
might  consider  him  as  their  friend.  A  chief  named  Kahoora 
frankly  avowed  that  he  had  acted  a  principal  part  in  cutting 
off  Captain  Furneaux's  people,  and  that  he  had  himself  killed 
Mr.  Rowe  their  commander.  The  attack  was  not,  it  appears, 
premeditated,  but  had  its  origin  in  a  theft  committed  by  one 
parfy  and  resented  with  hasty  violence  by  the  other ;  but  when 
Captain  Cook  declared  his  willingness  to  forgive,  he  soon  re- 
gained the  confidence  of  the  natives.  To  one  chief  he  gave 
two  goats,  a  male  and  a  female,  with  a  kid;  and  to  another, 
two  pigs.  It  was  his  intention  at  first  to  have  left  here  some 
sheep  also,  along  with  a  bull  and  two  heifers  ;  but  fearing  that 
the  chiefs  whom  he  found  on  this  part  of  the  coast  were  not 
powerful  enough  to  protect  the  cattle  from  those  who  might 
ignorantly  aim  at  destroying  them,  he  changed  his  plan.  He 
learned  from  the  natives  that  the  poultry  which  on  former  occa- 
sions he  had  left  on  the  island  had  increased,  the  garden  vege- 
tables, though  neglected,  yet  multiplied  naturally,  and  some 
of  them,  as  the  potatoe,  were  greatly  improved  by  the  richness 
of  the  soil.  At  the  request  of  Omai  he  consented  to  take  with 
him  two  youths  from  New  Zealand,  who  seemed  at  first  delight- 
ed with  the  change ;  but  when  they  completely  lost  sight  of 
their  native  country,  they  were  overwhelmed  with  violent  grief, 
which  continued  for  many  days. 


JAMES  COOK.  237 

On  the  25tK  of  February  the  ships  sailed  from  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Sound,  and  nothing  remarkable  occurred  till  the  29th  of 
tlie  following  month,  when  land  was  discovered,  which  proved 
to  be  an  inhabited  island,  called  by  the  natives  Mangeea.  It 
was  found  impossible  to  land  upon  it  for  the  surf  The  natives 
spoke  a  language  diff'ering  but  little  from  that  of  the  Society 
Islands,  and  were  a  handsome,  vigorous  people,  resembling 
Spaniards  in  complexion.  They  wore  white  turbans  on  their 
heads,  made  of  cloih  like  that  of  Otaheite ;  they  also  wore 
sandals,  woven  apparently  with  a  strong  grassy  substance. 
One  of  them  who  ventured  on  board  the  ship  happened  to 
stumble  over  one  of  the  goats,  and  immediately  asked  Omai 
whet  bird  it  was.  This  apparent  blunder  of  the  simple  island- 
er will  appear  less  surprising  when  we  reflect,  that  the  name 
of  a  bird  was  perhaps  the  only  genciral  term  for  animals  in  his 
language  ;  and  therefore  the  only  one  applicable  to  a  creature 
like  a  goat,  not  belonging  to  any  of  the  species  with  which  he 
was  already  acquainted. 

Some  leagues  to  the  north  of  Mangeea  another  island  was 
discovered,  which  the  natives  called  Wateeo.  Here  our  navi- 
gators went  on  shore,  and  were  conducted  by  crowds  of  ad- 
miring natives  to  the  chief,  who  hospitably  entertained  them. 
Some  plan,  however,  seemed  to  be  concerted  to  separate  the 
English,  and  to  cut  them  off  from  their  retreat  to  the  ships; 
and  perhaps  the  Indians  were  chiefly  deterred  from  the  execu- 
tion of  this  plot  by  the  exaggerations  of  Omai,  who  relating  the 
wonders  he  had  seen  in  England,  described  guns  or  instru- 
ments of  war  so  large,  that  many  men  could  sit  within  them, 
and  which  at  one  discharge  could  sink  the  island  in  the  ocean. 
When  questioned  respecting  the  guns  on  board  the  ship,  he 
said  that  they  were  capable  of  destroying  immediately  all  the 
people  on  the  island,  though  the  ships  were  at  that  time  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  the  shore.  His  story  was  not  at  first 
implicitly  believed;  but  as  he  took  dehght  in  exciting  the 
wonder  of  those  who  were  simpler  than  himself,  he  heaped 
together  a  few  cartridges,  which  he  carried  in  his  pocket,  and 
then  throwing  on  them  some  red  hot  embers,  the  conflagration 
and  report  that  ensued  appeared  to  the  natives  so  astonishing, 
as  sufficiently  to  confirm  all  that  he  had  related.  They  were 
consequently  more  cautious  of  giving  offence  to  the  Enghsh, 
who  on  the  approach  of  evening  were  allowed  to  return  to  the 
ships. 

On  this  island  Omai  met  with  three  of  his  countrymen, 
whose  surprising  adventure  most  happily  illustrates  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  scattered  islands  of  the  great  ocean  might 
have  been  originallv  peopled.  About  twenty  persons  of  both 
21 


238  JAMES  COOK. 

sexes  had  embarked  in  a  canoe  at  Otaheite,  to  cross  over  to  the 
neighbouring  island  of  Ulietea.  For  this  short  passage  they 
had  taken  but  a  moderate  stock  of  provisions.  A  violent  tem- 
pest arose,  which  drove  them  they  knew  not  whither  for  many 
days.  They  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink,  and  their  numbers 
daily  diminished,  worn  out  by  hunger  and  fatigue.  At  length 
the  canoe  overset,  when  four  only  remained  ahve,  and  the  de- 
struction of  this  small  remnant  seemed  now  inevitable.  They 
clung,  however,  to  the  sides  of  their  vessel  for  some  days,  and 
providentially  drifted  towards  this  island,  when  the  natives  im- 
mediately sent  out  canoes  and  brought  them  ashore.  Of  the 
four  who  were  thus  saved  one  had  since  died  ;  the  remaining 
three  were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  kind  treatment  they  had 
received,  that  they  rejected  the  offer  made  to  them  at  Omai's 
request  of  a  passage  to  their  native  island.  As  the  inhabitants 
of  the  archipelagoes  in  the  great  ocean  are  frequently  at  sea, 
crossing  from  one  island  to  another  with  their  wives  and  fami- 
lies, accidents  like  this,  which  transported  four  individuals  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  leagues,  are  likely  to  be  of  frequent 
occurrence.  At  all  the  islands  which  our  navigators  had  dis- 
covered since  their  departure  from  New  Zealand,  they  had 
been  disappointed  from  the  want  of  good  anchorage  and  other 
circumstances,  in  their  hope  of  finding  water  and  provisions. 
The  season  was  now  far  advanced,  and  large  supplies  of  pro- 
visions would  be  necessary  before  proceeding  into  high  north- 
ern latitudes.  The  prosecution  of  discoveries,  therefore,  in 
that  direction  was  unavoidably  postponed  till  the  following 
year,  as  it  was  now  much  too  late  to  venture  into  unknown 
seas  with  the  prospect  of  achieving  any  thing  important. 
Captain  Cook  determined  to  employ  the  intervening  time  in 
examining  more  minutely  the  seas  between  the  tropics. 

He  accordingly  directed  his  course  to  the  Friendly  Islands, 
and  on  the  1st  of  May  arrived  at  Anamooka.  Here  he  expe- 
rienced the  kindest  treatment  from  a  chief  named  Fenou,  by 
whose  persuasions  he  was  induced  to  go  to  Hepaee,  a  large 
island,  or  rather  a  cluster  of  islands,  .connected  together  by 
reefs  passable  at  low  water,  and  situated  towards  the  north  of 
this  archipelago.  The  abundance  of  provisions  which  he  found 
at  Hepaee  justified  the  representations  of  his  friend  Fenou. 
Here  also  he  met  with  Poulaho,  the  king  of  the  Friendly 
Islands,  who  treated  our  navigators  with  a  lavish  generosity 
worthy  of  a  sovereign.  Tongataboo,  or  Amsterdam  Island,  is 
the  centre  of  his  insular  dominions,  which  extends,  according 
to  the  natives,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  islands.  Several 
of  these,  indeed,  are  low  rocky  islets,  without  any  inhabitants. 
About  thirty-five  of  them  are  said  to  be  larger,  and  must  con- 


JAMES  COOK.  239 

sequently  be  of  much  greater  extent  than  Anamooka,  which  is 
ranked  among  the  smaller  isles.  It  is  probable  that  the  Prince 
William's  Islands  of  Tasman,  and  the  Reppel's  and  Bosca- 
wen's  Islands  of  Captain  Wallis,  are  comprehended  in  this  list 
of  islands  subject  to  Tongataboo. 

When  Poulaho  was  asked  in  what  manner  the  inhabitants 
of  this  latter  island  had  acquired  the  knowledge  of  iron,  he  re- 
plied that  they  had  at  first  received  it  from  a  neighbouring 
island  called  Neeootabootaboo.  A  ship  had  touched  at  that 
island  a  few  years  before,  and  had  purchased  a  club  from  one 
of  the  natives  for  five  nails  which  were  afterwards  sent  to  Ton- 
gataboo. This  was  the  first  iron  known  among  them,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  ship  from  which  it  was  pro- 
cured was  the  Dolphin.  If  Poulaho's  description  of  this  island 
be  compared  with  Captain  Wallis'  narrative,  it  will  appear 
evident  that  Neeootabootaboo  is  the  same  as  Keppel's  Island. 

But  the  most  considerable  islands  within  the  knowledge  of 
these  people  are  Hamoa,  Vavaoo,  and  Feejee.  The  two  for- 
mer are  the  largest  islands  under  the  dominion  of  Tongataboo; 
and  from  the  information  which  Captain  Cook  received,  it 
would  appear  that  the  inhabitants  of  Hamoa  had  outstripped 
the  other  islanders  in  arts  and  refinement.  Feejee  was  hostile 
to  Tongataboo,  and  its  inhabitants  were  regarded  w^itli  dread 
by  the  natives  of  the  Friendly  Islands  for  their  fierceness  in 
battle,  and  their  savage  practice  of  devouring  their  enemies. 
The  men  of  Feejee,  while  they  retain  this  barbarous  custom, 
are  not  inferior  to  their  neighbours  in  art  and  ingenuity.  Be- 
fore Captain  Cook  left  the  Friendly  Islands  he  repaid  the  kind- 
ness of  Poulaho  by  a  gift  of  inestimable  value,  consisting  of 
live  stock,  horses,  cows,  sheep,  and  goats.  The  islanders 
seemed  gratified  with  the  gift,  and  promised  not  to  kill  any  of 
the  animals  until  they  had  multiplied  to  a  considerable  num' 
ber.  On  touching  at  Eooa  our  navigators  were  supplied  with 
turnips,  the  produce  of  some  seed  scattered  by  them  here  on  a 
former  voyage. 

After  remaining  at  the  Friendly  Islands  between  two  and 
three  months,  during  which  time  he  became  minutely  ac- 
quainted with  their  geography,  and  the  character  of  their  in- 
habitants. Captain  Cook  at  length  took  his  departure  from 
them,  and  on  the  12th  of  August  arrived  at  Otaheite.  He 
found  that  a  Spanish  ship  had  touched  here  in  the  mean  time, 
and  had  put  on  shore  some  cattle,  of  which  a  bull  alone  re- 
mained alive.  He  felt  great  pleasure,  therefore,  in  augment- 
ing the  stock  of  the  island  with  three  or  four  heifers,  besides 
a  horse  and  mare,  which  were  intended  as  a  present  to  the 
king,  Otoo.     Two  days  after  their  arrival  here  Captains  Cook 


2^ 


JAMES  COOK. 


and  Gierke  mounted  on  horseback,  and  took  a  ride  round  the 
plain  of  Matavai ;  to  the  great  surprise  of  a  multitude  of  the 
natives  who  attended  upon  the  occasion,  and  gazed  upon  the 
horsemen  with  as  much  astonishment  as  if  they  had  been  cen- 
taurs. What  the  two  captains  had  begun  was  afterwards  re- 
peated every  day  by  the  other  ship's  officers,  notwithstanding 
which  the  curiosity  of  the  Otaheiteans  still  continued  unaba- 
ted. They  were  exceedingly  delighted  with  these  animals 
when  they  saw  the  use  that  was  made  of  them.  Not  all  the 
novelties  put  together  which  European  visiters  had  carried 
among  the  inhabitants,  had  inspired  them  with  so  high  an  idea 
of  the  greatness  of  distant  nations.  Otoo  was  by  no  means 
ungrateful  for  the  benefits  conferred  on  him  ;  he  offered  a 
small  double  canoe,  very  elegantly  finished,  as  a  present  to 
king  George  ;  and  he  manifested  his  sense  of  respect  still  more 
strongly  in  expressing  a  wish  that  the  English  would  estabhsh 
a  permanent  settlement  on  the  island.  During  this  visit  to 
Otaheite  Captain  Cook  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the 
fearful  excesses  to  which  these  social  islanders  are  hurried  by 
superstition,  and  of  observing  the  number  of  human  sacrifices 
offered  to  their  idols,  on  every  occasion  of  war  or  other  general 
excitement. 

It  only  remained  now  to  settle  Omai  in  the  island  of  Hua- 
heine,  which  had  been  chosen  as  his  residence.  A  piece  of 
ground  was  alotted  to  him  by  the  chiefs  of  the  island  ;  a  com- 
fortable wooden  house  was  erected  for  him  by  the  carpenters 
of  the  ships.  All  the  treasures  which  he  had  brought  from 
England  were  landed,  and  the  two  young  men  from  New  Zea- 
land, though  reluctant,  were  prevailed  upon  to  remain  with 
him,  so  that  his  family  consisted  altogether  of  twelve  or  thir- 
teen persons.  In  order  to  deter  the  natives  from  treating  him 
with  injustice  or  violence,  Captain  Cook  spoke  of  returning  at 
no  great  distance  of  time.  Omai  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his 
good  fortune  ;  it  does  not  appear  that  he  had  any  reason  to 
complain  of  the  rapacity  or  covetousness  of  his  neighbours. 
The  numerous  articles  of  European  maMufacture  which  were 
in  his  possession,  rendered  his  house  a  spcndid  museum  in  the 
eyes  of  a  South  Sea  islander ;  and  it  is  possible  that  his  pride 
felt  gratified  in  being  thus  able  to  minister  to  their  wonder  and 
admiration.  lie  conducted  himself  prudently,  and  gained  the 
esteem  of  his  neighbours,  by  the  aftability  with  which  he  re- 
counted his  voyages  and  adventures.  About  two  years  and  a 
half  after  Captain  Cook's  departure,  Omai  died  a  natural 
death ;  nor  did  the  New  Zealanders  survive  him  long  enough 
to  furnish  European  navigators  with  an  ample  account  of  the 


JAMES  COOK.  24|. 

influence  which  his  experience  and  observations  abroad  may- 
have  exerted  on  his  countrymen. 

On  the  8th  of  December  our  voyagers  left  Borabora,  and 
lost  sight  of  the  Society  Islands  ;  their  course  was  towards  the 
north,  and,  on  the  18th  of  January,  in  latitude  21°  N.,  land 
was  discovered,  which  proved  to  be  an  island  of  considerable 
size,  and  beyond  it  two  others  successively  became  visible.  As 
the  ships  approached  the  second  island,  a  number  of  canoes 
came  off  from  the  shore,  and  the  English  were  no  less  pleased 
than  surprised  to  hear  the  natives  speak  the  language  of  Ota- 
heite.  \Vhen  they  came  on  board  they  expressed  their  aston- 
ishment at  the  numerous  strange  objects  that  met  their  eyes, 
with  more  lively  emotions  than  Captain  Cook  had  ever  yet 
witnessed  among  savage  nations.  They  did  not  appear  to  be 
quite  ignorant  of  iron,  yet  the  wonder  and  surprise  they  dis- 
played at  every  thing  they  saw,  left  little  room  to  doubt  that 
they  were  wholly  unacquainted  with  Europeans.  When  Cap- 
tain Cook  went  on  shore,  the  people  fell  flat  on  their  faces  be- 
fore him,  as  if  rendering  homage  to  a  superior  being.  The 
island  was  amply  provided  with  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  pigs, 
fowls,  and  fruits  were  purchased  advantageously:  and  Captain 
Cook  made  an  important  addition  to  the  natural  wealth  of  the 
island,  by  putting  on  shore  some  of  his  live  stock.  Among 
other  articles  brought  by  the  natives  for  trade  were  cloaks  and 
helmets,  beautifully  made  with  red  and  yellow  feathers.  These 
islanders  were  not  inferior  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  more  south- 
erly groups  in  ingenuity  or  friendliness  of  disposition.  They 
seemed  to  Captain  Cook  to  be  less  fickle  and  voluptuous  than 
the  natives  of  Otaheite,  and  less  sullenly  grave  than  those  of 
Tongataboo  ;  but  his  growing  partiality  to  them  was  checked 
on  discovering  that  they  occasionally  banqueted  on  human 
flesh.  Of  the  group  now  for  the  first  time  visited,  only  five 
islands  were  seen  by  Captain  Cook,  and  to  these,  in  compliment 
to  his  noble  patron,  the  first  lord  of  the  admiralty,  he  gave  col- 
lectively the  name  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

It  only  remained  now  to  accomplish  the  specific  object  of 
the  voyage,  by  examining  the  north-west  coast  of  America, 
and  particularly  by  trying  to  effect  a  passage  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  round  the  northern  extremity  of  that  continent.  On 
the  7th  of  March  our  navigators  made  the  coast  of  New  Albion 
in  latitude  44^  33'.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country  were  clad 
in  furs  which  they  offered  for  sale;  they  conducted  themselves 
civilly  towards  the  English,  but  were  remarkably  tenacious  of 
the  rights  of  property,  and  expected  payment  for  every  thing, 
even  the  wood  and  water  which  the  strangers  took  from  the 
shore.  They  displayed  considerable  ingenuity,  and  were 
^      21* 


242  JAMES  COOK. 

acquainted  with  iron,  although  in  all  their  dealings  they  gave 
the  preference  to  brass,  in  consequence  of  which  the  sailors, 
in  bartering  for  furs  parted  with  all  their  buttons.  Among 
other  articles  procured  from  these  people  by  exchange,  were 
two  silver  spoons,  which,  as  well  as  the  iron,  were  supposed  bj 
Captain  Cook  to  have  been  obtained  by  a  circuitous  inland 
trade,  either  from  the  Spaniards  in  Mexico,  or  the  Enghsh 
factories  in  Hudson's  Bay.  He  was  not  aware  that  this  coast 
had  been  surveyed  by  the  Spaniards  four  years  previously  ; 
and  that  while  the  Spanish  vessels  lay  here,  the  natives  had 
exercised  with  great  success  their  thieving  propensities:  to 
this  part  of  the  coast  he  gave  the  name  of  King  George^s 
Sound,  but  the  native  name  of  Nootka  has  since  prevailed. 

On  leaving  Nootka  Sound,  the  violence  of  the  wind  com- 
pelled him  to  keep  at  a  distance  from  the  shore,  so  that  for 
some  degrees  he  was  foiled  in  his  intention  of  surveying  it;  but, 
in  latitude  59°  he  entered  another  wide  inlet,  to  which  he  gave 
the  name  of  Prince  William^s  Sound,  and  here  was  surprised 
to  find  that  the  natives,  in  dress,  language,  and  physical  pecu- 
liarities, were  exactly  like  the  Esquimaux  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
Beautiful  skins  were  obtained  in  plenty  from  these  people  for 
a  very  moderate  price.  On  proceeding  to  the  north-west,  a 
wide  inlet  was  discovered,  which  some  conjectured  might  be 
a  strait  communicating  with,  the  Northern  Ocean.  It  was 
deemed,  therefore,  advisable  to  explore  it ;  but  when  the  boats 
had  proceeded  as  high  as  latitude  61°  34'  or  about  seventy 
leagues  from  the  entrance,  the  inlet  appeared  to  terminate  in  a 
small  river.  The  ships  now  proceeded  to  the  west,  and 
doubled  the  great  promontory  of  Alashka;  and  on  the  9th  of 
August,  they  reached  the  most  western  point  of  the  American 
continent,  distant  only  thirteen  leagues  from  the  opposite 
shores  of  Asia.  To  this  headland  Cook  gave  the  name  of 
Cape  Prince  of  Wales.  Crossing  the  strait  to  the  western 
shores,  he  anchored  near  the  coast  of  the  Tshuktzki,  which  he 
found  to  extend  many  degrees  farther  to  the  east  than  the  po- 
sition assigned  to  them  in  the  maps  of  that  day.  He  thus 
ascertained  distinctly  the  width  of  the  strait  that  separates  Asia 
from  America;  for  though  Behring  had  sailed  through  it  be- 
fore, he  had  not  descried  the  shores  of  the  latter  continent, 
and,  consequently,  remained  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  his 
discoveries.  Our  navigators  now  pushed  forward  into  the 
Northern  Ocean,  when  they  soon  fell  in  with  ice,  which  gave 
them  reason  to  suspect  the  impossibility  of  continuing  their 
voyage  much  farther.  At  length,  on  the  18th  of  August,  when 
after  repeated  struggles  they  had  attained  the  latitude  of  70^ 
44',  they  suw  the  ice  before  them,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye 


JAMES  COOK.  243 

could  reach,  forming  a  compact  wall  about  six  feet  high :  it 
was  covered  with  a  multitude  of  walruses  or  sea-horses,  which, 
though  coarse  food,  were  preferred  by  the  sailors  to  salt  pro- 
visions. 

It  was  now  obviously  impossible  to  advance,  and  Cook  there- 
fore resolved  to  employ  the  winter  in  completing  the  survey 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  to  renew  his  attempts  in  the 
Northern  Ocean  in  the  course  of  the  following  summer.  On 
his  arrival  at  Oonalashka  he  received,  through  the  hands  of  the 
natives,  a  salmon  pie,  and  a  note  which,  though  unintelligible, 
was  known  to  be  Russian.  Corporal  Ledyard,  of  the  marines, 
who  afterwards  became  so  distinguished  as  an  enterprising 
traveller,  now  for  the  first  time  figured  on  the  scene,  and  vol- 
unteered to  go  in  search  of  the  hospitable  Russians.  He  was 
accordingly  packed  between  the  legs  of  two  Esquimaux  in  a 
kajak  or  covered  canoe,  and  in  this  uncomfortable  state  was 
rowed  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles.  In  two  days  he  returned 
with  three  Russian  furriers  ;  and  shortly  after  a  Russian  mer- 
chant, named  IsmilofF,  arrived,  who  showed  Captain  Cook  two 
charts,  which  satisfied  our  great  navigator  as  to  the  limited 
acquaintance  which  the  Russians  had  with  the  north-west 
coast  of  America,  and  the  undisputed  merit  of  his  own  dis- 
coveries. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  in  latitude  20^  55',  our  naviga- 
tors discovered  Mowee,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  which 
they  had  not  visited;  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  month  another 
great  island,  called  Owhyhee,  was  discovered,  which,  as  it  ap- 
peared to  exceed  very  far  in  magnitude  and  importance  the 
other  islands  of  the  group,  engaged  a  proportionate  share  of 
attention,  and  Captain  Cook  employed  seven  weeks  in  sailing 
round  and  surveying  its  coasts.  At  length  the  ships  came  to 
an  anchor  in  KarakahooaBay,  on  the  south  side  of  the  island. 
The  natives  came  off  to  the  vessels  in  canoes  laden  with  pro- 
visions, and  in  such  multitudes,  that  Captain  Cook  in  the  whole 
course  of  his  voyages  had  never  seen  so  numerous  a  I)ody  of 
people  assembled  in  one  place.  Many  hundreds  of  them  were 
swimming  round  the  shijis  like  shoals  of  fishes.  The  interest- 
ing novelty  of  this  scene  compensated  our  voyagers,  in  some 
degree,  for  the  disappointment  tliey  had  experienced  in  their 
expedition  to  the  north.  "  To  this  disappointment,"  says 
Captain  Cook,  "we  owed  our  having  it  in  our  power  to  revisit 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  to  enrich  our  voyage  with  a  dis- 
covery, which,  though  the  last,  seemed  in  many  respects  to  be 
the  most  important  that  had  hitherto  been  made  by  Europeans 
throughout  the  extent  of  the  Pacific  Ocean."  Such  is  the 
concluding  sentence  of  our  great  navigator's  journah 


244  JAMES  COOK. 

The  intercourse  of  our  people  with  the  islanders  was  an  un- 
interrupted series  of  acts  of  kindness  on  both  sides,  the  mutual 
harmony  being  only  momentarily  disturbed  by  the  thieving 
propensitiesof  the  natives.  Provisions  were  procured  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  and  Captain  Cook  made  the  experiment 
of  salting  a  quantity  of  pork  for  sea  stores;  and  he  succeeded 
so  completely,  that  when  the  ships  returned  to  Europe,  some 
of  the  pork  cured  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  was  found  to  be 
still  in  good  order.  A  society  of  priests  on  the  island  were 
particularly  active  in  forwarding  the  views  of  the  English,  and 
procuring  them  the  sort  of  provisions  they  required.  They 
even  sent  a  large  quantity  to  the  ships  as  a  present.  The 
king  of  Owhyhee,  Tereeoboo,  was  actuated  by  the  same 
friendly  zeal  as  his  subjects;  and  in  his  dealings  with  Captain 
Cook  evinced  sincere  attachment,  as  well  as  the  liberality  be- 
fitting a  prince.  The  islanders  had  conceived  a  particular 
liking  for  Lieutenant  King,  and  warmly  solicted  him  to  re- 
main among  them."  When  the  day  of  departure  arrived,  they 
seemed  inconsolable  at  their  loss,  and  heaped  whatever  pre- 
sents their  island  afforded  on  Cook  and  his  companions. 

Such  were  the  friendly  sentiments  of  the  natives  when  the 
ships  sailed  out  of  KarakakooaBay,on  the  4th  of  September. 
It  was  Captain  Cook's  intention  to  make  a  complete  survey 
of  the  islands;  but  before  he  had  proceeded  far  a  gale  came 
on,  in  the  course  of  which  the  Resolution  sprung  her  foremast 
in  so  dangerous  a  manner,  that  it  was  deemed  necessary  to 
return  to  Rarakakooa  Bay  in  order  to  repair  it. 

When  the  ships  arrived  at  their  old  anchorage,  the  bay  was 
found  to  be  nearly  deserted.  The  crowds  who  had  been 
drawn  together  by  the  traffic  opened  with  the  ships,  had  now 
returned  to  their  habitations  through  the  country  ;  and  it  was, 
perhaps,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  chiefs,  that  the  natives, 
who  now  came  on  board,  carried  on  their  depredations  with 
much  greater  boldness  than  formerly.  The  punishment  of  the 
thieves  gave  rise  to  quarrels;  and  the  intercourse  with  the 
islanders,  though  it  had  not  altogether  lost  an  amicable  char- 
acter, was  embittered  by  constant  jarring  and  complaint.  A 
boat  wa%sent  m  pursuit  of  a  native  who  had  stolen  the  tongs 
from  the  smith's  forge  ;  but  the  crew  and  the  officer  who  com- 
manded them,  were  disarmed,  and  roughly  handled  by  the 
islanders.  Soon  after,  a  party  of  the  natives  took  away  in  the 
night  the  Discovery's  large  cutter,  which  lay  swamped  at  the 
buoy  of  one  of  her  anchors.  This  was  a  matter  of  too  much 
importance  to  be  overlooked,  and  Captain  Cook  was  resolved 
to  have  recourse  to  decisive  measures  to  recover  the  boat.  He 
had  often  found  the  advantage  in  the  South  Sea  Islands  of  seiz- 


''  JAMES  COOK.  245 

ing  some  of  the  principal  people  as  hostages  on  such  occa- 
sions, and  he  determined  in  this  instance  to  make  Tereeoboo 
himself  answerable  for  the  recovery  of  the  cutter.  Armed 
boats  were  stationed  at  each  end  of  the  bay  to  intercept  all 
canoes  that  might  attempt  to  get  out,  while  Captain  Cook  him- 
self proceeded  to  land  with  a  party  of  marines,  his  crew  being 
also  armed. 

When  he  went  on  shore,  the  natives  flocked  around  him  as 
usual,  prostrating  themselves,  and  showing  the  customary 
marks  of  respect.  He  proceeded  to  the  habitation  of  the 
king,  whom,  after  some  trouble,  he  persuaded  to  go  on  board. 
To  this  movement,  however, the  natives  were  generally  averse; 
yet  they  offered  no  violence  to  Captain  Cook  as  he  led  the 
king,  with  his  two  sons,  through  the  crowd  to  the  water  side, 
w^here  the  marines  were  drawn  up  in  case  of  attack.  The 
old  king  followed  with  submission  and  apparent  indifference  ; 
but  when  he  came  near  the  water's  edge,  his  wives  and  rela- 
tions became  so  importunate  to  prevent  his  entering  the  boat, 
that  he  sat  down  on  the  ground,  and  Captain  Cook  was 
obliged  to  relinquish  the  idea  of  making  himself  master  of  his 
person.  There  was  now  a  great  ferment  among  the  natives, 
who  were  gathered  in  immense  multitudes  along  the  shore. 
Their  alarm  at  the  attempt  made  to  entrap  their  king  was 
heightened  by  an  unfortunate  occurrence  that  took  place  at  a 
little  distance  ;  the  boat  stationed  at  the  west  end  of  the  bay, 
seeing  a  large  boat  put  off  from  shore,  fired  a  gun  ahead  of  it 
to  stay  its  progress,  and  the  shot  accidentally  killed  Kareemoo, 
a  chief  of  distinction.  When  this  intelhgence  reached  them, 
the  agitation  of  the  crowds  at  the  landing-place  rose  into  fury. 
They  put  on  their  war-mats,  gathered  large  stones,  brandished 
their  knives,  and  exhibited  in  every  way  an  insulting  and 
menacing  attitude.  Notwithstanding  the  imminence  of  the 
danger.  Captain  Cook  would  not  allow  the  marines  to  fire, 
still  hoping  that  the  affair  might  terminate  without  shedding 
of  blood.  lie  discharged  his  musket,  indeed,  loaded  with 
small  shot,  at  a  chief  who  approached  him  with  threatening 
gestures ;  but  the  shot  rattling  harmlessly  off  the  thick  matting, 
served  only  to  embolden  the  infuriated  savage.  The  marines 
as  well  as  the  crew  of  the  pinnace  now  fired  upon  the  crowd; 
but  the  multitude  of  the  islanders  was  so  great,  that  they 
could  not  easily  retreat  when  daunted  by  the  firing;  and, 
rushing  upon  the  marines,  forced  them  into  the  water,  where 
four  of  them  were  killed.  The  pinnace  was  so  crowded  by 
those  who  had  been  saved  from  the  shore,  that  her  crew  were 
in  a  great  measure  prevented  from  using  their  fire-arms,  and 
thus  afforded  little  protection  to  Captain  Cook,  who  now  re- 


246 


JAMES    COOK. 


mained  alone  upon  the  rock.  "He  was  observed  making 
for  the  pinnace,  holding  his  left  hand  against  the  back  of  his 
head  to  guard  it  from  the  stones,  and  carrying  his  musket  un- 
der the  other  arm ;  an  Indian  was  seen  following  him,  but 
with  caution  and  timidity,  as  if  undetermined  to  proceed;  at 
last  he  advanced  upon  him  unawares,  gave  him  a  blow  on  the 
back  of  the  head  with  a  large  club,  and  then  precipitately  re- 
treated. The  stroke  seemed  to  stun  Captain  Cook  ;  he  stag- 
gered a  few  paces,  then  fell  on  his  hand  and  one  knee,  and 
dropped  his  musket.  As  he  was  rising,  and  before  he  could 
recover  his  feet,  another  Indian  stabbed  him  in  the  back  of 
the  neck  with  an  iron  dagger.     He  then  fell  into  the  water, 


DEATH   OF    CAPTAIN    COOK. 


about  knee  deep,  where  others  crowded  upon  him  and  en- 
deavoured to  keep  him  under;  but  struggling  very  strongly 
with  them,  he  got  his  head  up,  and  casting  his  eyes  towards 
the  pinnace,  seemed  to  solicit  assistance.  Though  the  boat 
was  not  above  five  or  six  yards  distant  from  him,  yet,  from  the 
crowded  and  confused  state  of  the  crew,  it  seems,  it  was  not 
in  their  power  to  save  him.  The  Indians  got  him  under  again, 
but  in  deeper  water:  he  was,  however,  able  to  get  his  head  up 
once  more;  and  being  almost  spent  in  the  struggle,  he  natu- 
rally turned  to  the  rock,  and  was  endeavouring  to  support  him- 
self by  it,  when  a  savage  gave  him  a  blow  with  a  club,  and  he 
was  seen  alive  no  more.  They  hauled  him  up  hfeless  on  the 
rocks,  where  they  took  a  savage  pleasure  in  using  every  bar- 


JAMES  COOK.  24T 

barity  to  his  dead  body ;  snatching  the  daggers  out  of  each 
other's  hands,  to  have  the  horrid  satisfaction  of  piercing  the 
fallen  victim  of  their  barbarous  rage." 

The  lieutenant  who  commanded  in  the  launch  was  at  no 
great  distance  during  the  whole  of  this  affray,  of  which  he  re- 
mained an  unconcerned  spectator.  To  his  want  of  intelh- 
gence  or  of  courage  the  fatal  events  of  the  day  may,  in  a  great 
measure,  be  attributed.  But  what  seems  more  remarkable, 
although  the  fire  from  the  boats  at  length  succeeded  in  putting 
the  Indians  to  flight,  and  the  remains  of  Captain  Cook  lay  for 
some  time  deserted  on  the  beach,  yet  the  lieutenant  returned 
to  the  ships  without  making  any  attempt  to  recover  the  dead 
body  of  his  unfortunate  commander.  It  was  not  without  ex- 
treme difficulty,  and  until  after  repeated  negotiations  and 
threatening,  that  Captain  Clerke  could  succeed  in  recovering 
the  principal  part  of  Captain  Cook's  bones,  which  were  com- 
mitted to  the  deep  with  the  usual  naval  honours  amidst  the 
sincere  lamentations  of  the  afflicted  crews. 

As  soon  as  the  Resolution  had  undergone  the  necessary  re- 
pairs, the  ships  hastened  to  leave  a  scene  which  recalled  to  the 
recollection  of  every  one  on  board  a  calamity  outweighing  all 
the  satisfaction  that  could  result  from  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition. Captain  Clerke  now  took  the  place  of  the  lamented 
Cook,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lieutenant  Gore  in  the  command 
of  the  Discovery.  After  leaving  Owhyhee,  the  ships  touched 
at  the  island  of  Atooe,  which  was  found  desolated  by  a  war 
originating  in  the  claims  of  different  chiefs  to  the  goats  which 
Captain  Cook  had  put  on  shore.  These  animals  had  increas- 
ed to  six  when  the  war  broke  out  on  their  account,  in  the 
course  of  which  they  were  all  destroyed.  The  history  of  the 
introduction  of  useful  animals  into  the  South  Sea  Islands 
affords  many  parallel  instances  of  human  blindness,  and  of 
that  barbarous  degree  of  envy  and  rapacity  which  destroys  a 
treasure  rather  than  leave  it  in  the  possession  of  a  rival. 

Captain  Clerke  proceeded  now  to  execute  the  intentions  of 
his  late  commander,  by  repeating  the  attempt  to  find  a  passage 
through  the  Northern  Ocean.  He  touched  at  the  harbour  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  in  Awatska  Bay,  where  he  was  treated 
by  the  Russians  with  unbounded  hospitality ;  and  then  passing 
Behring's  Strait  a  second  time,  penetrated  as  far  as  70°  33^' 
N.,  where  the  same  obstacle  which  had  prevented  the  progress 
of  the  ships  the  preceding  year  forbade  him  to  advance  any 
further.  He  met  here  with  a  firm  barrier  of  ice,  seven  leagues 
farther  to  the  south  than  that  which  had  stopped  the  progress 
of  Captain  Cook.  The  impossibility  of  a  passage  by  the  north 
was  now  thought  to  be  sufficiently  proved,  and  it  was  resolved 


248  JAMES  COOK. 

to  proceed  homewards ;  the  chief  purpose  of  the  expedition 
having  been  thus  answered.  This  resolution  of  the  officers 
diffused  among  the  crews,  who  were  now  heartily  tired  of  the 
length  of  the  voyage,  as  hvely  a  joy  as  if  the  ships,  instead  of 
having  nearly  the  whole  earth  to  compass,  were  already  arrived 
in  the  British  Channel.  When  the  ships  had  just  reached 
Kamtschatka,  Captain  Clerke  died  of  a  decline :  he  had  already 
circumnavigated  the  globe  three  times,  having  sailed  first  with 
Commodore  Byron,  and  afterwards  with  Captain  Cook.  Mr. 
Anderson,  the  talented  physician  and  naturahst  of  the  expedi- 
tion, had  expired  at  Oonalashka,  the  preceding  year,  of  the 
same  complaint.  Captain  Gore  now  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  expedition,  and  Lieutenant  King  took  the  com- 
mand of  the  Discovery.  Their  voyage  to  China  was  not  pro- 
ductive of  any  important  geographical  results.  In  navigating 
those  stormy  seas  they  found  it  necessary  to  keep  at  a  distance 
from  land,  and  were  thus  baffled,  by  constant  tempestuous 
weather,  in  their  attempt  to  survey  the  coasts  of  Japan. 

On  the  3d  of  December  our  navigators  arrived  at  Macao, 
where  they  first  became  acquainted  with  the  events  which  had 
taken  place  in  Europe  since  their  departure,  and  of  the  war 
which  had  broken  out  between  Great  Britain  and  France.  A 
rumour  of  the  generous  conduct  of  the  latter  government  at  the 
same  time  reached  them  :  an  order  had  been  issued  in  March, 
1779,  by  the  minister  of  the  marine  at  Paris,  to  all  the  com- 
manders of  French  ships,  acquainting  them  with  the  expedi- 
tion and  destination  of  Captain  Cook,  and  instructing  them  to 
treat  that  celebrated  navigator,  wherever  they  should  meet  him, 
as  a  commander  of  a  neutral  and  allied  power.  This  measure, 
so  honourable  to  the  nation  which  adopted  it,  is  said  to  have 
originated  in  the  enlightened  mind  of  the  celebrated  Turgot. 
Dr.  Franklin,  who  at  that  time  resided  at  Paris  as  ambassador 
from  the  United  States,  had,  a  short  time  before,  issued  a  re- 
quisition, in  which  he  earnestly  recommended  the  command- 
ers of  American  armed  vessels  not  to  consider  Captain  Cook 
as  an  enemy. 

While  the  ships  lay  in  the  river  of  Canton,  the  sailors  car- 
ried on  a  brisk  trade  with  the  Chinese  for  the  sea  otter  sking 
which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  the^north-west  coast 
of  America,  and  which  were  every  day  rising  in  their  value. 
"  One  of  our  seamen,"  says  Lieutenant  King,  "  sold  his  stock 
alone  for  eight  hundred  dollars  ;  and  a  few  prime  skins,  which 
were  clean  and  had  been  well  preserved,  were  sold  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars  each.  The  whole  amount  of  the 
value,  in  specie  and  goods,  that  was  got  for  the  furs  in  both 
ships,  I  am  confident  did  not  fall  short  of  two  thousand  pounds 


MMES  COOK.  249 

sterling ;  and  it  was  generally  supposed  that  at  least  two  thirds 
of  the  quantity  we  had  originally  got  from  the  Americans 
were  spoiled  and  worn  out,  or  had  been  given  away,  or  other- 
wise disposed  of  in  Kamtschatka.  When,  in  addition  to  these 
facts,  it  is  remembered  that  the  furs  were  at  first  collected 
without  our  having  any  idea  of  their  real  value;  that  the 
greatest  part  had  been  worn  by  the  Indians  from  whom  we 
purchased  them ;  that  they  were  afterwards  preserved  with 
little  care,  and  frequently  used  for  bedclothes  and  other  pur- 
poses; and  that  probably  we  had  not  got  the  full  value  for 
them  in  China ;  the  advantages  that  might  be  derived  from  a 
voyage  to  that  part  of  the  American  coast,  undertaken  with 
commercial  views,  appeared  to  me  of  a  degree  of  importance 
sufficient  to  call  for  the  attention  of  the  public."  These  ob- 
servations of  Lieutenant  Ring  point  to  that  which  eventually 
proved  to  be  the  most  important  result  of  this  expedition.  A 
great  branch  of  trade  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which  had  hitherto 
escaped  the  notice  of  the  nations  most  interested  in  its  devel- 
opement,  and  possessing  establishments  most  conveniently 
situated  for  carrying  it  on,  was  suddenly  discovered,  and  soon 
after  vigorously  prosecuted  by  a  maritime  people  from  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  globe.  The  crews  of  both  ships  were  aston- 
ished, as  well  as  overjoyed,  at  the  price  paid  them  for  their 
furs  by  the  Chinese  ;  and  their  rage  to  return  to  Cook's  River, 
in  order  to  procure  a  cargo  of  skins,  proceeded  at  one  time 
almost  to  mutiny.  A  few,  indeed,  contrived  to  desert,  and 
were  among  the  first  adventurers  who  crossed  the  Pacific 
Ocean  in  the  newly  discovered  fur  trade.  The  seamen  thus 
unexpectedly  enriched  soon  underwent  a  total  metamorphosis : 
they  arrived  at  Macao  in  rags,  many  of  them  having  incon- 
siderately sold  their  clothing  in  the  South  Sea  Islands ;  but, 
before  they  left  that  harbour,  they  were  decked  out  in  gaudy 
silks  and  other  Chinese  finery.  Nothing  of  importance  occur- 
red during  the  remainder  of  their  voyage  home  ;  and,  on  the 
4th  of  October,  the  ships  arrived  safe  at  the  Nore,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  four  years  two  months  and  twenty-two  days.  In  the 
whole  course  of  the  voyage  the  Resolution  lost  but  five  men 
by  sickness,  of  whom  three  were  in  a  precarious  state  of  health 
when  the  expedition  left  England :  the  Discovery  did  not  lose 
a  man. 

In  order  to  estimate  the  merits  of  Captain  Cook,  it  will  be 
only  necessary  to  survey  generally  the  extent  and  nature  of 
his  discoveries,  and  to  examine  what  influence  they  exerted 
immediately  on  the  commercial  enterprise  of  nations.  In  the 
€xtent  of  the  coasts  which  he  surveyed  or  discovered,  he  far 
other  navigator.  The  eastern  coast  of  New 
22 


250  JAMES  COOK. 

Holland,  two  thousand  miles  in  extent,  was  totally  unknown 
till  he  traced  it;  escaping  from  the  dangers  of  that  intricate 
navigation  solely  by  ]»is  cool  intrepidity  and  the  resources  of 
his  skill.  He  also  circumnavigated  New  Zealand,  the  eastern 
and  southern  parts  of  which  were  quite  unknown,  and  suppo- 
sed by  many  to  be  united  to  the  Terra  Australis  Incognita. 
New  Caledonia  and  Norfolk  Island  were  both  discovered  by 
him  ;  and  the  New  Hebrides,  from  his  labours,  lirst  assumed 
a  definite  shape  in  our  maps.  He  rendered  an  essential  ser- 
vice to  geography  also  by  his  circumnavigating  the  globe  in  a 
high  southern  latitude  ;  for,  though  the  exertions  and  dangers 
of  that  difficult  navigation  were  not  repaid  by  any  brilliant  dif - 
coveries,  it  set  at  rest  a  question  which  had  for  ages  dividcil 
the  opinions  of  speculative  geographers.  Sandwich  Land,  or 
Southern  Thule,  may  be  numbered  among  his  discoveries,  al- 
though it  is  probably  the  land  which  Gerritz  had  descried  a 
century  before. 

His  discoveries  on  the  north-west  coast  of  America  were 
still  more  important  and  more  extensive.  In  one  voyage  he 
effected  more  than  the  Spanish  navigators  had  been  able  to 
accomplish  in  the  course  of  two  centuries.  In  sailing  through 
Behring's  Strait,  he  determined  the  proximity  of  Asia  and 
America,  which  Behring  himself  had  failed  to  perceive;  and 
he  assigned  the  coast  of  the  Tshuktzki  to  its  true  place  ;. 
which,  in  many  maps  of  his  time,  was  placed  some  degrees 
too  far  to  the  westward. 

It  is  needless  to  recapitulate  here  the  large  additions  which 
he  made  to  our  knowledge  of  the  groups  of  islands  scattered 
through  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Some  of  the  Society  and  Friend- 
ly Islands  were  known  before  his  time ;  but  he  carefully  sur- 
veyed those  archipelagoes,  and  fixed  the  positions  of  the  chief 
islands,  such  as  Otaheite  and  Tongataboo,  with  an  accuracy 
equal  to  that  of  a  European  observatory.  He  prided  himself 
especially  on  having  discovered  the  Sandwich  Islands;  and 
there  is  no  good  reason  to  refuse  him  that  honour  ;  for,  even  if 
it  be  true  that  a  Spanish  navigator,  named  Gali,  discovered 
those  islands  in  1576  ;  and  that  he  gave  to  Owhyhee  the  name 
of  Mesa  or  Table  Mountain,  which  is  marked  in  old  Spanish 
charts  twenty-two  degrees  to  the  west  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
but  in  the  same  latitude  with  them ;  yet  no  stress  can  be  laid 
on  a  discovery  from  which  mankind  derived  no  knowledge. 
The  Spaniards  seem  soon  to  have  totally  forgotten  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  if  they  ever  knew  them,  notwithstanding  the  ad- 
vantages which  they  might  have  derived  from  those  islands  in 
their  frequent  voyages  from  New  Spain  to  Manilla.  Anson 
and  many  other  navigators  might  have  been  spared  infinittt 


JAMES  COOK.  251 

distress  and  suffering  in  their  voyages  across  the  Pacific,  had 
any  thing  certain  heen  known  of  the  existence  and  situation  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands. 

But  Cook's  merit  is  not  more  conspicuous  in  the  extent  of 
his  discoveries,  than  in  the  correctness  with  w^hich  he  laid 
down  the  position  of  every  coast  of  which  he  caught  a  glimpse. 
His  surveys  afford  the  materials  of  accurate  geography.  He 
adopted  in  practice  every  improvement  suggested  by  the  pro- 
gress of  science;  and,  instead  of  committing  errors  amounting 
10  two  or  three  degrees  of  longitude,  like  most  of  his  predeces- 
sors, his  determinations  were  such  as  to  be  considered  accu- 
rate even  at  the  present  day  ;  nor  was  this  the  merit  of  the 
nstronomers  who  accompanied  him  on  his  expeditions.  He 
was  himself  a  skilful  observer,  and  at  the  same  time  so  vigilant 
and  indefatigable,  that  no  opportunity  ever  escaped  him  of  as- 
^•.ertaininghis  true  place.  He  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree 
the  sagacity  peculiar  to  seamen  ;  and  in  his  conjectures  re- 
specting the  configurations  of  coasts  he  very  rarely  erred.  La 
Perouse,  who  was  a  highly  accomplished  seaman,  always 
mentions  the  name  of  Cook  with  the  warmest  admiration,  and 
frequently  alludes  to  the  remarkable  correctness  of  his  surveys. 
Crozet,  also,  who  wrote  the  narrative  of  Marion's  voyage, 
speaking  of  Cook's  survey  of  the  shores  of  New  Zealand  says — 
*'  That  its  exactness  and  minuteness  of  detail  astonished  him 
beyond  expression  ;"  but  Cook's  skill  as  a  marine  surveyor 
may  be  still  better  estimated  from  the  chart  which,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  career,  he  constructed  of  the  coasts  of  New- 
foundland ;  and  of  that  chart.  Captain  Frederick  Bullock,  the 
able  officer  who  has  recently  completed  the  survey  of  New- 
foundland, speaks  in  those  terms  of  warm  commendation  which 
a  man  of  abihty  naturally  bestows  on  whatever  is  excellent. 

From  the  second  expedition  of  Cook  may  be  dated  the  art 
of  preserving  the  health  of  the  seaman  in  long  voyages  :  before 
that  time,  navigators  who  crossed  the  Pacific,  hurried  precipi- 
tately by  the  shortest  course  to  the  Ladrones  or  the  Phihppine 
Islands  ;  and  yet  they  rarely  reached  home  without  the  loss  of 
a  large  proportion  of  their  crew.  Cook,  on  the  other  hand, 
felt  himself  perfectly  at  home  on  the  ocean  ;  he  did  not  care 
to  limit  his  voyages,  either  in  space  of  time  or  of  distance;  he 
sailed  through  every  climate,  crossing  both  the  arctic  and  ant- 
arctic circles;  and  proved  that  a  voyage  of  four  years  duration 
does  not  necessarily  affect  the  health  of  seamen.  This  was  a 
discovery  of  far  greater  importance  than  that  of  a  new  continent 
could  have  been  :  by  his  banishing  the  terror  that  arose  from 
the  frightful  mortaUty  that  previously  attended  on  long  voyages, 


252  JAMES  COOK. 

he  has  mainly  contributed  to  the  boldness  of  navigation  which 
distinguishes  the  present  day. 

Among  the  immediate  effects  of  Captain  Cook's  voyages, 
the  most  important  was  the  estabhshment  of  a  colony  at  Bota- 
ny Bay.  That  great  navigator  seems  to  have  contracted  a 
partiality  towards  the  New  Zealanders  ;  he  admired  their  gen- 
erosity, their  manly  carriage,  and  their  intelligence.  Their 
country  appeared  to  him  fertile  ;  abounding  in  commodities 
which  might  become  valuable  in  commerce  ;  and  he  hints, 
though  with  diffidence,  to  the  possibility  of  a  trade  being  carri- 
ed on  between  Europe  and  New  Zealand.  His  observations 
on  this  subject  had  influence,  no  doubt,  on  the  minds  of  the 
English  ministers,  and  they  resolved  on  establishing  a  colony 
at  New  Holland  ;  and  the  result  has  justified  Cook's  sanguine 
anticipations.  The  fur  trade  also,  which  soon  caused  such  a 
concourse  of  European  shipping  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  origin- 
ated with  his  third  voyage  ;  but  his  familiarity  with  the  South 
Sea  islanders,  the  trade  which  he  established  with  them,  and 
the  practice  which  he  commenced  of  purchasing  sea  stores 
from  them,  have  had,  perhaps,  a  still  stronger  influence  on 
navigation  in  the  Pacific. 

Finally,  to  complete  the  eulogium  on  this  great  navigator,  it 
will  be  sufficient  to  enumerate  some  of  the  distinguished  sea- 
men who  served  under  him,  such  as  Vancouver,  Broughton, 
Bhgh,  Burney,  Colnett,  Portlock,  Dixon,  &c. :  these  men 
learned  under  Cook  the  arduous  duties  of  their  profession,  and 
they  always  spoke  of  him  with  unqualified  admiration  and 
respect. 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN 


Sir  John  Chardin  was  born  in  Paris  on  the  16th  of  No- 
vember, 1643.  He  was  the  son  of  a  rich  Protestant  jeweller, 
who,  as  soon  as  his  education,  which  appears  to  have  been 
carefully  conducted  and  liberal,  was  completed,  intrusted  him 
with  the  management  of  a  commercial  speculation  in  the  East, 
and  thus  at  once  gratified  and  influenced  the  passion  for  visit- 
ing new  and  remote  regions  which  had  already  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  mind  of  our  traveller.  Leaving  Paris  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  he  visited  Hindostan  and  Persia,  where  he  remain- 
ed several  years,  and  was  appointed  merchant  to  the  king. 
His  manly  but  shrewd  character,  united  with  extensive  knowl- 
edge and  great  sauvity  of  manners,  procured  him  numerous 
friends  at  the  court  of  Ispahan,  some  of  whom  filled  important 
offices  in  the  government,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  lay  open 
to  him  the  interior  movements  of  the  great  political  machine 
22* 


254  SIR  JOHN  CHARDm. 

which  he  afterwards  described  with  so  much  vigour  and  per- 
spicuity. He  accompanied  the  shah  on  his  visits  to  various 
portions  of  his  dominions,  and  in  tliis  way  was  enabled  to 
traverse  with  pleasure  and  advantage  the  wilder  and  least 
accessible  districts  of  Persia,  such  as  Mazenderan,  Ghilan, 
and  the  other  provinces  bordering  on  the  Caspian  Sea.  Of 
this  portion  of  his  life,  however,  he  did  not  judge  it  necessary 
to  give  any  detailed  account ;  perhaps  because  he  had  after- 
ward occasion  to  visit  the  same  scenes,  when  his  mind  was 
riper,  his  views  more  enlarged,  and  his  powers  of  observation 
and  description  sharpened  and  invigorated  by  experience  and 
habit. 

Returning  to  France  in  1670,  be  remained  fifteen  months  in 
the  bosom  of  his  family,  and  employed  this  period  of  tranquili- 
ty and  leisure  in  the  composition  of  his  "  History  of  the  Coro- 
nation of  Solyman  IH.,  King  of  Persia  ;"  a  small  work  usu- 
ally appended  to  his  account  of  his  travels.  The  desire  of 
fame  and  distinction,  however,  which  in  youthful  and  ardent 
minds  is  generally  the  ruling  passion,  urged  him  once  more  to 
quit  his  native  country,  where,  as  he  himself  observes,  the 
religion  in  which  he  was  educated  excluded  him  from  all  hope 
of  advancement  or  honours,  in  order  to  revisit  those  regions  of 
the  East  where  his  faith  would  be  no  bar  to  his  ambition,  and 
where  commerce  was  not  thought  to  degrade  even  the  majesty 
of  kings. 

Having  collected  together  the  jewels,  gems,  and  curious 
clocks  and  watches  which  he  had  been  commissioned  to  pur- 
chase for  the  king  of  Persia,  he  repaired  to  Leghorn,  where 
he  embarked  with  his  mercantile  companion  for  Smyrna. 
Owing  to  the  unskilfulness  of  the  mariners,  the  variableness 
of  the  winds,  and  the  badness  of  the  weather,  this  short  voyage 
was  not  performed  in  less  than  three  months,  during  which  the 
passengers  endured  all  the  privation  and  misery  which  such  a 
voyage  could  inflict.  From  Smyrna  he  proceeded  to  Con- 
stantinople, where,  through  the  aid  of  M.  de  Nointel,  the  am- 
bassador of  France,  he  was  initiated  in  all  the  mysteries  of 
diplomacy,  which  he  unveils  in  his  travels  with  infinite  skill 
and  naivete,  for  the  amusement  of  his  readers. 

In  other  respects  his  connexion  with  the  French  ambassa- 
dor was  rather  prejudicial  than  useful  to  him;  for  M.  de 
Nointel  having  conducted  himself  in  all  his  negotiations  with 
the  Turks  in  a  puerile  and  fluctuating  manner,  passing  by 
turns  from  extreme  haughtiness  to  extreme  cringing  and  ser- 
vility, the  anger  of  the  Porte  was  roused  and  directed  against 
the  whole  French  nation ;  and  Chardin,  when  he  became  de- 
sirous of  departing,  was  denied  a  passport.     From  this  diffi- 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  255 

cult  and  somewhat  dangerous  position  he  was  delivered  by  the 
ingenuity  of  a  Greek,  who  contrived  to  procure  him  a  passage 
to  Azoph,  on  the  Pains  Mseotis,  on  board  of  a  Turkish  vessel 
then  about  to  set  sail  with  the  new  commandant  and  fresh 
troops  which  the  Porte  sent  every  year  to  that  remote  fortress. 
The  Black  Sea,  which  receives  its  appellation  from  the 
gloomy  clouds  and  tempestuous  winds  which  hover  over  and 
vex  its  waters  in  almost  every  season  of  the  year,  was  now  to 
be  traversed:  and  considering  the  unskilfulness  and  apathy  of 
Turkish  sailors,  who  creep  timidly  along  the  shore,  and  have 
little  knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  compass,  our  traveller  was 
not  without  his  apprehensions.  After  a  voyage  of  eight  days, 
however,  they  arrived  at  Caffa,  in  the  Crimea,  where,  by  the 
help  of  the  Greek  friend  who  had  enabled  him  to  laugh  at  the 
sultan's  beard  and  embark  without  a  passport,  he  eluded  the 
exorbitant  demands  of  the  custom-house,  and  transported  his 
merchandise  on  board  another  vessel  bound  for  Mingrelia. 

Setting  sail  from  CafFa,  where  there  was  little  to  be  seen  but 
stinking  Tartars  and  caviare,  they  arrived  in  twenty-four  hours 
at  Touzlah,  or  the  Salt  Marshes,  a  vast  sweep  of  low  shore, 
alternately  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  sea,  artificially  intro- 
duced, and  a  white  sahne  crust,  looking  like  a  sheet  of  snow 
from  a  distance.  Here  upwards  of  two  hundred  ships  are  an- 
nually freighted  with  salt ;  and  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
on  board  a  cargo  of  this  useful  merchandise  that  the  vessel  in 
which  Chardin  and  his  companion  were  embarked  now  touch- 
ed at  the  place.  On  landing,  the  village  was  found  to  consist 
often  or  twelve  houses,  with  a  small  mosque,  and  a  consider- 
able number  of  felt-covered  tents,  which  served  for  stables, 
kitchens,  and  dormitories  for  the  slaves.  Salt  was  by  no 
means  the  only  article  of  commerce  obtained  at  this  place. 
Every  morning  fires  were  observed  lighted  along  the  shore,  as 
signals  that  the  brigands  of  the  country  had  laid  violent  hands 
upon  a  number  of  their  fellow  creatures,  and  had  them  con- 
veyed thither,  chained  together  like  cattle,  for  sale.  These 
fires  being  observed,  boats  were  immediately  sent  on  shore ; 
and  when  they  returned,  crowds  of  women  and  children,  half- 
naked,  or  covered  with  rags  and  filth,  but  resplendent  with 
beauty,  were  hoisted  on  board,  where  their  wretched  apparel 
was  exchanged  for  clean  neat  garments,  and  where,  perhaps, 
for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  they  tasted  bread.  The  men 
and  boys  were  chained  two  and  two  every  night ;  the  women, 
from  whom  no  danger  was  apprehended,  were  permitted  the 
free  use  of  their  limbs.  These  Circassians  did  not  fetch  a 
great  price.  A  Greek  merchant,  whose  cabin  was  contiguous 
to  that  of  Chardin,  purchased  for  twelve  crowns  a  woman  of 


256  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

extraordinary  beauty,  with  an  infant  at  the  breast.  What  chief- 
ly surprised  our  traveller  in  the  circumstances  of  this  affair 
was,  the  coolness  and  serenity  Avith  which  these  honest  people 
submitted  to  their  fate.  Had  not  the  women,  much  against 
their  will,  been  compelled  to  occupy  themselves  with  needle- 
work, and  the  men  with  such  little  matters  as  they  could  per- 
form on  board,  they  would  have  been  perfectly  happy.  Idle- 
ness was  their  summum  bonum;  and  this  the  most  beautiful 
among  the  women  knew  they  were  about  to  enjoy  in  the  ha- 
rems of  Turkey. 

On  arriving  at  Isgaour,  in  Mingrelia,  the  place  where  the 
general  market  of  the  country  is  held,  Chardin  naturally  ex- 
pected to  find  human  dwellings,  with  provisions,  and  such 
other  necessaries  as  in  civihzed  countries  are  everywhere  at- 
tainable for  money.  In  this  hope  he  went  on  shore  with  the 
Greek  merchant,  who  had  hitherto  been  in  a  manner  his  guar- 
dian angel ;  but  on  entering  the  place,  they  indeed  found  two 
long  rows  of  huts  formed  of  the  branches  of  trees,  where  mer- 
chandise and  provisions  had  once  been  exposed  for  sale,  but 
now  empty  and  deserted.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  place  neither 
house  nor  habitation  appeared  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
Two  or  three  peasants,  however,  who  flitted  about  like  spectres 
among  the  deserted  huts,  engaged  to  bring  on  the  morrow  a 
quantity  of  that  species  of  grain  called  gom^  which  is  bruised, 
V)oiled,  and  eaten  instead  of  bread,  together  with  wine  and 
other  provisions.  There  being  no  alternative,  they  were  com- 
pelled to  rely  on  the  promises  of  these  men,  as  they  were  near- 
ly in  want  of  every  necessary  of  life ;  but  their  presents  failing 
them,  it  became  necessary  to  dissemble  with  his  servants,  who 
already  began  to  murmur  aloud  and  curse  the  persons  by 
whose  advice  he  had  taken  the  route  of  the  Black  Sea,  relying 
for  the  future  upon  the  bounty  of  Providence.  The  reason 
why  the  market  of  Isgaour  was  thus  deserted  was,  that  the 
Abcas,  a  neighbouring  people  of  savage  character  and  barba- 
rous manners,  having  made  an  irruption  into  the  country,  were 
now  ravaging  it  with  fire  and  sword,  while  the  peasantry  and 
their  lords  were  flying  before  them  in  dismay,  or  plunging  for 
refuge  into  the  deepest  recesses  of  their  forests.  Ten  days 
after  their  arrival  these  savages  passed  along  the  shore  in  search 
of  plunder;  and  finding  none  in  this  celebrated  market,  set 
the  huts  on  fire  and  reduced  them  to  ashes. 

In  this  dilemma,  Chardin  had  much  difficulty  in  determining 
what  course  to  take.  He  had  immediately  on  landing  applied 
for  aid  to  the  Catholic  missionaries  of  Colchis,  the  chief  of 
whom  promised  in  reply  to  be  with  him  by  a  certain  day,  but 
failed  in  his  engagement;  and  when  after  a  second  application 


JBIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  257 

he  repaired  to  the  place  of  rendezvous,  it  was  less  with  the  de- 
sign of  forwarding  our  traveller's  views  than  of  dissuading  him 
from  attempting  the  journey  at  all.  Perceiving,  however,  that 
his  advice  could  not  be  followed,  he  rendered  the  travellers 
everv  service  in  his  power  with  alacrity,  but  without  in  the  least 
concealing  the  magnitude  of  the  danger  they  were  about  to 
incur. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  October,  and  Chardin,  irritated 
at  the  numerous  obstacles  and  hindrances  which  had  impeded 
his  progress,  was  so  extremely  impatient  to  be  in  Persia,  that 
no  dangers  appeared  to  him  so  terrible  as  delay.  He  had 
very  soon  cause  to  repent  his  impetuosity.  The  evils  he  had 
hitherto  endured  dwindled  to  nothing  when  compared  with 
those  which  now  rushed  upon  him  hke  a  torrent,  and  threaten- 
ed to  swallow  up  in  a  moment  his^^ealth,  his  ambitious  pro- 
jects, and  his  life.  Nevertheless,  with  thai  unshrinking  courage 
which  his  total  ignorance  of  the  future  and  the  pressure  of 
present  evils  bestows  upon  man,  he  hastened  to  put  his  foot 
upon  the  shores  of  Mingrelia ;  and  embarking  with  all  his 
merchandise  on  board  the  felucca  in  which  the  monk  had 
arrived,  set  sail  for  Anarghia,  where  they  next  day  arrived. 
Here  his  followers  made  themselves  ample  amends  for  the 
scarcity  they  had  endured  at  Isgaour  ;  for  poultry,  wild  pige- 
ons, pork,  goats'  flesh,  wine,  and  other  provisions  were  abun- 
dant and  cheap. 

After  remaining  nine  days  at  Anarghia,  they  departed  on  the 
14th,  two  hours  before  day,  and  having  sailed  about  six  miles 
up  the  river,  disembarked  their  merchandize  and  provisions, 
with  which  they  loaded  eight  small  vehicles,  and  proceeded  on 
their  journey  by  land.  The  report  that  a  party  of  Europeans 
were  passing  with  incalculable  riches  through  the  country  was 
soon  spread  ;  and  as  few  rich  travellers  ever  traversed  Mingre- 
lia, this  rumour  immediately  inflamed  to  the  highest  degree 
the  cupidity  of  the  hungry  prince  and  his  feudatories,  who 
forthwith  formed  the  design  of  appropriating  these  treasures 
to  themselves.  They  arrived,  however,  on  the  evening  of  the 
same  day  at  Sipias,  the  residence  of  the  missionaries,  where 
they  proposed  to  remain  a  few  days  in  order  to  prepare  them- 
selves by  a  little  repose  for  the  fatigues  which  were  to  come,  as 
well  as  to  deliberate  with  the  monks  respecting  the  means  of 
escaping  from  the  rapacity  of  the  rulers  of  Mingrelia. 

Four  days  after  his  arrival,  the  princess  or  queen,  as  she 
termed  herself,  of  Mingrelia,  came  to  Sipias  to  visit  our  travel- 
ler, attracted  by  the  rumours  of  his  wealth,  as  vultures  are 
attracted  by  the  scent  of  a  carcass.  Her  majesty  was  follow- 
ed by  a  train  of  eight  women  and  ten  men,  to  all  of  whom  a 


258 


SIR  JOHN  C HARDIN. 


decent  suit  of  clothes  and  a  tolerable  beast  to  ride  on  would 
have  been  a  welcome  present,  for  they  were  very  badly  mount- 
ed and  meanly  clad.  In  order  to  ward  off,  as  far  as  possible, 
the  dangerous  reputation  of  being  rich,  which  is  elsewhere  so 
much  coveted,  our  travellers  endeavoured  to  pass  for  Capu- 
chin friars,  and  pretended  that  the  baggage  with  which  their 
vehicles  Avere  loaded  consisted  entirely  of  books.  The  prin- 
cess believed  neither  of  these  stories.  Being  informed  that 
Chardin  understood  Turkish  and  Persian,  she  tormented  him, 
by  means  of  a  slave  who  could  speak  the  former  language, 
with  a  thousand  questions,  of  which  the  greater  number  turned 
upon  the  subject  of  love.  After  pushing  these  questions  be- 
yond the  verge  of  decency,  to  the  great  amusement  of  her 
suite,  who  appeared  to  be  more  delighted  in  proportion  as  her 
majesty  became  more  obscene,  slie  suddenly  turned  to  a  still 
more  embarrassing  topic — demanding  to  examine  the  effects 
of  our  traveller,  and  the  stores  of  the  monks.  They  all  now 
trembled  for  their  property.  Whatever  she  should  have  seeu 
would  have  been  lost.  To  allay  her  cupidity,  therefore,  and 
at  least  put  ofi*  the  evil  day,  the  principal  monk  humbly  in- 
formed her  that  the  usual  present  should  be  sent  on  the  mor- 
row, accompanied  by  another  from  the  travellers.  With  this 
assurance  she  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  departed. 

On  the  next  day  our  traveller  and  two  of  the  monks  were 
invited  to  dine  with  the  princess,  and  were  of  course  careful 
not  to  present  themselves  before  her  empty-handed,  it  being  a 
crime  in  the  East  for  an  inferior  to  come  into  the  presence  of 
his  superior  without  some  gift,  in  token  of  dependence  and 
homage.  Her  highness  of  Mingrelia,  who  had  painted  her  face 
and  adorned  her  person  to  the  best  of  her  ability,  in  order  to 
appear  to  advantage  in  the  eyes  of  the  traveller,  seemed  to  be 
highly  gratified  with  his  present,  which,  though  tasteful  and 
elegant,  was  of  small  value,  the  better  to  maintain  a  show  of 
poverty.  Some  ten  or  twelve  ragged  but  merry-looking 
wenches,  and  a  crowd  of  half-naked  ragamuffins,  constituted 
the  court  of  this  princess,  her  maids  of  honour  having,  as  she 
assured  the  traveller,  taken  refuge  in  a  neighbouring  fortress 
on  account  of  the  war!  The  better  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
tormenting  M.  Chardin,  she  caused  him  to  sit  near  her,  and 
commenced  her  attack  by  observing,  that  it  Mas  her  will  and 
pleasure  that  he  should  marry  one  of  her  friends,  and  settle  in 
the  country,  when  she  promised  to  bestow  on  him  houses, 
lands,  slaves,  and  subjects.  From  all  he  had  heard  and  seen 
of  the  women  of  Mingreha,  our  traveller  would  have  felt  less 
repugnance  to  marrying  a  vampire  than  one  of  them,  beautiful, 
as  they  were;  so  that  the  hare  possibility  of  the  thing  made. 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  259 

him  shudder.  He  was  for  the  present  delivered  from  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  painful  topic  by  the  appearance  of  dinner, 
during  which  the  princess  inflamed  her  naturally  ardent  tem- 
perament by  copious  libations  of  wine,  which  stifled  whatever 
remains  of  shame  might  have  lingered  in  her  soul,  and  im- 
pelled her  to  exhibit  all  the  importunity  and  efli-ontery  of  a 
courtezan. 

The  menaces  of  this  princess,  who  gave  them  clearly  to  un- 
derstand that  she  had  determined  upon  visiting  the  monastery, 
for  the  purpose  of  examining  their  treasures,  caused  them  to 
return  dejected  and  melancholy  from  the  castle,  the  monks 
apprehending  new  extortions  and  vexations,  and  Chardin  the 
loss  of  all  he  possessed.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed 
in  deliberating  upon  the  present  posture  of  aflairs,  and  it  was 
at  length  resolved,  that  as  soon  as  it  was  night,  pits  should  be 
dug,  and  the  most  valuable  portion  of  their  merchandize  buried- 
in  the  earth.  Accordingly,  the  sun  had  no  sooner  set  behind 
the  mountains,  than  they  commenced  operations,  first  digging 
a  pit  five  feet  deep  in  the  apartments  of  one  of  the  monks, 
where  they  buried  a  large  chest  filled  with  watches  and  clocks 
set  with  jewels.  When  this  had  been  done,  and  the  earth 
smoothed  over,  and  made  to  appear  as  before,  they  repaired 
under  cover  of  the  darkness  to  the  church,  where  the  principal 
monk  advised  our  traveller  to  open  the  grave  of  one  of  the 
brotherhood,  who  had  been  interred  there  some  six  years  be- 
fore, and  deposite  among  his  ashes  a  small  casket  filled  with 
the  most  costly  gems  of  the  East,  designed  for  the  princesses 
and  great  ladies  of  Persia.  A  secret  presentiment  prevented 
Chardin  from  following  this  advice,  who  selected  in  prefer- 
ence an  obscure  corner  of  the  church,  where  accordingly  a  pit 
was  sunk,  and  the  casket  carefully  interred.  Other  costly  ar- 
ticles, as  a  sabre  and  poniard  set  with  jewels,  were  concealed 
in  the  roof  of  the  monastery  ;  and  such  articles  of  great  value 
as  were  small  and  portable  our  travellers  retained  about  their 
persons. 

Many  days  had  not  elapsed  before  they  were  convinced  that 
their  fears  were  not  without  foundation.  It  was  now  Sunday, 
and  Chardin,  in  off*ering  up  his  prayers  to  God,  according  to 
custom,  would  not  presume,  he  says,  to  petition  his  Maker  for 
freedom,  so  persuaded  was  he  that  slavery  was  to  be  his  fate  ; 
he  merely  prayed  for  a  mild  master,  and  to  be  delivered  from; 
a  Mingrelian  wife.  While  the  classical  idea  of  Medea  was 
haunting  his  imagination,  and  disturbing  his  devotion,  a  person 
came  running  in,  exclaiming  that  two  neighbouring  chiefs, 
with  a  band  of  followers,  armed  to  the  teeth,  were  knocking  at 
the  outer  gate,  and  demanding  admittance.     There  being  no 


260  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

alternative,  they  were  allowed  to  enter,  which  they  had  no 
sooner  done  tlian  they  seized  and  bound  the  travellers,  com- 
manded the  monks  to  retire,  and  threatened  to  put  to  death 
the  first  person  who  should  make  the  least  stir  or  resistance. 
The  principal  friar  was  terrified  and  fled  ;  but  the  rest  stood 
firmly  by  their  guests,  particularly  the  lay-brother,  whom  not 
even  a  naked  sword  pointed  at  his  throat  could  induce  to 
abandon  them.  When  the  bandits  proceeded  to  bind  their 
servants,  one  of  the  latter,  who  had  a  large  knife  in  his  hand, 
endeavouring  to  defend  himself,  was  instantaneously  struck  to 
the  earth  with  a  lance,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  fastened  to  a 
tree.  This  being  done,  the  ruffians  informed  the  travellers 
that  they  wished  to  examine  their  effects.  Chardin  replied 
that  it  was  within  their  power;  that  they  were  but  poor  monks, 
whose  whole  wealth  consisted  in  books,  papers,  and  a  few 
wretched  garments,  the  whole  of  which,  if  they  would  abstain 
from  violence,  should  be  shown  them.  Upon  this  he  was  un- 
bound, and  commanded  to  open  the  door  of  their  apartment, 
where  their  books,  papers,  and  wardrobe  were  kept.  Char- 
din's  companion  had  sewn  the  inost  valuable  of  his  jewels  in 
the  collar  of  his  coat;  but  our  traveller  himself  had  made  two 
small  packets  of  his,  which  were  sealed,  and  put  among  his 
books,  not  daring  to  carry  them  about  him  lest  he  should  be 
assassinated,  stripped,  or  sold  for  a  slave.  In  order  to  gain  a 
moment  to  withdraw  these  packets,  he  requested  his  compan- 
ion and  the  lay-brother  to  hold  the  chiefs  in  conversation,  by 
pretending  to  negotiate  with  them,  and  offering  them  a  small 
sum  of  money.  The  stratagem  succeeding  for  an  instant,  he 
darted  up  stairs,  their  apartment  being  on  the  first  floor,  entered 
the  chamber,  and  locked  the  door.  His  design  was  suspected, 
and  the  whole  band  of  ruflSans  rushed  up  after  him  ;  but  the 
door  being  somewhat  difficult  to  be  broken  open,  he  had  time 
to  take  out  his  packets  and  conceal  them  in  the  roof  of  the 
house.  His  companion,  however,  who  was  in  the  room  be- 
low, called  out  to  him  that  he  ought  to  be  on  his  guard,  for 
that  he  was  observed  through  the  cracks  in  the  floor.  Upon 
hearing  this,  and  seeing  that  the  door  was  giving  way,  he  be- 
came confused,  and  scarcely  knowing  what  he  did,  took  down 
the  jewels  out  of  the  roof,  thrust  them  into  his  pocket,  and 
opening  the  window  of  the  apartment,  jumped  out  into  the 
garden.  Without  noticing  whether  he  was  watched  or  not, 
he  threw  the  packets  into  a  thicket,  and  then  hastened  back 
to  the  room,  now  filled  with  robbers,  some  of  whom  were 
maltreating  his  companion,  while  others  were  battermg  his 
coffers  with  their  spears  or  lances,  in  order  to  break  them 
open. 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  261 

He  now  plucked  up  his  courage,  imagining  that  the  greater 
part  of  his  wealth  was  out  of  their  reach,  and  bid  them  take 
heed  of  what  they  did;  that  he  was  the  envoy  of  the  King  of 
Persia  ;  and  that  the  Prince  of  Georgia  would  take  ample  ven- 
geance for  whatever  violence  might  be  offered  to  his  person. 
He  then  showed  them  his  passport  from  the  king.  One  of  the 
chiefs  snatched  it  out  of  his  hand,  and  was  about  to  tear  it  in 
pieces,  saying  that  he  neither  feared  nor  regarded  any  man 
upon  earth ;  but  the  other,  awed  by  the  royal  seal  and  letters 
of  gold,  restrained  him.  They  now  said,  that  if  he  would  open 
his  coffers  and  allow  them  to  examine  his  effects,  no  violence 
should  be  offered  him  ;  but  that  if  he  refused  any  longer,  they 
would  strike  off  his  head  from  his  shoulders.  He  was  still 
proceeding  to  contest  the  point,  when  one  of  the  soldiers,  im- 
patient to  proceed  to  business,  drew  his  sword,  and  aimed  a 
blow  at  his  head,  which  would  have  cleft  it  in  twain,  had  not 
the  villain's  arm  been  instantaneously  arrested  by  the  lay- 
brother.  Perceiving  the  kind  of  arguments  they  were  disposed 
to  employ,  he  unlocked  his  chests,  which  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye  were  rummaged  to  the  bottom,  while  every  thing  which 
appeared  to  possess  any  value  was  taken  away.  Turning  his 
eyes  from  this  painful  scene  towards  the  garden,  he  perceived 
two  soldiers  searching  among  the  bushes  in  the  very  spot 
where  he  had  thrown  his  jewels  ;  and  rushing  towards  them, 
followed  by  one  of  the  monks,  they  retired.  He  then,  without 
reflecting  upon  the  extreme  imprudence  of  his  conduct,  began 
himself  to  search  about  for  the  packets,  but  not  being  able  to 
discover  them,  he  supposed  the  soldiers  had  found  and  carried 
them  off.  As  their  value  was  little  less  than  ten  thousand 
pounds,  the  loss  fell  upon  him  like  a  thunderbolt.  Neverthe- 
less, there  was  no  time  for  sorrowing.  His  companion  and 
the  lay-brother  were  loudly  calling  him  from  the  house.  He 
therefore  tore  himself  away  from  the  spot.  In  returning  to- 
wards the  house,  two  soldiers  fell  upon  him,  dragged  him  up 
into  a  corner,  and  after  clearing  his  pockets  of  all  they  con- 
tained, were  about  to  bind  him  and  hurry  him  off;  but  after 
much  resistance  and  expostulation,  they  released  him,  and 
shortly  afterward  the  whole  troop  retired  from  the  monastery. 

The  robber  chiefs  and  their  followers  had  no  sooner  depart- 
ed, than  Chardin  again  repaired  to  the  garden,  and  was  sor- 
rowfully prying  about  the  thickets  where  he  had  concealed  his 
jewels,  when  a  man  cast  his  arms  about  his  neck,  and  threw 
him  into  more  violent  terror  than  ever.  He  had  no  doubt  it 
was  a  Mingrelian,  who  was  about  to  cut  his  throat.  The  next 
moment,  however,  he  recognized  the  voice  of  his  taithlul  Ar- 
menian valet,  who,  in  accents  broken  by  sobs,  and  with  eyes 
23 


262  SIR  JOHN  CHARDm. 

overflowing  with  tears,  exclaimed,  "Ah,  sir,  we  are  ruined!" 
Chardin,  strongly  moved  by  this  proof  of  his  affection,  bade 
him  restrain  his  tears.  "  But,  sir,"  said  he,  "  have  you  search- 
ed the  place  carefully  ?"  "  So  carefully,"  replied  the  travel- 
ler, "that  I  am  convinced  all  further  search  would  be  so  much 
labour  lost."  This  did  not  satisfy  the  Armenian.  He  wished 
to  be  informed  exactly  respecting  the  spot  where  the  traveller 
had  thrown  the  jewels  ;  the  manner  in  which  he  had  cast  them 
into  the  thicket ;  and  the  way  in  which  he  had  sought  for 
them.  To  obhge  him,  Chardin  did  what  he  desired,  but  was 
so  thoroughly  persuaded  that  all  further  search  was  useless, 
that  he  refused  to  remain  upon  the  spot,  and  went  away,  over- 
whelmed with  grief  and  vexation.  How  long  he  remained  in 
this  state  of  stupefaction  he  could  not  tell;  he  was  roused  from 
it,  however,  by  the  presence  of  the  Armenian,  who,  approach- 
ing him  in  the  dark,  for  it  was  now  night,  once  more  threw 
himself  about  his  neck,  and  thrust  the  two  packets  of  jewels 
into  his  bosom. 

By  the  advice  of  the  monks,  Chardin  next  morning  pro- 
ceeded to  the  prince's  castle,  to  relate  his  griefs,  and  demand 
justice  ;  but  all  he  gained  by  this  expedition  was,  the  thorough 
conviction  that  his  highness  was  as  arrant  a  thief  as  his  sub- 
jects, and  had  shared  the  fruits  of  the  robbery  which  was  ap- 
parently undertaken  by  his  orders.  This  discovery,  however, 
was  important ;  it  opened  his  eyes  to  the  true  character  of  the 
country  ;  and  taught  him  that  in  Mingrelia,  at  least,  the  man 
who  put  his  trust  in  princes  was  a  fool.  In  the  course  of  two 
days,  to  give  the  finishing  stroke  to  their  misfortune,  they 
learned  that  the  Turks,  irritated  at  the  insolence  and  rapacity 
of  its  chief,  had  made  an  irruption  into  the  country,  were  lay- 
ing it  waste  with  fire  and  sword  on  all  sides,  and  had  already 
approached  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Sipias.  At  midnight, 
two  cannon-shots  from  the  neighbouring  fortress  of  Ruchs  an- 
nounced the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  the  peasants,  with 
their  wives,  children,  and  flocks,  immediately  took  to  flight, 
and  before  dawn  the  whole  population  was  in  motion.  Our 
traveller,  whose  companion,  excited  and  irritated  by  the  prece- 
ding untoward  events,  was  now  ill,  fled  among  the  rest,  leaving 
behind  him  his  books,  papers,  and  mathematical  instruments, 
which  he  hoped  the  ignorance  of  both  Turks  and  Mingrelians 
would  protect.  His  buried  M^ealth  he  also  left  where  it  was, 
and,  considering  the  complexion  of  events,  regarded  as  much 
safer  thai\  what  he  carried  with  him. 

The  sight  of  this  whole  people,  suddenly  thrown  into  rapid 
flight,  was  sufficiently  melancholy.  The  women  bore  along 
their  children  in  their  arms,  the  men  carried  the  baggage. 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  263 

Some  drove  along  their  cattle  before  them,  while  others  yoked 
themselves  like  oxen  to  the  carts  in  which  their  furniture  was 
loaded,  and  being  unable  long  to  continue  their  extraordinary 
exertions,  sunk  down  exhausted  and  dying  on  the  road.  Here 
and  there,  along  the  wayside,  groups  of  old  people,  or  very 
young  children,  implored  the  aid  of  those  whose  strength  had 
not  yet  failed,  with  the  most  heart-rending  cries  and  groans. 
At  another  moment  the  spectacle  would  have  caused  the  most 
painful  emotions,  but  it  was  now  beheld  with  the  utmost  in- 
difference. The  idea  of  danger  having  swallowed  up  every 
other,  they  hurried  by  these  miserable  deserted  creatures  with- 
out pity  or  commiseration. 

The  castle  in  which  they  now  took  refuge  belonged  to  a 
chief  who  had  been  a  double  renegade,  having  deserted  Chris- 
tianity for  Mohammedanism,  and  Mohammedanism  for  Chris- 
tianity; notwithstanding  which,  he  was  supposed  to  be  a  less 
atrocious  brigand  than  his  neighbours.  He  received  the  fugi- 
tives politely,  and  assigned  them  for  their  lodgings  an  apart- 
ment where  they  were  somewhat  less  exposed  to  the  weather 
than  in  the  woods,  though  the  rain  found  its  way  in  on  all 
sides.  The  castle,  however,  was  already  crowded  with  people, 
eight  hundred  persons,  of  whom  the  majority  were  women 
and  children,  having  taken  refuge  in  it,  and  others  still  more 
destitute  and  miserable  arriving  every  moment. 

Next  day  one  of  the  missionaries  returned  to  the  monastery, 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  away,  if  possible,  such  plate  and 
provisions  as  had  been  left  behind:  but  he  found  that  place  in. 
possession  of  the  Turks,  who  beat  him  severely,  and  carried 
away  whatever  was  portable  in  the  house.  The  night  follow- 
ing, a  Mingrelian  chief,  more  barbarous  and  destructive  than 
the  Turks,  sacked  the  monastery  a  third  time,  and  having  no 
torches  or  flambeaux  to  light  him  in  his  depredations,  made  a 
bonfire  of  our  traveller's  books  and  papers,  and  reduced  the 
whole  to  ashes.  The  chief  in  whose  castle  they  had  taken 
refuge,  being  summoned  to  surrender  by  the  Turkish  pasha, 
and  perceiving  the  absurdity  of  pretending  to  measure  his 
strength  with  that  of  the  enemy,  consented  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  Porte,  and,  what  was  equally  important,  to 
make  a  handsome  present  to  its  agent.  This  present  was  to 
consist  of  three  hundred  crowns  in  money,  and  twenty  young 
slaves,  which  the  wretch  determined  to  levy  from  the  unfortu- 
nate creatures  who  had  thrown  themselves  upon  his  protection, 
confiding  in  the  sacred  laws  of  hospitality.  Among  Mingre- 
lians,  however,  there  is  nothing  sacred.  Every  family  pos- 
sessing four  children  was  compelled  to  give  up  one  of  the 
number  to  be  transported  into  Turkey  as  a  slave;  but  it  was 


264  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

found  necessary  to  tear  away  the  children  from  the  arms  of 
their  mothers,  who  grasped  them  convulsively,  pressed  them 
to  their  bosoms,  and  yielded  only  to  irresistible  violence.  In- 
stead of  twenty  children,  the  chief  forced  away  twenty-five, 
selHng  the  additional  number  for  his  own  profit ;  and  instead 
of  three  hundred  crowns,  he  extorted  five  hundred.  Provi- 
dence, however,  compelled  him  and  his  family  to  devour  their 
share  of  grief  The  pasha  peremptorily  demanded  one  of  his 
sons  as  a  hostage,  and  as  he  and  his  wives  beheld  the  youngest 
of  their  boys  depart  into  endless  captivity  for  the  hostage,  de- 
livered up  to  the  Porte  never  to  return,  they  had  an  opportuni- 
ty of  tasting  a  sample  of  the  bitterness  they  had  administered 
to  others.  Chardin,  who  had  neither  wife  nor  children  to  lose, 
was  taxed  at  twenty  crowns. 

Perceiving  that  the  state  of  the  country  verged  more  and 
more  every  day  upon  utter  anarchy  and  confusion,  our  trav- 
eller came  to  the  resolution  of  departing  at  all  hazards  for 
Georgia,  to  demand  its  prince's  aid  in  withdrawing  his  prop- 
erty from  Mingrelia.  His  companion  remained  to  watch  over 
ij;  in  his  absence.  Not  being  able  to  procure  either  guards  or 
guides  from  among  the  natives,  for  with  all  their  misery  there 
is  no  people  who  fear  death  or  danger  more  than  the  Mingre- 
lians,  he  was  constrained  to  set  out  with  a  single  domestic, 
who,  as  fate  would  have  it,  was  the  most  consummate  scoun- 
drel in  his  service.  On  the  way  to  Anarghia,  where  he  was 
once  more  to  embark  on  the  Black  Sea,  he  learned  that  the 
church  in  which  he  had  deposited  his  wealth  had  been  sacked 
and  stripped  to  the  bare  walls,  that  the  very  graves  had  been 
Opened,  and  every  vestige  of  property  removed.  Here  was  a 
new  source  of  anguish.  It  was  now  a  question  whether  he 
was  a  rich  or  a  poor  man.  He  paused  in  his  journey — sent 
off  an  express  to  his  companion — the  ruins  of  the  church  were 
visited — and  their  money  found  to  be  untouched.  This  cir- 
cumstance, he  informs  us,  marvellotisly  exalted  his  courage, 
and  he  proceeded  with  fresh  vigour  on  his  new  enterprise. 

Embarking  in  a  felucca  at  Anarghia,  in  company  with  sev- 
eral Turks  and  their  slaves,  he  sailed  along  the  south-eastern 
coast  of  the  Black  Sea,  passed  by  the  mouth  of  the  Phasis, 
the  site  of  Sebaste,  and  many  other  spots  redolent  of  classical 
fame,  and  in  three  days  arrived  at  Gonia  in  the  country  of  the 
Lazii.  Here  the  character  of  his  valet  began  to  develop  itself. 
Repairing  as  soon  as  they  had  landed  to  the  custom-house, 
leaving  his  master  to  manage  for  himself,  the  vagabond  im- 
parted to  the  authorities  his  conjectures  respecting  the  real 
condition  of  the  traveller,  and  thus  at  once  awakened  their 
vigilance   and  cupidity.      His   effects  were   in  consequence 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  96i 

rigorously  examined,  and  the  dues  exacted  from  him,  which 
were  heavy,  perhaps  extortionate,  no  doubt  enabled  the  cus- 
tom-house officers  to  reward  the  treachery  of  his  servant. 
When  these  matters  had  been  settled,  the  principal  officer, 
who,  after  all,  was  a  man  of  humane  disposition  and  tolerably 
just  principles,  made  Chardin  an  offer  of  an  apartment  in  his 
house,  where  he  invited,  nay,  even  entreated  him  to  pass  the 
night ;  but  having  already  suffered  from  what  he  regarded  as 
his  rapacity,  the  traveller  dreaded  some  new  act  of  extortion, 
and  obstinately  refused  his  hospitality.  He  very  soon  repented 
this  false  step.  It  being  nearly  night,  he  proceeded,  on  quit- 
ting the  custom-house,  to  the  inn,  or  rather  hovel,  whither  his 
valet  had  directed  his  effects  to  be  conveyed  after  examination. 
Here  he  was  sitting  down,  fatigued  and  dejected,  disgusted 
with  dirt  and  stench,  and  listening  to  the  condolences  of  his 
Turkish  travelling  companions,  when  a  janizary  from  the 
lieutenant  of  the  commandant,  the  chief  being  absent,  entered 
in  search  of  his  valet,  with  whom  that  important  personage 
was  desirous  of  holding  a  conference.  In  another  hour  the 
presence  of  the  traveller  himself  was  required  ;  and  when,  in 
obedience  to  authority,  he  repaired  to  the  fort,  he  found  both 
the  lieutenant  and  his  own  graceless  servant  drunk,  and  began 
to  perceive  that  a  plan  for  pillaging  him  had  been  concerted. 
The  lieutenant  now  informed  him,  with  as  much  gravity  as 
the  prodigious  quantity  of  wine  he  had  taken  would  permit, 
that  all  ecclesiastics  who  passed  through  Gonia  were  accustom- 
ed to  pay  two  hundred  ducats  to  his  superior ;  and  that  he, 
therefore,  as  a  member  of  that  profession,  for  Chardin  had 
thought  proper  to  pass  for  a  Capuchin,  must  deposite  that  sum 
in  his  hands  for  the  commandant.  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
traveller  now  denied  all  claim  to  the  clerical  character,  and 
acknowledged  himself  to  be  a  merchant;  merchant  or  priest, 
it  was  all  the  same  to  the  lieutenant ;  what  he  wanted  was  the 
two  hundred  ducats,  which,  after  much  altercation,  were  redu- 
ced to  one  hundred  ;  but  this  M.  Chardin  was  compelled  to 
pay,  or  submit  to  the  punishment  of  the  carcan^  a  species  of 
portable  stocks,  through  which  the  offender's  head  is  put  in- 
stead of  his  feet.  The  worst  feature,  however,  of  the  whole 
affair  was,  that  the  drunken  officer  took  it  into  his  head  to 
cause  the  present  thus  extorted  to  appear  to  be  a  voluntary 
gift ;  and  again  having  recourse  to  menaces,  which  he  was 
prepared  to  execute  upon  the  spot,  he  forced  the  traveller  to 
make  oath  on  the  Gospel  that  he  bestowed  the  money  freely, 
and  would  disclose  the  real  nature  of  the  transaction  to  no 
one.  This  being  done,  he  was  allowed  to  retire. 
J23* 


266  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

Next  morning  the  custom-house  officer,  who,  in  inviting 
him  to  pass  the  night  in  his  house,  had  intended  to  protect  hira 
from  this  species  of  robbery,  furnished  him  with  a  guide,  and 
two  men  to  carry  his  luggage;  and  with  this  escort,  in  addition 
to  his  hopeful  valet,  he  departed  for  Akalzike'.  The  road  at 
first  lay  through  a  plain,  but  at  length  began  to  ascend,  and 
pierce  the  defiles  of  the  Caucasus;  and  as  he  climbed  higher 
and  higher  among  the  precipitous  and  dizzy  heights  of  this 
sublime  mountain,  among  whose  many  peaks  the  ark  is  sup- 
posed to  have  first  taken  ground  after  the  deluge,  and  from 
whence  the  stream  of  population  flowed  forth  and  overspread 
the  world  with  a  flood  of  life,  he  felt  the  cares,  solicitudes,  and 
sorrows  which  for  many  months  had  fed,  as  it  were,  upon  his 
heart,  take  wing,  and  a  healing  and  invigorating  influence 
spread  an  exquisite  calm  over  his  sensations.  This  singular 
tranquilhty,  which  he  experienced  on  first  reaching  these  lofty 
regions,  stifl  continued  as  he  advanced,  notwithstanding  the 
rain,  the  hail,  and  the  snow  which  were  poured  on  him  by  the 
tempest  as  he  passed  ;  and  in  such  a  frame  of  mind  he  attain- 
ed the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain,  upon  whose  folding 
slopes  he  beheld  numerous  villages,  castles,  and  churches, 
picturesquely  scattered  about,  and  at  length  descended  into  a 
broad  and  beautiful  valley,  cultivated  with  the  greatest  care, 
and  fertihzed  by  the  waters  of  the  Kur. 

Arriving  without  accident  or  adventure  at  Akalzike',  and 
remaining  there  four  days  to  repose  himself,  he  departed  for 
Georgia.  The  route  now  presented  nothing  extraordinary. 
A  castle  or  a  ruin,  picturesquely  perched  upon  the  crest  of  a 
rocky  eminence,  a  church,  or  a  village,  or  a  forest — such  were 
the  objects  which  met  the  eye.  He  at  length  reached  the 
Capuchin  convent  in  the  vicinity  of  Cory,  whence,  after  ma- 
ture consultation  with  the  monks,  who,  for  strangers,  entered 
with  extraordinary  earnestness  into  his  views,  he  set  out,  ac- 
companied by  a  lay-brother  of  the  order,  for  Tiflis,  partly  with 
the  design  of  demanding  aid  from  the  Prince  of  Georgia,  and 
partly  to  obtain  the  advice  of  the  principal  missionary  respect- 
ing the  steps  he  ought  to  take  in  order  to  deliver  his  partner 
and  property  from  the  avaricious  hands  of  the  Mingrelians. 
The  opinion  of  the  monks  was,  tliat  since  the  Prince  of  Geor- 
gia entertained  rather  loose  notions  respecting  his  allegiance 
to  the  King  of  Persia,  whose  servant  Chardin  was  to  be  con- 
sidered, and,  like  all  petty  potentates,  was  possessed  by  ex- 
treme cupidity  and  laxity  of  principle,  there  would  in  all 
probability  be  as  much  danger  in  being  aided  by  him,  as  in 
depending  on  the  uncertain  will  of  fortune  and  his  own  pru- 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  267 

dence  and  ingenuitj  ;  that  he  ought  to  return  secretly  to  Min- 
grelia  ;  and  that,  for  the  greater  chance  of  success,  he  should 
take  with  him  one  of  the  brotherhood,  who  was  deeply  versed 
in  the  small  politics  of  those  countries;  and  a  native  depend- 
ent on  the  monastery,  who  had  been  a  thousand  times  in  Min- 
grelia. 

With  these  able  coadjutors  he  returned  once  more  into  the 
country  of  Media,  whence,  after  incredible  difficulties  and  very 
considerable  danger,  he  succeeded  in  rescuing  his  property. 
On  his  return  to  Tiflis  he  calculated,  with  the  aid  of  his  com- 
panion, the  losses  they  had  sustained  during  the  journey  from 
Constantinople  to  Georgia,  and  found  that,  by  great  good  for- 
tune, it  did  not  exceed  one  per  cent,  upon  the  merchandize  they 
had  succeeded  in  conveying  safe  and  entire  to  that  city.  He 
now  tasted  of  that  delight  which  springs  up  in  the  mind  after 
dangers  escaped  and  difficulties  overcome  ;  and  commenced 
the  pleasing  task  of  studying  the  manners  of  a  people  among 
whom,  however  impure  and  depraved  might  be  their  morals,  a 
stranger  had  little  to  fear.  The  beauty  of  the  women,  he 
found,  was  so  irresistible  in  Georgia,  and  their  manners  so 
graceful  and  bewitching,  that  it  was  impossible  to  behold  them 
without  love  ;  but  the  depravity  of  their  morals,  and  the  black- 
ness and  perfidy  of  their  souls,  exceeded,  if  possible,  the  per- 
fection of  their  forms,  and  rendered  them  as  odious  to  the 
mind  as  they  were  pleasing  to  the  eye. 

After  remaining  a  short  time  at  Tiflis,  and  going  through 
the  usual  routine  of  giving  and  receiving  presents,  &c.,  he  de- 
parted for  Armenia.  Being  now  accompanied  by  a  mehman- 
dar,  or  guest-guard,  he  proceeded  without  obstacle  or  extor- 
tion; this  officer  taking  upon  himself  the  care  of  adjusting 
matters  with  the  custom-houses,  and  of  providing  horses,  car- 
riages, and  provisions  on  the  way.  Though  in  so  low  a 
latitude,  the  whole  face  of  the  country  was  still  covered  with 
snow  in  March,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  they  pro- 
ceeded over  the  narrow  pathways  made  by  the  few  travellers 
who  were  compelled  to  traverse  the  country  at  such  a  season. 
To  guard  against  the  reflection  of  thp  sun's  rays  from  the  snow, 
which  weakened  the  sight,  and  caused  a  burning  heat  in  the 
face,  our  traveller  wore  a  handkerchief  of  green  or  black  silk 
tied  across  the  eyes,  after  the  manner  of  the  inhabitants, 
though  this  merely  diminished, but  could  not  altogether  prevent 
the  evil.  Whenever  they  met  any  travellers  moving  in  a  con- 
trary direction,  they  had  to  dispute  who  should  yield  up  the 
narrow  path,  upon  which  two  horses  could  not  pass  each 
other,  and  go  out  into  the  soft  snow,  in  which  the  animals 
instantly  sunk  up  to  their  bellies  ;  but  in  the  end  every  one 


268  SIR  JOHN  CUARDIN. 

yielded  the  preference  to  the  mehmandar.  Creeping  along  in 
this  manner  through  the  cold,  they  arrived  at  Eryvan  on  the 
7th  of  March. 

Being  now  in  a  country  where  civilization  had  made  some 
progress,  Chardin  took  lodgings  in  a  caravansary,  and  was 
provided  abundantly  with  the  necessaries  of  hfe  by  the  bounty 
of  the  governor,  who,  no  doubt,  expected  that  his  civilities 
would  be  remembered  when  he  should  come  in  the  sequel  to 
bargain  for  a  portion  of  the  traveller's  jewels.  In  the  East  it 
is  an  established  rule  that  the  natives  shall  always  take  ad- 
vantage of  a  stranger,  sometimes  by  force,  at  other  times  by 
cunning,  but  invariably  in  some  way  or  another.  In  Mingrelia 
our  traveller  had  to  guard  against  force  and  violence ;  here 
against  wheedling,  deceit,  flattery,  double-dealing,  hypocrisy, 
and  meanness.  In  the  former  case,  hovever,  being  weak,  it 
was  necessary  to  evade  or  succumb;  but  in  the  present,  since  in- 
genuity was  the  weapon  on  both  sides,  there  were  more  chances 
of  success,  though  it  often  appeared  that  plain  honest  good 
sense  is  not  always  a  match  for  practised  cunning.  In  the  in- 
tervals of  business  the  time  was  passed  in  parties,  dinners,  and 
visits,  which  at  least  furnished  opportunities  of  studying  the 
manners  of  the  people. 

Perceiving  that  the  time  of  his  departure  was  drawing  nigh, 
the  governor  came  to  the  point  at  which  he  had  been  steadily 
aiming  all  the  while,  under  cover  of  his  hospitality  and  cares- 
ses, which  were  put  forward  as  so  many  stalking-horses,  to  en- 
able him  to  bring  down  his  game  with  greater  certainty.  Send- 
ing for  Chardin  to  the  palace,  he  proceeded  warily  and  steal- 
thily to  business,  occasionally  shaking  the  dust  of  compliments 
and  flattery  in  the  traveller's  eyes  as  he  went  along.  He  first 
lamented  the  actual  state  of  Persia,  in  which,  reduced  by  bad 
government  and  the  malignant  inclemency  of  the  seasons  to  a 
state  bordering  upon  famine  and  anarchy,  there  was  of  course 
little  or  no  demand  for  expensive  articles  of  luxury;  besides, 
even  if  public  afi'airs  had  been  flourishing,  and  the  royal  re- 
sources abundant,  the  present  king  had  no  taste  for  jewelry; 
and  that,  therefore  there  was  no  hope  of  disposing  of  costly 
precious  stones  at  the  court  of  Ispahan.  From  this  prehmi- 
nary  discourse,  which  was  meant  to  diminish  in  the  traveller's 
eyes  the  value  of  his  merchandise,  though  in  reahty  the  picture 
was  correct,  the  governor  passed  at  once  to  the  genuine  object 
of  his  oration,  and  made  an  offer  to  purchase  a  part  of  the 
jewels.  His  conduct  on  this  occasion  was  a  masterpiece  of 
mercantile  skill,  and  he  succeeded,  by  holding  out  the  hope 
of  more  important  purchases  in  the  sequel,  in  getting  every 
tiling  that  he  reaily  intended  to  buy,  at  a  yery  cheap  rate* 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  269 

When  his  object  was  gained,  he  closed  the  negotiation  in  the 
coolest  manner  in  the  world,  by  returning  the  large  quantity 
of  jewels  which  he  had  caused  to  be  sent  to  his  palace,  as  if  he 
had  intended  to  bargain  for  them  all ;  and  the  traveller  now 
perceived  that  the  wily  Persian  had  made  a  dupe  of  him.  As 
all  manifestations  of  discontent,  however,  would  have  been 
altogether  useless,  he  affected  to  be  extremely  well  pleased 
at  his  bad  luck,  and  retired  to  his  caravansary,  cursing  all  the 
way  the  talents  and  aptitude  of  the  governor  of  Eryvan  for 
business  and  cheating. 

On  the  8th  of  April  he  departed  from  the  capital  of  Arme- 
nia, and  travelling  for  several  days  through  level  and  fertile 
plains,  interspersed  with  churches  and  villages,  arrived  at  Nac- 
chivan,  a  city  formerly  celebrated,  and  of  great  antiquity,  but 
now  in  ruins.  From  hence  he  proceeded,  etymologizing  and 
making  researches  as  he  moved  along,  towards  Tabriz,  where 
he  arrived  on  the  17th.  At  this  city,  then  the  second  in  Persia 
in  rank,  riches,  and  population,  he  took  up  his  quarters  at  the 
Capuchin  convent,  where  he  was  visited  by  several  of  the  nobles 
of  the  place,  on  account  of  his  jewelry,  the  fame  of  which  flew 
before  him  on  the  road,  and  like  a  pioneer  smoothed  and  laid 
level  his  passage  into  Persia.  In  proceeding  southward  from 
Tabriz  he  had  to  traverse  the  plains  of  Aderbijan,  the  ancient 
Media,  which  being  covered  at  this  season  of  the  year  by 
tribes  of  Koords,  Saraneshins,  and  Turcomans,  all  striking 
their  tents,  and  putting  themselves  in  motion  for  their  summer 
emigration  to  the  mountains,  could  not  be  crossed  by  a  stran- 
ger without  considerable  danger.  He  was  therefore  counselled 
to  defer  his  departure  for  a  few  days,  when  he  would  have  the 
advantage  of  travelling  in  the  company  of  a  Persian  noble- 
man, Avhose  presence  would  be  a  suflicient  protection.  He 
adopted  this  advice,  and  in  less  than  a  week  set  out  under 
the  safeguard  of  his  noble  escort,  and  crossed  those  rich  and 
beautiful  plains,  which  afford  the  best  pasturage  in  the  world, 
and  where,  accordingly,  the  ancient  kings  of  Media  kept  their 
prodigious  studs,  which  sometimes  consisted  of  fifty  thousand 
horses.  The  ancients  relate,  that  the  horses  of  Nysa,  which 
must  be  sought  for  in  these  plains,  were  all  cream-coloured ; 
but  the  nobleman  who  accompanied  Chardin  had  never  read 
or  heard  of  any  part  of  Persia  where  horses  of  that  colour 
were  produced. 

In  his  journey  through  Media  he  saw  on  the  side  of  the  road 
circles  of  huge  stones,  like  those  of  Stonehenge,  and  the  Dol- 
mens of  Normandy  and  Brittany,  which,  according  to  the 
traditions  of  the  Persians,  were  placed  there  by  the  Kaous,  or 
giants,  who  formerly  held  possession  of  those  regions.     The 


270  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

same  superstitions,  the  same  fables,  the  same  wild  belief  in  the 
enormous  strength  and  stature  of  past  generations,  prevailed, 
we  see,  throughout  the  world,  because  the  desires,  faculties, 
and  passions  of  the  mind  are  everywhere  the  same. 

It  was  now  June,  and  instead  of  disputing  with  those  they 
met,  the  possession  of  a  narrow  snow-track,  they  were  com- 
pelled to  travel  by  night  to  avoid  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun. 
They  usually  set  out  about  two  hours  before  sunset,  and  when 
day  had  entirely  disappeared,  the  stars,  which  in  the  clear  blue 
atmosphere  of  Persia  yielded  a  strong  brilliant  hght,  agreeably 
supplied  its  place,  and  enabled  them  to  proceed  from  caravan- 
sary to  caravansary  with  facility.  At  every  step  historical 
associations  crowded  upon  the  traveller's  mind.  The  dust 
which  was  thrown  up  into  a  cloud  by  the  hoof  of  his  camel, 
and  the  stones  over  which  he  stumbled  in  the  darkness,  were 
the  dust  and  the  wrecks  of  heroes  and  mighty  cities,  crumbled 
by  time,  and  whirled  about  by  the  breath  of  oblivion.  Cyruar 
and  Alexander,  khahfs,  khans,  and  sultans,  had  fought,  con- 
quered, or  perished  on  those  plains.  Vast  cities  had  risen, 
flourished,  and  vanished  like  a  dream.  A  few  days  before  his 
arrival  at  Kom,  he  passed  at  a  little  distance  the  ruins  of  Rhe, 
a  city  scarcely  less  vast  in  its  dimensions,  or  less  magnificent 
or  populous  than  Babylon,  but  now  deserted,  and  become  so 
unhealthy  in  consequence,  that,  according  to  a  Persian  poet, 
the  very  angel  of  death  retired  from  it  on  account  of  the  bad- 
ness of  the  air. 

On  his  arrival  at  Koms,  after  escaping  from  the  storms  of 
the  Black  Sea  and  the  Mingrelians,  Chardin  was  nearly  killed 
by  the  kick  of  a  horse.  He  escaped,  however,  and  set  out 
two  days  afterward  for  Kashan,  traversing  fine  fertile  plains, 
covered  with  villages.  In  this  city,  celebrated  for  its  burning 
climate  and  scorpions,  he  merely  remained  one  day  to  allow 
his  horses  a  little  repose,  and  then  departed  and  pushed  on  to 
Ispahan,  where  he  arrived  on  the  23d  of  June. 

Chardin  was  faithful  to  the  Capuchin  friars;  for  whenever  he 
passed  through  or  visited  a  city  in  which  they  possessed  a  con- 
vent, it  was  the  first  place  to  which  he  repaired,  and  the  last 
he  quitted.  On  the  present  occasion  he  took  up  his  residence, 
as  usual,  with  these  monks,  at  whose  convent  he  found  on  his 
arrival  a  bag  of  letters  addressed  to  him  from  various  parts  of 
the  world:  before  he  could  read  the  half  of  which,  many  of 
his  Persian  and  Armenian  friends,  whom  he  had  known  dur- 
ing his  former  residence,  and  all  the  Europeans  of  the  city, 
came  to  welcome  him  on  his  return  to  Ispahan.  From  these 
he  learned  that  the  court,  which  had  undergone  innumerable 
changes  during  his  absence,  the  greater  number  of  those  great 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  27Jf 

men  who  had  distinguished  themselves,  or  held  any  offices  of 
trust  under  the  late  king,  being  either  dead  or  in  disgrace, 
was  now  in  the  utmost  confusion,  the  persons  who  exercised 
most  influence  in  it  being  a  set  of  young  noblemen,  without 
virtue,  talents,  or  experience.  And  what  was  still  worse  for 
Chardin,  though  not  for  Persia,  it  was  secretly  whispered  about 
that  Sheikh  Ali  Khan, formerly  prime  minister,  but  now  in  dis- 
grace, was  about  to  be  restored  to  favour ;  in  which  case  our 
traveller  anticipated  great  losses,  as  this  virtuous  and  inflexible 
man,  whose  great  talents  had  always  been  employed  in  the 
service  of  his  country,  was  an  enemy  to  all  lavish  expenditure, 
and  regarded  jewels  and  other  costly  toys  as  mere  dross,  un- 
worthy the  attention  of  a  sovereign  prince. 

Chardin  perceived,  therefore,  that  he  had  not  a  moment  to 
lose,  it  being  of  the  highest  importance  that  his  business  with 
the  king  should  be  transacted  before  Sheikh  Ali  Khan  should 
again  be  prime  vizier;  but  by  whom  he  was  to  be  introduced 
at  court  was  the  question.  The  persons  to  whom  he  applied 
in  the  first  instance,  at  the  same  time  that  they  willingly  con- 
sented to  use  their  best  efforts  in  his  favour,  and  counselled 
him  not  to  despair,  yet  gave  so  sombre  a  picture  of  the  state 
of  the  court,  and  threw  out  so  many  insinuations,  indicating 
their  belief  that  the  future  would  be  still  more  unpropitious 
than  the  present,  that  they  succeeded  in  casting  a  damp  over 
his  energies,  and  in  dissipating,  or  at  least  blighting  his  hopes. 
Nevertheless,  something  was  to  be  done,  and  that  quickly ; 
and  he  determined,  that  what  ever  might  be  the  result,  he 
would  at  all  events  not  fail  through  inattention  or  indolence. 

While  Chardin  was  labouring  to  put  those  springs  in  motion, 
the  harmonious  action  of  which  was  to  produce  the  fulfilment 
of  his  hopes,  Sheikh  Ali  Khan  suddenly  entered  into  office. 
This  event  was  brought  about  in  a  strange  manner.  The 
king,  during  one  of  those  violent  fits  of  intoxication  to  which 
he  was  hable,  and  during  which  he  acted  more  hke  a  wilcj 
beast  than  a  man,  had  commanded  the  right  hand  of  a  musi- 
cian who  was  playing  before  him  to  be  struck  off*,  and  imme- 
diately fell  asleep.  The  person  to  whom  the  barbarous  order 
was  given,  imagining  that  all  recollection  of  the  matter  would 
pass  away  with  the  fumes  of  sleep,  ventured  to  disobey;  but 
the  king  awaking,  and  finding  the  musician,  whom  he  expected 
to  find  mutilated  and  bleeding,  still  touching  the  instrument, 
became  so  enraged,  that  he  gave  orders  for  inflicting  the  same 
punishment  upon  the  disobedient  favourite  and  the  musician ; 
and  finding  that  those  around  him  still  hesitated  to  execute 
his  brutal  commands,  his  madness  rose  to  so  ungovernable  a 
pitch  that  he  would  probably  have  had  the  arms  and  legs  of 


272  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

all  the  court  cut  off,  had  not  Sheikh  AH  Khan,  who  fortunately 
happened  to  be  present,  thrown  himself  at  his  feet,  and  im- 
plored him  to  pardon  the  offenders.  The  tyrant,  now  begin- 
ning to  cool  a  little,  replied,  "You  are  a  bold  man,  to  expect 
that  I  shall  grant  your  request,  while  you  constantly  refuse  to 
resume,  at  my  most  earnest  entreaties,  the  office  of  prime  min- 
ister !"  "  Sire,"  replied  Ali,  "  1  am  your  slave,  and  will  do 
whatever  your  majesty  shall  command."  The  king  was  paci- 
fied, the  culprits  pardoned,  and  next  morning  Sheikh  Ali 
Khan  reassumed  the  government  of  Persia. 

The  event  dreaded  by  our  traveller  had  now  arrived,  and 
therefore  the  aspect  of  affairs  was  changed.  Nevertheless, 
not  many  days  after  this  event,  he  received  an  intimation  from 
one  of  his  court  friends,  that  is,  persons  purchased  over  by 
presents,  that  the  nazir,  or  chief  intendant  of  the  king's  house- 
hold, having  been  informed  of  his  arrival,  was  desirous  of  see- 
ing him,  and  had  warmly  expressed  his  inclination  to  serve 
him  with  the  shah.  Chardin,  who  understood  from  what 
motives  courtiers  usually  perform  services,  laid  but  small  stress 
upon  his  promises,  but  still  hastened  to  present  himself  at  his 
levee,  with  a  list  of  all  the  articles  of  jewelry  he  had  brought 
with  him  from  Europe,  which  the  nazir  immediately  ordered 
to  be  sent  to  him  for  the  inspection  of  the  king.  A  few  days 
afterward  he  was  introduced  to  the  terrible  grand  vizier.  Sheikh 
Ali  Khan  himself,  who,  from  the  mild  and  pohshed  manner  in 
which  he  received  our  traveller,  appeared  extremely  different 
from  the  portraits  which  the  courtiers  and  common  fame  had 
drawn  of  him. 

His  whole  fortune  being  now  at  stake,  and  depending  in  a 
great  measure  upon  the  disposition  of  the  nazir  and  the  con- 
duct of  the  shah,  Chardin  was  unavoidably  agitated  by  very 
painful  and  powerful  feelings,  when  he  was  suddenly  sum- 
moned to  repair  to  the  intendant's  palace,  where  the  principal 
jewellers  of  the  city,  Mohammedan,  Armenian,  and  Hindoo, 
had  been  assembled  to  pronounce  upon  the  real  value  of  the 
various  articles  he  had  offered  to  the  king.  He  had  not  long 
entered  before  the  nazir  ordered  the  whole  of  his  jewels  to  be 
brought  forth,  those  which  his  majesty  intended  to  purchase 
being  set  apart  in  a  large  golden  bowl  of  Chinese  workman- 
ship. Chardin,  observing  that  notwithstanding  the  whole  had 
been  purchased  or  made  by  order  of  the  late  king,  not  a  fourth 
part  had  been  selected  by  his  present  majesty,  felt  as  if  he  had 
been  stricken  by  a  thunderbolt,  and  became  pale  and  rooted, 
as  it  were  to  the  spot.  The  nazir,  though  a  selfish  and  rapa- 
cious man,  was  touched  by  his  appearance,  and  leaning  his 
liead  towards  him,  observed, in  a  low  voice,  "You  are  vexed 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  273 

that  the  king  should  have  selected  so  small  a  portion  of  your 
jewels.  I  protest  to  you  that  I  have  taken  more  pains  than  I 
ought  to  induce  him  to  purchase  the  whole,  or  at  least  the  half 
of  them  ;  but  1  have  not  been  able  to  succeed,  because  the 
larger  articles,  such  as  the  sabre,  the  poniard,  and  the  mirror, 
are  not  made  in  the  fashion  which  prevails  in  this  country. 
But  keep  up  your  spirits  ;  you  will  still  dispose  of  them,  if  it 
please  God."  The  traveller,  who  felt  doubly  vexed  that  his 
chagrin  had  been  perceived,  made  an  effort  to  recover  his 
composure,  but  could  not  so  completely  succeed  but  that  the 
shadow,  as  it  were,  of  his  emotion  still  remained  upon  his 
countenance. 

However,  pleased  or  displeased,  it  was  necessary  to  proceed 
to  business.  The  shah's  principal  jeweller  now  placed  before 
him  the  golden  bowl  containing  the  articles  selected  by  his 
majesty,  and  beginning  with  the  smaller  pieces,  asked  the 
price  of  them  in  a  whisper  ;  and  then  caused  them  to  be  esti- 
mated by  the  other  jewellers  present,  beginning  with  the 
Mohammedans,  and  then  passing  on  to  the  Armenians  and 
Hindoos.  The  merchants  of  Persia,  when  conducting  any 
bargain  before  company,  never  make  use  of  any  words  in 
stating  tiie  price  to  each  other  ;  they  make  themselves  under- 
stood with  their  fingers,  their  hands  meeting  under  a  corner  of 
their  robe,  or  a  thick  handkerchief,  so  that  their  movements 
may  be  concealed.  To  close  the  hand  of  the  person  with 
whom  business  is  thus  transacted  means  a  thousand;  to  take 
one  finger  of  the  open  hand,  a  hundred;  to  bend  the  finger  in 
the  m\M\c^  fifty ;  and  so  on.  This  mode  of  bargaining  is  in 
use  throughout  the  East,  and  more  particularly  in  India, 
where  no  other  is  employed. 

The  value  of  the  jewels  being  thus  estimated,  the  appraisers 
were  dismissed,  and  the  nazir,  coming  to  treat  tete-a-tete  with 
Chardin,  succeeded  so  completely  in  throwing  a  mist  over  his 
imagination,  by  pretending  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  his 
welfare,  that  he  drew  him  into  a  snare,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  negotiation,  which  lasted  long,  and  was  conducted  with 
infinite  cunning  on  the  part  of  the  Persian,  caused  him  to  lose 
a  large  portion  of  the  fruits  of  his  courage  and  enterprise. 
Other  negotiations  with  various  individuals  followed,  and  in 
the  end  Chardin  succeeded  in  disposing  of  the  whole  of  his 
jewels. 

These  transactions  closed  with  the  year  1673.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  following  year,  which  was  passed  in  a  devotional 
manner  among  the  Protestants  of  Ispahan,  the  traveller  began 
to  feel  his  locomotive  propensities  revive  ;  and  an  ambassador 
from  Balkh,  then  in  the  capital,  happening  to  pay  him  a  visit, 
24 


274  SIR  JOHN  CHAROIN. 

SO  wrought  upon  his  imagination  by  his  description  of  his  wild 
country,  and  gave  him  so  many  pressing  invitations  to  accom- 
pany him  on  his  return,  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the  counter- 
persuasion  of  friends,  Chardin  would  undoubtedly  liave  ex- 
tended his  travels  to  Tartary.  This  idea  being  relinquished, 
however,  he  departed  for  the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  a 
journey  of  some  kind  or  other  being  necessary  to  keep  up  the 
activity  of  both  body  and  mind. 

He  accordingly  departed  from  Ispahan  in  the  beginning  of 
February,  all  the  Europeans  in  the  city  accompanying  him  as 
far  as  Bagh  Koolloo,  where  they  ate  a  farewell  dinner  together. 
He  then  proceeded  on  his  journey,  and  in  eleven  days  arrived 
at  the  ruins  of  Persepolis,  which  he  had  twice  before  visited, 
in  order  once  more  to  compare  his  ideas  with  the  realities,  and 
complete  his  description  of  this  celebrated  spot.  These  mag- 
nificent ruins  are  situated  in  one  of  the  finest  plains  in  the 
world ;  and  as  you  enter  this  plain  from  the  north  through 
narrow  gayas  or  between  conical  hills  of  vast  height  and  singu- 
lar shape,  you  behold  them  standing  in  front  of  a  lofty  ridge 
of  mountains,  v/hich  sweep  round  in  the  form  of  a  half-moon, 
flanking  them  on  both  sides  with  its  mighty  horns.  On  two 
of  these  lofty  eminences  which  protected  the  approaches  to  the 
city,  and  which,  when  Persepolis  was  in  all  its  glory,  so  long 
resisted  the  fierce,  impatient  attacks  of  Alexander,  the  ruins  of 
ancient  forts  still  subsisted  when  Chardin  was  there  ;  but,  after 
having  travelled  so  far,  principally  for  the  purpose  of  examin- 
ing the  ruins  scattered  around,  he  found  the  hills  too  steep  and 
lofty,  and  refused  to  ascend  them  ! 

Having  occupied  several  days  in  contemplating  the  enor- 
mous ruins  of  temples  and  palaces  existing  on  the  plain,  our 
traveller  descended  into  what  is  called  the  Subterranean  Tem- 
ple ;  that  is,  a  labyrinth  of  canals  or  passages,  hewn  out  in  the 
solid  rock,  turning,  winding,  and  crossing  each  other  in  a 
thousand  places,  and  extending  to  an  unknown  distance  be- 
neath the  bases  of  the  mountains.  The  entrances  and  the 
exits  of  these  dismal  vaults  are  unknown;  but  travellers  and 
other  curious  persons  find  their  way  in  through  rents  made  by 
time  or  by  earthquakes  in  the  rock.  Lighted  candles,  which 
burned  with  difiiculty  in  the  heavy,  humid  air,  were  placed  at 
the  distance  of  every  fifty  yards,  as  Chardin  and  his  compan- 
ions advanced,  particularly  at  those  points  where  numerous 
passages  met,  and  where,  should  a  wrong  path  be  taken,  they 
might  have  lost  themselves  for  ever.  Here  and  there  they  ob- 
served heaps  of  bones  or  horns  of  animals  ;  the  damp  trickled 
down  the  sides  of  the  rocks  ;  the  bottom  of  the  passages  was 
^loist  and   cold  ;  respiration  grew  more  and  more  difficult 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  275 

every  step ;  they  became  giddy  ;  an  unaccountable  horror 
seized  upon  their  minds ;  the  attendant  first,  and  then  the 
traveller  himself,  experienced  a  kind  of  panic  terror;  and  fear- 
ing that,  should  they  much  longer  continue  to  advance,  they 
might  never  be  able  to  return,  they  hastened  back  towards  the 
fissures  through  which  they  had  entered  ;  and  without  having 
discovered  any  thing  but  vaults  which  appeared  to  have  no 
end,  they  emerged  into  daylight,  like  iEneas  and  his  compan- 
ion from  the  mouth  of  hell. 

Departing  from  the  ruins  of  Persepolis  on  the  19tli  of  Feb- 
ruary, he  next  day  arrived  at  Shiraz,  where  he  amused  himself 
for  three  days  in  contemplating  the  waters  of  the  Roknebad 
and  the  bowers  of  Mosellay.  In  proceeding  from  this  city  to 
Bander-Abassi,  on  the  Persian  Gulf,  he  had  to  pass  over 
Mount  Jarron  by  the  most  difficult  and  dangerous  road  in  all 
Persia.  At  every  step  the  travellers  found  themselves  sus- 
pended, as  it  w^ere,  over  tremendous  precipices,  divided  from 
the  abyss  by  a  low  Avail  of  loose  stones,  which  every  moment 
seemed  ready  to  roll  of  their  own  accord  into  the  depths  below. 
The  narrow  road  was  blocked  up  at  short  intervals  by  large 
fragments  of  rock,  between  which  it  was  necessary  to  squeeze 
themselves  with  much  pains  and  caution.  However,  they 
passed  the  mountain  without  accident,  and  on  the  12tli  of 
March  arrived  at  Bander-Abassi. 

This  celebrated  port,  from  which  insufferable  heat  and  a 
pestilential  atmosphere  banish  the  whole  population  during 
summer,  is  at  all  times  excessively  insalubrious,  all  strangers 
who  settle  there  dying  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  and  the 
inhabitants  themselves  being  already  old  at  thirty.  The  few 
persons  who  remain  to  keep  guard  over  the  city  during  sum- 
mer, at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  are  rcheved  every  ten  days  ; 
during  which  they  suffer  sufficiently  from  the  heat,  the  deluges 
of  rain,  and  the  black  and  furious  tempests  which  plough  up 
the  waters  of  the  gulf,  and  blow  with  irresistible  fury  along 
the  coast. 

Though  the  eve  of  the  season  of  death  was  drawing  near, 
Chardin  found  the  inhabitants  of  Bander  in  a  gay  humour, 
feasting,  drinking,  and  elevating  their  sentiments  and  re- 
joicing their  hearts  with  the  heroic  songs  of  Firdoosi.  Into 
these  amusements  our  traveller  entered  with  all  his  heart — the 
time  flew  by  rapidly — the  advent  of  fever  and  death  was 
come — and  the  ship  which  he  expected  from  Surat  had  not 
yet  arrived.  Talents  and  experience  are  not  always  accom- 
panied by  prudence.  Chardin  saw  the  whole  population  de- 
serting the  city;  yet  he  lingered,  detained  by  the  «wn  sacra 


276  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

fames*  until  far  in  the  month  of  May,  and  until,  in  fact,  the 
seeds  of  a  malignant  fever  had  been  sown  in  his  constitution. 
Those  uneasy  sensations  which  are  jrenerally  tiie  forerunners 
of  sickness  and  death,  united  with  the  representations  of  the 
physicians,  at  length  induced  Jiim  to  quit  the  place,  his  attend- 
ants being  already  ill ;  but  he  had  not  proceeded  many  leagues 
before  a  giddiness  in  the  head  and  general  debihty  of  !)ody 
informed  him  that  he  had  remained  somewhat  tco  long  at 
Bander. 

Arriving  on  the  24th  of  May  at  Tangnedelan,  a  place  wiicre 
there  was  not  a  single  human  being  to  be  found,  he  became 
delirious,  and  at  last  fell  into  a  fit  from  which  his  attendants 
had  much  difficulty  in  recovering  him.  There  happened,  by 
great  good  fortune,  to  be  a  French  surgeon  in  his  suite.  This 
surgeon,  who  was  an  able  man  in  his  profession,  not  only  took 
all  possible  care  of  our  traveller  during  his  moments  of  deliri- 
um, but,  what  was  of  infinitely  greater  importance,  had  the 
good  sense  to  hurry  his  departure  from  those  deserted  and 
fatal  regions,  procuring  from  the  neighbouring  villages  eight 
men,  who  carried  him  in  a  litter  made  with  canes  and  branch- 
es of  trees  to  Lar.  As  soon  as  they  had  reached  this  city, 
Chardin  sent  for  the  governor's  physician,  who,  understand- 
ing that  he  was  the  shah's  merchant,  came  to  him  immediate- 
ly. Our  traveller  was  by  this  time  so  weak  tliat  he  could 
scarcely  describe  his  feelings  ;  and,  as  well  as  the  French 
surgeon,  began  to  believe  that  his  life  was  near  its  close.  The 
Persian  Esculapius,  however,  who  discovered  the  nature  of 
the  disorder  at  a  glance,  assured  him  it  was  a  mere  trifle;  that 
he  needed  by  no  means  be  uneasy  ;  and  that,  in  fact,  be 
would,  with  God's  blessing,  restore  him  to  health  that  very 
day,  nay,  in  a  very  few  hours. 

This  dashing  mode  of  dealing  with  disorders  produced  an 
excellent  ef^'ect  upon  the  traveller's  mind.  The  hakim  seetned 
to  hold  Death  by  the  beard,  to  keep  him  in  his  toils,  to  curb 
him,  or  let  him  have  his  way  at  pleasure.  Chardin's  whole 
frame  trembled  with  joy.  He  took  the  physician  by  the  hand, 
squeezed  it  as  well  as  his  strength  would  permit,  and  looked 
up  in  his  face  as  he  would  have  looked  upon  his  guardian- 
angel.  The  hakim,  to  whom  these  things  were  no  novelties, 
proceeded,  without  question  or  remark,  to  prescribe  for  his 
patient ;  and  having  done  this,  he  was  about  to  retire,  when 
the  traveller  cried  out,  "  Sir,  I  am  consumed  with  heat !"  "  I 
know  that  very  well,"  replied  the  hakim  ;  "  but  you  shall  be 

*  Love  of  gain. 


SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN.  277 

cooled  presently !"  and  with  the  word  both  he  and  his  apoth- 
ecary disappeared. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  young  apothecary  returned,  bring- 
ing with  him  a  basketful  of  drugs,  enough,  to  all  appearance, 
to  kill  or  cure  a  regiment  of  patients.  "  For  whom,"  inquired 
Chardin,  "  are  all  those  medicines  1"  "  For  you,"  replied  the 
young  man  ;  "these  are  what  the  hakim  has  ordered  you  to 
take  this  morning,  and  you  must  swallow  them  as  quickly  as 
possible."  Fevers  make  men  docile.  The  travelfer  immedi- 
ately began  to  do  as  he  was  commanded  ;  but  when  he  came 
to  one  of  the  large  bottles,  his  "gorge,"  as  Shakspeare  phrases 
it,  began  to  rise  at  it,  and  he  observed  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  swallow  that  at  a  draught.  "Never  mind,"  said  the 
young  man,  "  you  can  take  it  at  several  draughts."  Obedi- 
ence followed,  and  the  basketful  of  physic  disappeared.  "  You 
will  presently,"  observed  the  apothecary,  "experience  the  most 
furious  thirst ;  and  I  would  willingly  give  you  ices  to  take,  but 
there  is  neither  ice  nor  snow  in  the  city  except  at  the  govern- 
or's. As  his  thirst  would  not  allow  him  to  be  punctihous, 
Chardin  at  once  apphed  to  the  governor  ;  and  succeeding  in 
his  enterprise,  quenched  his  burning  thirst  with  the  most  deli- 
cious drinks  in  the  world. 

To  render  him  as  cool  as  possible  his  bed  was  spread  upon 
the  floor  in  an  open  parlour,  and  so  frequently  sprinkled  with 
water  that  the  room  might  almost  be  said  to  be  flooded ;  but  the 
fever  still  continuing,  the  bed  was  exchanged  for  a  mat,  upon 
which  he  was  extended  in  his  shirt,  and  fanned  by  two  men. 
The  disorder  being  still  unsubdued,  the  patient  was  placed 
upon  a  chair,  where  cold  water  was  poured  over  him  in  profu- 
sion, while  the  French  surgeon,  who  was  constantly  by  his 
side,  and  could  not  restrain  his  indignation  at  seeing  the  ordi- 
nary rules  of  his  practice  thus  set  at  naught,  exclaimed,  "  They 
are  killing  you,  sir !  Depend  upon  tt,  that  it  is  by  killing  you 
the  hakim  means  to  remove  your  fever  !"  The  traveller,  how- 
ever, maintained  his  confidence  in  the  Persian,  and  had  very 
soon  the  satisfaction  of  being  informed  that  the  fever  had 
already  abated,  and  of  perceiving  that,  instead  of  killing,  the 
hakim  had  actually  cured  him.  In  one  word,  the  disorder  de- 
parted more  rapidly  than  it  had  come  on,  and  in  a  few  days  he 
was  enabled  to  continue  his  journey. 

Remaining  quietly  at  Ispahan  during  the  space  of  a  whole 
year  after  this  unfortunate  excursion,  he  then  departed  from 
the  capital  for  the  court,  which  still  lingered  at  Casbin,  in 
company  with  Mohammed  Hussein  Beg,  son  of  the  governor 
of  the  island  of  Bahreint.  This  young  man  was  conducting 
from  his  father  to  the  king  a  present,  consisting  of  two  wild 
24* 


278  SIR  JOHN  CIIARDIN. 

bulls,  with  long,  black,  sharp  horns,  an  ostrich,  and  a  number 
of  rich  Indian  stuffs  ;  and  bein*^  hj  no  means  a  strict  Mussul- 
man, drinking  wine  and  eating  heartily  of  a  good  dinner, 
whether  cooked  by  Mohammedan  or  Christian,  was  a  very 
excellent  travelling  companion.  On  his  arrival  at  Casbin, 
Chardin,  who  was  now  extremely  well  known  to  all  the  gran- 
dees of  the  kingdom,  was  agreeably  and  hospitably  received 
by  the  courtiers,  particularly  by  the  wife  of  the  grand  pontiff, 
who  was  the  king's  aunt.  This  lady,  in  order  to  manifest  the 
friendship  she  entertained  for  him,  though  in  consequence  of 
the  peculiar  manners  of  the  country  their  souls  only  had  met, 
made  him  a  present  of  eight  chests  of  dried  sweetmeats,  scented 
with  amber  and  the  richest  perfumes  of  the  East.  Her  husband 
was  no  less  distinguished  by  his  friendship  for  our  traveller, 
who  no  where  in  Persia  experienced  more  genuine  kindnss  or 
generosity  than  from  this  noble  family. 

During  this  visit  to  Casbin,  Chardin  had  the  honour,  as  it  is 
vulgarly  termed,  of  presenting  two  of  his  countrymen  to  the 
shah;  and  so  powerful  is  the  force  of  habit  and  prejudice,  that 
this  able,  learned,  and  virtuous  man  really  imagined  it  an 
honour  to  approach  and  converse  familiarly  with  an  opium- 
eating,  cruel,  and  unprincipled  sot,  merely  because  he  wore  a» 
tiara  and  could  sport  with  the  destinies  of  a  great  empire  ! 
The  nazir,  in  introducing  the  traveller,  observed,  "  Sire,  this  is 
Chardin,  your  merchant."  To  which  the  shah  replied,  with  a 
smile,  "He  is  a  very  dear  merchant."  "Your  majesty  is 
right,"  added  the  nazir;  "he  is  a  politic  man;  he  has  over- 
reached the  whole  court."  This  the  minister  uttered  with  a 
smile ;  and  he  had  aright  to  smile,  says  Chardin,  for  he  took 
especial  care  that  quite  the  contrary  should  happen. 

Chardin  soon  after  this  took  his  fmal  leave  of  the  court  of 
Persia,  and  returned  by  way  of  Ispahan  to  Bander-Abassi, 
whence;  he  purposed  sailing  by  an  English  ship  for  Surat. 
The  fear  of  falhng  into  the  hands  of  the  Dutch,  then  at  war 
with  France,  prevented  him,  however,  from  putting  his  design 
into  execution  ;  and  relinquishing  the  idea  of  again  visiting 
Hindostan,  he  returned  to  Europe  in  1677.  Of  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  few  particulars  arc  known.  Prevented  by  religious 
considerations  from  residing  in  his  own  country,  where  free- 
dom of  conscience  was  not  to  be  enjoyed,  he  selected  England 
for  his  Ijonie,  where,  in  all  probability,  he  became  acquainted 
with  many  of  the  illustrious  men  who  shed  a  glory  over  that 
epoch  of  her  history.  It  was  in  London,  also,  that  he  first  met 
with  tlie  lady  whom  he  immediately  afterward  made  his  wife. 
Like  himself,  she  was  a  native  of  France  and  a  Protestant, 
forced  into  banishment  by  the  apprehension  of  religious  perse- 


SIR  JOHN  CHARD  IN.  279 

cution.  On  the  very  day  of  his  marriage  Chardiii  received 
the  honour  of  knighthood  from  the  hand  of  the  gay  and  profli- 
gate Charles  II. 

Having  now  recovered  from  the  fever  of  travelhng,  the  beau- 
tiful Rouennaise  in  all  probability  aiding  the  cure,  Chardin 
devoted  his  leisure  to  the  composition  of  his  "  Travels'  Histo- 
ry," of  which  the  first  volume  appeared  in  London  in  1686. 
While  he  was  employed  in  preparing  the  remainder  of  his 
works  for  the  press,  he  was  appointed  the  king's  minister 
plenipotentiary  or  ambassador  to  the  States  of  Holland,  being 
at  the  same  time  intrusted  with  the  management  of  the  East 
India  Company's  affairs  in  that  country.  His  public  duties, 
however,  which  could  not  entirely  occupy  his  mind,  by  no 
means  prevented,  though  they  considerably  delayed,  the  publi- 
cation of  the  remainder  of  his  travels  ;  the  whole  of  which  ' 
appeared,  both  in  quarto  and  duodecimo,  in  1711.  Shortly 
after  this  he  returned  to  England,  where  he  died  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  London,  1713,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his 
age. 

The  reputation  of  Chardin,  which  even  before  his  death  ex- 
tended throughout  Europe  and  shed  a  lustre  over  his  old  age, 
is  still  on  the  increase,  and  must  be  as  durable  as  literature 
and  civilization ;  his  merit  not  consisting  in  splendour  of  de- 
scription or  in  erudite  research,  though  in  these  he  is  by  no 
means  deficient,  but  in  that  singular  sagacity  which  enabled 
him  to  penetrate  into  the  heart  and  characters  of  men,  and  to 
descend  with  almost  unerring  precision  to  the  roots  of  institu- 
tions and  manners.  No  European  seems  to  have  compre- 
hended the  Persians  so  completely  ;  and  no  one  has  hitherto 
described  them  so  well.  Religion,  government,  morals,  hian- 
ners,  ccstume — every  thing  in  which  one  nation  can  differ 
from  another — Chardin  had  studied  in  that  bold  and  original 
manner  which  characterizes  the  efforts  of  genius.  His  style, 
though  careless,  and  sometimes  quaint,  is  not  destitute  of  that 
naivete  and  ease  which  result  from  much  experience  and  the 
consciousness  of  intellectual  power;  and  if  occasionally  it 
appear  heavy  and  cumbrous  in  its  march,  it  Inore  frequently 
quickens  its  movements,  and  hurries  along  with  natural  grace- 
fulness and  facility.  Without  appearing  desirous  of  intro- 
ducing himself  to  the  reader  further  than  the  necessities  of 
the  case  require,  he  allows  us  to  take  so  many  ghmpses  of 
his  character  and  opinions,  that  by  the  time  we  arrive  at  the 
termination  of  his  travels  we  seem  to  be  perfectly  acquaint- 
ed with  both ;  and  unless  all  these  indications  be  fallacious, 
so  much  talent,  probity,  and  elegance  of  manners  has  sel- 
dom been  possessed  by  any  traveller.     Marco  Polo  was  gifted 


280  SIR  JOHN  CHARDIN. 

with  a  more  exalted  enthusiasm,  and  acquired  a  more  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  with  the  material  phenomena  of  nature ; 
Pietro  della  Valle  amuses  the  reader  by  wilder  and  more 
romantic  adventures  ;  but  for  good  sense,  acuteness  of  ob- 
servation, suavity  of  manner,  and  scrupulous  adherence  to 
truth,  no  traveller,  whether  ancient  or  modern,  is  superior  to 
Chardin. 


PIETRO   DELLA  VALLE. 


PiETRO  DELLA  Valle,  "the  Dfiost  Fomantic  in  his  adven- 
tures of  all  true  travellers,"  was  descended  from  an  ancient 
and  noble  family,  and  born  at  Rome  on  the  11th  of  April, 
1586.  When  his  education,  which  appears  to  have  been  care- 
fully conducted  and  liberal,  was  completed,  he  devoted  him- 
self, with  that  passionate  .ardour  which  characterized  all  the 
actions  of  his  life,  to  the  study  of  literature,  and  particularly 
poetry;  but  the  effervescence  of  his  animal  spirits  requiring 
some  other  vent,  he  shortly  afterward  exchanged  the  closet 
for  the  camp,  in  the  hope  that  the  quarrel  between  the  pope 
and  the  Venetians,  and  the  troubles  which  ^ensued  upon  the 
death  of  Henry  IV.  of  France,  would  afford  him  some  oppor- 
tunity of  distinguishing  himself.  His  expectation  being  dis- 
appointed, however,  he  in  1611  embarked  on  board  the  Spanish 
fieet,  then  about  to  make  a  descent  on  the  coast  of  Barbary  ; 
but  nothing  beyond  a  few  skirmishes  taking  place,  he  again 
beheld  his  desire  of  glory  frustrated,  and  returned  to  Rome. 

Here  vexations  of  another  kind  awaited  him.  Relinquish- 
ing the  services  of  Fame  for  that  of  an  earthly  mistress,  he 
found  himself  no  less  unsuccessful,  the  lady  preferring  some 
illustrious  unknown,  whose  name,  like  her  own,  is  now  over- 
whelmed with  "the  husks  and  formless  ruin  of  oblivion." 
Pietro,  however,  severely  felt  the  sting  of  such  a  rejection ; 
and  in  the  gloomy  meditations  which  it  gave  birth  to,  con- 
ceived a  plan  which,  as  he  foresaw,  fulfilled  his  most  ambi- 
tious wishes,  and  attached  an  imperishable  reputation  to  his 
name.  The  idea  was  no  sooner  conceived  than  he  proceeded 
to  put  it  in  execution,  and  taking  leave  of  his  friends  and  of 
Rome,  repaired  to  Naples,  in  order  to  consult  with  his  friend, 
Mario  Schipano,  a  physician  of  that  city,  distinguished  for  his 
oriental  learning  and  abilities,  concerning  the  best  means  of 
conducting  his  hazardous  enterprise.  Fortunately  he  pos- 
sessed sufficient  wealth  to  spurn  the  counsel  of  sloth  and 
timidity,  which,   when  any  act  of  daring  is  proposed,   are 


282  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

always  at  hand,  disguised  as  prudence  and  good  sense,  to 
cast  a  damp  upon  the  springs  of  energy,  or  to  travesty  and 
misrepresent  the  purposes  of  the  bold.  Pietro,  however,  was 
not  to  be  intimidated.  The  wonders  and  glories  of  the  East 
were  for  ever  present  to  his  imagination,  and  having  heard 
mass,  and  been  solemnly  clothed  by  the  priest  with  the  habit 
of  a  pilgrim,  he  proceeded  to  Venice  in  order  to  embark  for 
Constantinople.  The  ship  in  which  he  sailed  left  the  port  on 
the  Gth  of  June,  1614.  No  event  of  peculiar  interest  occurred 
during  the  voyage,  which,  lying  along  the  romantic  shores  and 
beautiful  islands  of  Greece,  merely  served  to  nourish  and 
strengthen  Pietro's  enthusiasm.  On  drawing  near  the  Dar- 
danelles the  sight  of  the  coast  of  Troy,  with  its  uncertain  ruins 
and  heroic  tombs,  over  which  poetry  has  spread  an  atmosphere 
brighter  than  any  thing  belonging  to  mere  physical  nature, 
awoke  all  the  bright  dreams  of  boyhood,  and  hurrying  on 
shore,  his  heart  overflowing  with  rapture,  he  kissed  the  earth 
from  which,  according  to  tradition,  the  Roman  race  originally 
sprung. 

From  the  Troad  to  Constantinople  the  road  lies  over  a  tract 
hallowed  by  the  footsteps  of  antiquity,  and  at  every  step  Pietro 
felt  his  imagination  excited  by  some  memorial  of  the  great  of 
other  days.  On  arriving  ,at  the  Ottoman  capital,  where  he 
purposed  making  a  long  stay,  one  of  his  first  cares  was  to  ac- 
quire a  competent  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  country, 
which  he  did  as  much  for  the  vanity,  as  he  himself  acknow- 
ledges, of  exhibiting  his  accomplishments  on  his  return  to 
Italy,  where  the  knowledge  of  that  language  was  rare,  as  for 
the  incalculable  benefit  which  must  accrue  from  it  during  his 
travels.  Here  he  for  the  first  time  tasted  coffee,  at  that  time 
totally  unknown  in  Italy.  He  was  likewise  led  to  entertain 
hopes  of  being  able  to  olDtain  from  the  sultan's  hbrary  a  com- 
plete copy  of  the  Decades  of  Livy ;  but  after  flitting  before  him 
some  time  like  a  phantom,  the  manuscript  vanished,  and  the 
greater  portion  of  the  mighty  Paduan  remained  veiled  as  be- 
fore. While  he  was  busily  engaged  in  these  researches,  the 
plague  broke  out,  every  house  in  Galata,  excepting  that  of  the 
French  ambassador,  in  which  he  resided,  was  infected ;  corpses 
and  coffins  met  the  sickened  eye  wherever  it  turned  ;  the  chief 
of  his  attendants  pined  away  through  terror ;  and,  although  at 
first  he  affected  to  laugh  and  make  merry  with  his  fears,  they 
every  day  fed  so  abundantly  upon  horrors  and  rumours  of 
horrors,  that  they  at  length  became  an  overmatch  for  his  phi- 
losophy, and  startled  him  with  the  statement  that  one  hundred 
and  forty  thousand  victims  had  already  perished,  and  that  per- 
adventure  Pietro  della  Valle  might  be  the  next. 


PIETRO  BELLA  VALLE.  28$- 

This  consideration  caused  him  to  turn  his  eye  towards 
Egypt ;  and  although  the  plague  shortly  afterward  abated,  his 
love  of  motion  having  been  once  more  awakened,  he  bade 
adieu  to  Constantinople,  and  sailed  for  Alexandria.  Arriving 
in  Egypt,  he  ascended  the  Nile  to  Cairo,  viewed  the  pyramids, 
examined  the  mummy-pits  ;  and  then,  with  a  select  number 
of  friends  and  attendants,  departed  across  the  desert  to  visit 
Horeb  and  Sinai,  the  wells  of  Moses,  and  other  places  celebra- 
ted in  the  Bible.  This  journey  being  performed  in  the  heart 
of  winter,  he  found  Mount  Sinai  covered  with  snow,  which 
did  not,  however,  prevent  his  rambling  about  among  its  wild 
ravines,  precipices,  and  chasms;  when,  his  pious  curiosity  be- 
ing gratified,  he  visited  JElau  or  Ailoth,  the  modern  Akaba, 
and  returned  by  Suez  to  Cairo.  Among  the  very  extraordin- 
ary things  he  beheld  in  this  country  were  a  man  and  woman 
upwards  of  eight  feet  in  height,  natives  of  Upper  Egypt,  whom 
he  measured  himself:  and  tortoises  as  large  as  the  body  of  a 
carriage  ! 

His  stay  in  Egypt  was  not  of  long  continuance,  the  longing 
to  visit  the  Holy  Land  causing  him  to  regard  every  other 
country  with  a  kind  of  disdain  ;  and  accordingly,  joining  a 
small  caravan  which  was  proceeding  thither  across  the  desert, 
he  journeyed  by  El  Arish  and  Gaza  to  Jerusalem.  After  wit- 
nessing the  various  mummeries  practised  in  the  Holy  City  at 
Easter  by  the  Roman  Catholics,  and  making  an  excursion  to 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  where  he  saw  a  number  of  female 
pilgrims  plunging  naked  into  the  sacred  stream  in  the  view  of 
an  immense  multitude,  he  bent  his  steps  towards  Northern 
Syria,  and  hurried  forward  by  the  way  of  Damascus  to  Aleppo. 
In  this  city  he  remained  some  time,  his  body  requiring  some 
repose,  though  the  ardour  and  activity  of  his  mind  appeared 
to  be  every  day  increasing.  The  journey  which  he  now  medi- 
tated across  the  Arabian  Desert  into  Mesopotamia  required 
considerable  preparation.  The  mode  of  travelling  was  new. 
Horses  were  to  be  exchanged  for  camels  ;  the  European  dress 
for  that  of  the  East ;  and  instead  of  the  sun,  the  stars  and  the 
moon  were  to  light  them  over  the  waste. 

He  was  now  unconsciously  touching  upon  the  most  impor- " 
tant  point  of  his  career.  In  the  caravan  with  which  he  depart- 
ed from  Aleppo,  September  16,  1616,  there  was  a  young  mer- 
chant of  Bagdad,  with  whom,  during  the  journey  he  formed  a 
close  intimacy.  This  young  man  was  constantly  in  the  habit 
of  entertaining  him,  as  they  rode  along  side  by  side  through 
the  moonhght,  or  when  they  sat  down  in  their  tent  during  the 
heat  of  the  day,  with  the  praises  of  a  young  lady  of  Bagdad, 
who,  according  to  his  description,  to  every  charm  of  person 


384  PIETIIO  DELLA  VALLE. 

which  could  (IcUght  the  eye  united  all  those  quaHties  of  heart 
and  mind  which  render  the  conquests  of  beauty  durable.  It 
was  clear  to  Pietro  from  the  beginning  that  the  youtiiful  mer- 
chant was  in  love,  and  therefore  he  at  first  paid  but  little  regard 
to  his  extravagant  panegyrics  ;  but  by  degrees  the  conversa- 
tion of  his  companion  produced  a  sensible  eifect  upon  his  own 
mind,  so  that  his  curiosity  to  behold  the  object  of  so  much 
praise,  accompanied,  perhaps,  by  a  slight  feeling  of  another 
kind,  at  length  grew  intense,  and  he  every  day  looked  upon  the 
slow  march  of  the  camels,  and  the  surface  of  the  boundless 
plain  before  him,  with  more  and  more  impatience.  The  wan- 
dering Turcoman  with  his  flocks  and  herds,  rude  tent,  and 
ruder  manners,  commanded  much  less  attention  than  he  would 
have  done  at  any  other  period  ;  and  even  the  Bedouins,  whose 
sharp  lances  and  keen  scimitars  kept  awake  the  attention  of 
the  rest  of  the  caravan,  were  almost  forgotten  by  Pietro.  How- 
ever, trusting  to  the  information  of  his  interested  guide,  he 
represents  them  as  having  filled  up  the  greater  number  of  the 
wells  in  the  desert,  so  that  there  remained  but  a  very  few  open, 
find  these  were  known  to  those  persons  only  whose  profession 
it  was  to  pilot  caravans  across  this  ocean  of  sand.  The  saga- 
city with  Avliich  these  men  performed  their  duty  was  wonder- 
ful. By  night  the  stars  served  them  for  guides  ;  but  w^heu 
these  brilhant  signals  were  swallowed  up  in  the  liglit  of  the 
sun,  they  then  had  recourse  to  the  slight  variations  in  the  sur- 
face of  the  plain,  imperceptible  to  other  eyes,  to  the  appe.ir- 
ance  or  absence  of  certain  plants,  and  even  to  the  smell  of  the 
soil,  by  all  which  signs  they  always  knew  exactly  where  they 
were. 

At  length,  after  a  toilsome  and  dangerous  march  of  fifteen 
days,  they  arrived  upon  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  a  little 
after  sunrise,  and  pitched  their  tents  in  the  midst  of  clumps  of 
cypress  and  small  cedar-trees.  On  the  following  night,  as 
soon  as  the  moon  began  to  silver  over  the  \vaters  of  the  Eu- 
phrates, the  caravan  again  put  itself  in  motion;  and,  descend- 
ing along  the  course  of  the  stream,  in  six  days  arrived  at 
Anah,  a  city  of  the  Arabs,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
whose  broad  surRice  is  here  dotted  Avith  numerous  small 
islands  covered  with  fruit-trees.  They  now  crossed  the  river; 
and  the  merchants  of  the  caravan,  avoiding  the  safe  and  com- 
modious road  which  lay  through  towns  in  which  custom-house 
officers  were  found,  struck  off  into  a  desolate  and  dangerous 
route,  traversing  Mesopotamia  nearly  in  a  right  line,  and  on 
the  19th  of  October  reached  the  banks  of  the  Tigris,  a  larger 
and  more  rapid  river  than  the  Euphrates,  though  on  this  occa- 
sion Pietro  thought  its  current  less  impetuous.     The  night  be- 


PIETRO  BELLA  VALLE.  285 

fore  they  entered  Bagdad  the  caravan  was  robbed  m  a  very 
dexterous  manner.  Their  tents  were  pitched  in  the  plain,  the 
officers  of  the  custom-house  posted  around  to  prevent  smug- 
ghng ;  the  merchants,  congratulating  themselves  that  they  had 
already  succeeded  in  eluding  the  duties  almost  to  the  extent  of 
their  desires,  had  fallen  into  the  ?ound  sleep  which  attends  on 
a  clear  conscience  ;  and  Pietro,  his  domestics,  and  the  other 
inmates  of  the  caravan  had  followed  their  example.  In  the 
dead  of  the  night  the  camp  was  entered  by  stealth,  the  tents 
rummaged,  and  considerable  booty  carried  off.  The  banditti, 
entering  Pietro's  tent,  and  finding  all  asleep,  opened  the  trunk 
in  which  were  all  the  manuscripts,  designs,  and  plans  he  had 
made  during  his  travels,  carefully  packed  up,  as  if  for  the 
convenience  of  robbers,  in  a  small  portable  escrutoire  ;  but  by 
an  instinct  which  was  no  less  fortunate  for  them  than  for  the 
traveller  and  posterity,  since  such  spoil  could  have  been  of  no 
value  to  them,  they  rejected  the  escrutoire,  and  selected  all  our 
traveller's  fine  linen,  the  very  articles  in  which  he  hoped  to 
have  captivated  the  beauty  whose  eulogies  had  so  highly  in- 
flamed his  imagination.  A  Venetian,  who  happened  to  be  in 
the  camp,  had  his  arquebuse  stolen  from  under  his  head,  and 
this  little  incident,  as  it  tended  to  show  that  the  robbers  had 
made  still  more  free  with  others  than  with  him,  somewhat  con- 
soled Pietro  for  the  loss  of  his  linen.  As  the  traveller  does 
not  himself  attach  any  suspicion  to  the  military  gentlemen 
of  the  custom-hou^e,  it  might,  perhaps,  be  uncharitable  to 
deposite  the  burden  of  this  theft  upon  their  shoulders  ;  but  in 
examining  all  the  circumstances  of  the  transaction,  I  confess 
the  idea  that  their  ingenuity  was  concerned  did  present  itself 
to  me. 

Next  morning  the  beams  of  the  rising  sun,  gleaming  upon  a 
thousand  slender  minarets  and  lofty-swelling  domes  surmount- 
ed by  gilded  crescents,  discovered  to  him  the  ancient  city  of 
the  califs  stretching  away  right  and  left  to  a  vast  distance  over 
the  plain,  while  the  Tigris,  like  a  huge  serpent,  rolled  along, 
cutting  the  city  into  two  parts,  and  losing  itself  among  the 
sombre  buildings  which  seemed  to  tremble  over  its  waters. 
The  camels  were  once  more  loaded,  and  the  caravan,  stretch- 
ing itself  out  into  one  long,  narrow  column,  toiled  along  over 
the  plain,  and  soon  entered  the  dusty,  winding  streets  of  Bag- 
dad. Here  Pietro,  whose  coming  had  been  announced  the: 
evening  before  by  his  young  commercial  companion,  was  met 
by  the  father  of  the  Assyrian  beauty,  a  fine  patriarchal-looking 
old  man,  who  entreated  him  to  be  his  guest  during  his  stay  in 
Mesopotamia.  This  favour  Pietro  declined,  but  at  the  same 
time  he  eagerly  accepted  of  the  permission  to  visit  at  his  house ; 
25 


286  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

and  was  no  sooner  completely  established  in  his  own  dwelling 
than  he  fully  availed  himself  of  this  permission. 

The  family  to  which  he  became  thus  suddenly  known  was 
originally  of  Mardin,  but  about  fourteen  years  previously  had 
been  driven  from  thence  by  the  Kurds,  who  sacked  and  plun- 
dered the  city,  and  reduced  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  they 
could  capture  to  slavery.  They  were  Christians  of  the  Nes- 
torian  sect;  but  Delia  Valle,  who  was  a  bigot  in  his  way, 
seems  to  have  regarded  them  as  ahens  from  the  church  of 
Christ.  However,  this  circumstance  did  not  prevent  the  image 
of  Sitti  Maani,  the  eldest  of  the  old  man's  daughters,  and  the 
beauty  of  whom  he  had  heard  so  glowing  a  description  in  the 
desert,  from  finding  its  way  into  his  heart,  though  the  idea  of 
marrying  having  occurred  to  him  at  Aleppo,  he  had  written 
home  to  his  relations  to  provide  him  with  a  suitable  w^ife 
against  his  return  to  Italy.  Maani  was  now  in  her  eighteenth 
year.  Her  mind  had  been  as  highly  cultivated  as  the  circum- 
stances of  the  times  and  the  country  would  allow ;  and  her 
junderstanding  enabled  her  to  turn  all  her  accomplishments  to 
advantage.  In  person,  she  was  a  perfect  oriental  beauty  ; 
dark,  even  in  the  eyes  of  an  Italian,  with  hair  nearly  black, 
and  eyes  of  the  same  colour,  shaded  by  lashes  of  unusual 
length,  she  possessed  something  of  an  imperial  air.  Pietro 
was  completely  smitten,  and  for  the  present  every  image  but 
that  of  Maani  seemed  to  be  obliterated  from  his  mind. 

His  knowledge  of  the  Turkish  language  was  now  of  the 
greatest  service  to  him  ;  for,  possessing  but  a  very  few  words 
of  Arabic,  this  was  the  only  medium  by  which  he  could  make 
known  the  colour  of  his  thoughts  either  to  his  mistress  or  her 
mother.  His  passion,  however,  supphed  him  with  eloquence, 
and  by  dint  of  vehement  protestations,  in  this  instance  the  off- 
spring of  genuine  affection,  he  at  length  succeeded  in  his  en- 
terprise, and  Maani  became  his  wife.  But  in  the  midst  of 
these  transactions,  when  it  most  Imported  him  to  remain  at 
Bagdad,  an  event  occurred  in  his  own  house  which  not  only 
exposed  him  to  the  risk  of  being  driven  with  disgrace  from  the 
.city,  but  extremely  endangered  his  life  and  that  of  all  those 
who  were  connected  with  him.  His  secretary  and  valet  having 
for  some  time  entertained  a  grudge  against  each  other,  the 
former,  one  day  seizing  the  khanjar,  or  dagger,  of  Pietro, 
stabbed  his  adversary  to  the  heart,  and  the  poor  fellow  dropped 
down  dead  in  the  arms  of  his  master.  The  murderer  fled. 
"What  course  to  pursue  under  such  circumstances  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  determine.  Should  the  event  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  pasha,  both  master  and  servants  might,  perhaps,  be 
tliought  equally  guilty,  and  be  impaled  alive ;  or,  if  matter* 


PIETRO  DELLA  YALLE.  SSSJ 

were  not  pushed  to  such  extremities,  it  might  at  least  be  pre- 
tended that  the  deceased  was  the  real  owner  of  whatever 
property  they  possessed,  in  order  to  confiscate  the  whole  for 
the  benefit  of  the  state.  As  neither  of  these  results  was  de- 
sirable, the  safest  course  appeared  to  be  to  prevent,  if  possible, 
the  knowledge  of  the  tragedy  from  transpiring;  a  task  of  some 
difficulty,  as  all  the  domestics  of  the  household  were  acquaint- 
ed with  what  had  passed.  The  only  individual  with  whom 
Pietro  could  safely  consult  upon  this  occasion  (for  he  was  un- 
willing to  disclose  so  horrible  a  transaction  to  Maani's  rela- 
tions) was  a  Maltese  renegade,  a  man  of  some  consideration  iu 
the  city  ;  and  for  him,  therefore,  he  immediately  despatched  a 
messenger.  This  man,  when  he  had  heard  what  had  happen- 
ed, was  of  opinion  that  the  body  should  be  interred  in  a  corner 
of  the  house  ;  but  Pietro,  who  had  no  desire  that  so  bloody  a 
memorial  of  the  Italian  temperament  should  remain  in  his  im- 
mediate neighbourhood,  and  moreover  considered  it  unsafe, 
thought  it  would  be  much  better  at  the  bottom  of  the  Tigris. 
The  Maltese,  most  fortunately,  possessed  a  house  and  garden 
on  the  edge  of  the  river,  and  thither  the  body,  packed  up  care- 
fully in  a  chest,  was  quickly  conveyed,  though  there  was  much 
difficulty  in  preventing  the  blood  from  oozing  out,  and  betray- 
ing to  its  bearers  the  nature  of  their  burden.  When  it  was 
dark  the  chest  was  put  on  board  a  boat,  and,  dropping  down 
the  river,  the  renegade  and  two  of  his  soldiers  cautiously  lower- 
ed it  into  the  water ;  and  thus  no  material  proof  of  the  murder 
remained.  The  assassin,  who  had  taken  refuge  at  the  house 
pf  the  Maltese,  was  enabled  to  return  to  Italy  ;  and  the  event,^ 
strange  to  say,  was  kept  secret,  though  so  many  persons  were 
privy  to  it. 

When  this  danger  was  over,  and  the  beautiful  Maani  irre- 
vocably his,  Pietro  began  once  more  to  feel  the  passion  of 
the  traveller  revive,  and  commenced  those  little  excursions 
through  Mesopotamia  which  afterward  enabled  Gibbon  to  pro- 
nounce him  the  person  who  had  best  observed  that  province. 
His  first  visit,  as  might  be  expected,  was  to  the  ruins  of  Baby- 
lon. The  party  with  which  he  left  Bagdad  consisted  of  Maani, 
a  Venetian,  a  Dutch  painter,  Ibrahim  a  native  of  Aleppo,  and 
two  Turkish  soldiers.  For  the  first  time  since  the  commence- 
ment of  his  travels,  Pietro  now  selected  the  longest  and  least 
dangerous  road,  taking  care,  moreover,  to  keep  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  farms  and  villages,  in  order,  in  case  of  necessi- 
ty, to  derive  provisions  and  succour  from  their  inhabitants. 
Maani,  who  appears  to  have  had  a  dash  of  Kurdish  blood  in 
her,  rode  astride  like  a  man,  and  kept  her  saddle  as  firmly  as 
any  son  of  the  desert  could  have  done ;  and  Pietro  constantly 


388  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

moved  along  by  her  side.  AVhen  they  had  performed  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  their  journey,  and,  rejoicing  in  their  good 
fortune,  were  already  drawing  near  Babylon,  eight  or  ten 
horsemen  armed  with  muskets  and  bows  and  arrows  suddenly 
appeared  in  the  distance,  making  towards  them  with  all  speed. 
Pietro  imagined  that  the  day  for  trying  his  courage  was  now 
come  ;  and  he  and  his  companions,  having  cocked  their  pieces 
and  prepared  to  offer  a  desperate  resistance,  pushed  on  towards 
the  enemy.  However,  their  chivalric  spirit  was  not  doomed 
to  be  here  put  to  the  test ;  for,  upon  drawing  near,  the  horse- 
men were  found  to  belong  to  Bagdad,  and  the  adventure  con- 
cluded in  civility  and  mutual  congratulations. 

Having  carefully  examined  the  ruins  of  Babylon,  the  cit}'  of 
Hillah,  and  the  other  celebrated  spots  in  that  neighbourhood, 
the  party  returned  to  Bagdad,  from  whence  he  again  departed 
in  a  few  days  for  Modain,  the  site  of  the  ancient  Ctesiphon, 
near  which  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  observing  the  interior  of 
an  Arab  encampment. 

His  curiosity  respecting  Mesopotamia  was  now  satisfied ; 
and  as  every  day's  residence  among  the  Ottomans  only  seem- 
ed more  and  more  to  inflame  his  hatred  of  that  brutal  race,  he 
as  much  as  possible  hastened  his  departure  from  Bagdad, 
having  now  conceived  the  design  of  serving  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  armies  of  Persia,  at  that  period  at  war  with  Turkey,  and  of 
thus  wreaking  his  vengeance  upon  the  Osmanlees  for  the 
tyranny  they  exercised  on  all  Christians  within  their  power. 
Notwithstanding  that  war  between  the  two  countries  had  long 
been  declared,  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad  and  the  Persian  authori- 
ties on  the  frontier  continued  openly  to  permit  the  passage  of 
caravans  ;  and  thus,  were  he  once  safe  out  of  Bagdad  with  his 
wife  and  treasures,  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  entering 
Persia.  To  effect  this  purpose  he  entered  into  an  arrange- 
ment with  a  Persian  muleteer,  who  was  directed  to  obtain 
from  the  Pasha  a  passport  for  himself  and  followers,  with  a 
charosh  to  conduct  them  to  the  extremity  of  the  Turkish  do- 
minions. This  being  done,  the  Persian,  according  to  agree- 
ment, left  the  city,  and  encamped  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
walls,  where,  as  is  the  custom,  he  was  visited  by  the  officers 
of  the  custom-house  ;  after  which,  Pietro  caused  the  various 
individuals  of  his  own  small  party  to  issue  forth  by  various 
streets  into  the  plain,  while  he  himself,  dressed  as  he  used  to 
be  when  riding  out  for  amusement  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris, 
quitted  the  town  after  sunset,  and  gained  the  place  of  encamp- 
ment in  safety. 

When  the  night  had  now  completely  descended  upon  the 
earth,  and  all  around  was  still,  the  little  caravan  put  itself  in 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  399 

motion  ;  and  being  mounted,  some  on  good  sturdy  mules,  and 
others  on  the  horses  of  the  country,  they  advanced  at  a  rapid 
rate,  fearing  all  the  way  that  the  pasha  might  repent  of  hia 
civihty  towards  the  Persian,  and  send  an  order  to  bring  them 
back  to  the  city.  By  break  of  day  they  arrived  on  the  banks 
of  the  Diala,  a  river  which  discharges  itself  into  the  Tigris ; 
and  here,  in  spite  of  their  impatience,  they  were  detained  till 
noon,  there  being  but  one  boat  at  the  ferry.  In  six  days  they 
reached  the  southern  branches  of  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan, 
and  found  themselves  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  that  wild  and 
hardy  race,  v/hich,  from  the  remotest  ages,  has  maintained 
possession  of  these  inexpugnable  fastnesses,  which  harrassed 
the  ten  thousand  in  their  retreat,  and  still  enact  a  conspicuous 
pan  in  all  the  border  wars  between  the  Persians  and  Turks. 
Living  for  the  most  part  in  a  dangerous  independence,  fiercely 
spurning  the  yoke  of  its  powerful  neighbours,  though  continu- 
ally embroiled  in  their  interminable  quarrels,  speaking  a  dis- 
tinct language,  and  having  a  peculiar  system  of  manners, 
which  does  not  greatly  differ  from  that  of  the  feudal  times, 
they  may  justly  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
races  of  the  Asiatic  continent.  Some  of  them,  spellbound  by 
the  allurements  of  weahh  and  ease,  have  erected  cities  and 
towns,  and  addicted  themselves  to  agriculture  and  the  gainful 
arts.  Others,  preferring  that  entire  liberty  which  of  all  earthly 
blessins^s  is  the  greatest  in  the  estimation  of  ardent  and 
haughty  minds,  and  regarding  luxury  as  a  species  of  Circean 
cup,  in  its  effects  debasing  and  destructive,  covet  no  wealth 
but  their  herds  and  flocks,  around  which  they  erect  no  fortifica- 
tions but  their  swords.  These  are  attracted  hither  and  thither 
over  the  wilds  by  the  richness  of  the  pasturage,  and  dwell  in 
tents. 

In  Kur(?istan,  as  elsewhere,  the  winning  manners  of  Delia 
Valle  procured  him  a  hospitable  reception.  The  presence  of 
Maani,  too,  whose  youth  and  beauty  served  as  an  inviolable 
wall  of  protection  among  brave  men,  increased  his  claims  to 
their  hospitality;  so  that  these  savage  mountaineers,  upon 
whom  the  majority  of  travellers  concur  in  heaping  the  most 
angry  maledictions,  obtained  from  the  warm-hearted,  grateful 
Pietro  the  character  of  a  kind  and  gentle  people.  On  the  20th 
of  January,  1617,  he  quitted  Kurdistan,  and  entered  Persia. 
The  change  was  striking.  A  purer  atmosphere,  a  more  pro- 
ductive and  better-cultivated  soil,  and  a  far  more  dense  popu- 
lation than  in  Turkey,  caused  him,  from  the  suddenness  of  the 
transition,  somewhat  to  exaggerate,  perhaps,  the  advantages  of 
this  country.  It  is  certain  tliat  the  eyes  of  the  traveller,,  hke 
the  fabled  gems  of  antiquity,  carry  about  the  light  by  which  he 
25* 


290  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

views  the  objects  which  come  before  him  ;  and  that  the  condi- 
tion of  this  hght  is  greatly  affected  by  the  state  of  his  animal 
spirits.  Pietro  was  now  in  that  tranquil  and  serene  mode  of 
being  consequent  upon  that  enjoyment  which  conscience  ap- 
proves ;  and  having  passed  from  a  place  where  dangers,  real 
or  imaginary,  surrounded  him,  into  a  country  where  he  at 
least  anticipated  safety,  if  not  distinction,  it  was  natural  that 
his  fancy  should  paint  the  landscape  with  delusive  colours. 
Besides,  many  real  advantages  existed  ;  tents  were  no  longer 
necessary,  there  being  at  every  halting-place  a  spacious  cara- 
vansary, where  the  traveller  could  obtain  gratis  lodgings  for 
himself  and  attendants,  and  shelter  for  his  beasts  and  baggage. 
Fruits,  likewise,  such  as  pomegranates,  apples,  and  grapes, 
abounded,  though  the  earth  was  still  deeply  covered  with 
snow.  If  we  add  to  this  that  the  Persians  are  a  people  who 
pique  themselves  upon  their  urbanity,  and,  whatever  may  be 
the  basis  of  their  character,  with  which  the  passing  traveller 
has  little  to  do,  really  conduct  themselves  politely  towards 
strangers,  it  will  not  appear  very  surprising  that  Delia  Valle, 
who  had  just  escaped  from  the  boorish  Ottomans,  should  have 
been  charmed  with  Persia. 

Arriving  at  Ispahan,  at  that  period  the  capital  of  the  empire, 
that  is,  the  habitual  place  of  residence  of  the  shah,  his  first 
care,  of  course,  was  to  taste  a  little  repose;  after  which,  he  re- 
sumed his  usual  custom  of  strolling  about  the  city  and  its  en- 
virons, observing  the  manners,  and  sketching  whatever  was 
curious  in  costume  and  scenery.  Here  be  remained  for  several 
months ;  but  growing  tired,  as  usual,  of  calm  inactivity,  the 
more  particularly  as  the  court  was  absent,  he  now  prepared  to 
present  himself  before  the  shah,  then  in  Mazenderan.  Ac- 
cordmgly,  having  provided  a  splendid  litter  for  his  wife  and 
her  sister,  who,  like  genuine  amazons,  determined  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  wars  should  he  eventually  take  up  arms  in 
the  service  of  Persia,  and  provided  every  other  necessary  for 
the  journey,  he  quitted  Ispahan,  and  proceeded  northward 
towards  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  The  journey  \vas 
performed  in  the  most  agreeable  manner  imaginable.  When- 
ever they  came  up  to  a  pleasant  grove,  a  shady  fountain,  or 
any  romantic  spot  where  the  greensward  was  sprinkled  with 
flowers  or  commanded  a  beautiful  prospect,  the  whole  party 
made  a  h;Ut;  and  the  ladies,  descending  from  their  litter, 
•which  was  bonie  by  two  camels,  and  Pietro  from  his  barb,  they 
sat  down  like  luxurious  gipsies  to  their  breakfast  or  dinner, 
while  the  nightingales  in  the  dusky  recesses  of  the  grovea 
served  them  instead  of  a  musician. 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  291 

Proceeding  slowly,  on  account  of  his  harem,  as  he  terms  it, 
they  arrived  in  seven  days  at  Cashan,  where  the  imprudence 
of  Maani  nearly  involved  him  in  a  very  serious  affair.  Being 
insulted  on  her  way  to  the  bezestein  by  an  officer,  she  gave  the 
signal  to  her  attendants  to  chastise  the  drunkard,  and,  a  battle 
ensuing,  the  unhappy  man  lost  his  life.  When  the  news  was 
brought  to  Pietro  he  was  considerably  alarmed  ;  but  on  pro- 
ceeding to  the  house  of  the  principal  magistrate,  he  very  for- 
tunately found  that  the  affair  had  been  properly  represented  to 
him,  and  that  his  people  were  not  considered  to  have  exceeded 
their  duty.  His  wife,  not  reflecting  that  her  masculine  habits 
and  fiery  temperament  were  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  the 
circumstance,  now  began  to  torment  both  herself  and  her  hus- 
band because  she  had  not  yet  become  a  mother;  and  supposing 
that  in  such  cases  wine  was  a  sovereign  remedy,  she  endeav- 
oured to  prevail  upon  Pietro,  who  was  a  water-drinker,  to  have 
recourse  to  a  more  generous  beverage,  offering  to  join  with 
him,  if  he  would  comply,  in  the  worship  of  Bacchus.  Our 
traveller,  who  had  already,  as  he  candidly  informs  us,  a  small 
family  in  Italy,  could  not  be  brought  to  believe  that  the  fault 
lay  in  his  sober  potations,  and  firmly  resisted  the  temptations 
of  his  wife.  With  friendly  arguments  upon  this  and  other 
topics  they  beguiled  the  length  of  the  way,  and  at  length  arri- 
ved at  Mazenderan,  though  Maani's  passion  for  horsemanship 
more  than  once  put  her  neck  in  jeopardy  on  the  road.  The 
scene  which  now  presented  itself  was  extremely  different  from 
that  through  which  they  had  hitherto  generally  passed.  In- 
stead of  the  treeless  plains  or  unfertile  deserts  which  they  had 
traversed  in  the  northern  parts  of  Irak,  they  saw  before  them 
a  country  strongly  resembling  Europe  ;  mountams,  deep  well- 
wooded  valleys,  or  rich  green  plains  rapidly  alternating  with 
each  other,  and  the  whole,  watered  by  abundant  streams  and 
fountains,  refreshed  and  delighted  the  eye  ;  and  he  was  as  yet 
unconscious  of  the  insalubrity  of  the  atmosphere. 

Pietro  greatly  admired  the  beauty  and  graceful  figures  of  the 
women  of  this  province, — a  fiict  which  makes  strongly  against 
the  idea  of  its  being  unhealthy ;  for  it  may  generally  be  infer- 
red, that  wherever  the  women  are  handsome  the  air  is  good. 
Here  and  there  they  observed,  as  they  moved  along,  the  ruins 
of  castles  and  fortresses  on  the  acclivities  and  projections  of 
the  mountains,  wliich  had  formerly  served  as  retreats  to  nu- 
merous chiefs  who  had  there  aimed  at  independence.  A 
grotto,  which  they  discovered  in  a  nearly  inaccessible  position 
in  the  face  of  a  mountain,  was  pointed  out  to  them  as  the  resi- 
dence of  a  viririn  of  gigantic  stature,  who,  without  associates 
I  or  followers,  like  the  virago  who  obstructed  the  passage  of 


292  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

Theseus  from  TrcEzene  to  Athens,  formerly  ravaged  and  de- 
populated that  part  of  the  country.  This  and  similar  legends 
of  giants,  which  resemble  those  which  prevail  among  all  rude 
nations,  were  related  to  our  traveller,  who  rejected  them  with 
disdain  as  utterly  fabulous  and  contemptible,  though  not  muck 
more  so,  perhaps,  than  some  which,  as  a  true  son  of  the  Ro- 
man church,  he  no  doubt  held  in  reverence. 

At  length,  after  considerable  fatigue,  they  arrived  at  Ferha- 
bad,  a  small  port  built  by  the  Shah  Abbas  on  the  Caspian  Sea. 
Here  the  governor  of  the  city,  when  informed  of  his  arrival, 
assigned  him  a  house  in  the  eastern  quarter  of  the  city,  the 
rooms  of  which,  says  Pietro,  were  so  low,  that  although  by  no 
means  a  tall  man,  he  could  touch  the  ceiling  with  his  hand. 
If  the  house,  however,  reminded  him  of  the  huts  erected  by 
Romulus  on  the  Capitoline,  the  garden,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  delightful,  being  a  large  space  of  ground  thickly  planted 
with  white  mulberry-trees,  and  lying  close  upon  the  bank  of 
the  river.  Here  he  passed  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  with 
Actius  Sincerus,  or  Marcus  Aurelius,  or  Ferrari's  Geographi- 
cal Epitome  in  his  hand,  now  offering  sacrifices  to  the  Muses, 
and  now  running  over  with  his  eye  the  various  countries  and 
provinces  which  he  was  proud  to  have  travelled  over.  One  of 
his  favourite  occupations  was  the  putting  of  his  own  adven- 
tures into  verse,  under  a  feigned  name.  This  he  did  in  that 
kind  of  rhyme  which  Dante's  example  had  made  respectable, 
but  not  popular,  in  Italy;  and  as  he  was  not  of  the  humour  to 
hide  his  talent  under  a  bushel,  his  brain  was  no  sooner  deliver- 
ed of  this  conceit  than  he  despatched  it  to  Rome  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  friends. 

Being  now  placed  upon  the  margin  of  the  Caspian,  he  very 
naturally  desired  to  examine  the  appearance  of  its  shores  and  • 
waters  ;  but  embarking  for  this  purpose  in  a  fishing-boat  with 
Maani,  who,  having  passed  her  life  in  Mesopotamia,  had  never 
before  seen  the  sea,  her  sickness  and  the  fears  produced  in  her 
mind  by  tlie  tossing  and  rolling  of  the  bark  among  the  waves 
quickly  put  an  end  to  the  voyage.  He  ascertained,  however, 
from  the  pilots  of  tlie  coast,  that  tlie  waters  of  this  sea  were  not 
deep  ;  immense  banks  of  sand  and  mud,  borne  down  into  this 
vast  basin  by  the  numerous  river:*  which  discharge  themselves 
into  it,  being  met  with  on  all  sides  ;  though  it  is  probable,  that 
had  they  ventured  far  from  shore  they  would  have  found  the 
case  different.  Fish  of  many  kinds  were  plentiful;  but  owing, 
perhaps,  to  the  fat  and  slimy  nature  of  the  bottom,  they  were 
all  large,  gross,  and  insipid. 

The  shah  was  just  then  at  Asshralf,  a  new  city  which  he 
bad  caused  to  be  erected,  and  was  then  enlarging,  about  six 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  293 

parasangs,  or  leagues,  to  the  east  of  Ferhabad.  Pietro,  anx- 
ious to  be  introduced  to  the  monarch,  soon  after  his  arrival 
MTote  letters  to  the  principal  minister,  which,  together  with 
others  from  the  vicar-general  of  the  Carmelite  monks  at  Ispa- 
han, he  despatched  by  two  of  his  domestics;  and  the  minis- 
ters, according  to  his  desire,  informed  the  shah  of  his  presence 
at  Ferhabad.  Abbas,  who  apparently  had  no  desire  that  he 
should  witness  the  state  of  things  at  Asshraff,  not  as  yet  com- 
prehending either  his  character  or  his  motives,  observed,  that 
the  roads  being  extremely  bad,  the  traveller  had  better  remain 
at  Ferhabad,  whither  he  himself  was  about  to  proceed  on  horse- 
back in  a  day  or  two.  Pietro,  whose  vanity  prevented  his 
perceiving  the  shah's  motives,  supposed  in  good  earnest  that 
Abbas  was  chary  of  his  guest's  e'ase;  and,  to  crown  the  ab- 
surdity, swallowed  another  monstrous  fiction  invented  by  the 
courtiers,  who,  as  Hajji  Baba  would  say,  were  all  the  while 
laughing  at  his  beard, — namely,  that  the  monarch  was  so  over- 
joyed at  his  arrival,  that,  hud  he  not  been  annoyed  by  the 
number  of  soldiers  who  followed  him  against  his  will,  he  would 
next  morning  have  ridden  to  Ferhabad  to  bid  him  welcome  ! 

However,  when  he  actually  arrived  in  that  city,  he  did  not, 
as  our  worthy  pilgrim  expected,  immediately  admit  him  to  an 
audience.  In  the  mean  while  an  agent  from  the  Cossacks  in- 
habiting the  north-eastern  shores  of  the  Black  Sea  arrived,  and 
Delia  Valle  who  neglected  no  occasion  of  forwarding  his  own 
views,  in  the  shaping  of  which  he  exhibited  remarkable  skill, 
at  once  connected  himself  with  this  stranger,  whom  he  enga- 
ged to  aid  and  assist  by  every  means  in  his  power,  receiving 
from  the  barbarian  the  same  assurances  in  return.  The  Cos- 
sack had  come  to  tender  the  shah  his  nation's  services  against 
the  Turks  ;  notwithstanding  wliich,  the  business  of  his  pre- 
sentation had  been  negligently  or  purposely  delayed,  probably 
that  he  might  understand,  when  his  proposal  should  be  after- 
ward received,  that,  although  the  aid  he  promised  was  accept- 
able, it  was  by  no  means  necessary,  nor  so  considered. 

At  length  the  long-anticipated  audience  arrived,  and  Delia 
Valle,  when  presented,  was  well  received  by  the  shah  ;  who, 
not  being  accustomed,  however,  to  the  crusading  spirit  or  the 
romance  of  chivalry,  could  not  very  readily  believe  that  the 
real  motives  which  urged  him  to  join  the  Persian  armies  were 
precisely  those  which  he  professed.  Nevertheless,  his  offers 
of  service  were  accepted,  and  the  provisions  which  he  had 
already  received  rendered  permanent.  He  was,  moreover, 
sumptuously  entertained  at  the  royal  table,  and  had  frequently 
the  honour  of  being  consulted  upon  affairs  of  importance  by 
the  shah. 


294  PIETRO  BELLA  VALLE. 

Abbas  soon  afterward  removing  with  his  court  into  Ghilan^ 
without  inviting  Delia  Valie  to  accompany  him,  the  latter  de- 
parted for  Casbin,  there  to  await  the  marching  of  the  army 
against  the  Turks,  in  which  enterprise  he  was  still  mad  enough 
to  desire  to  engage.  On  reaching  this  city  he  found  that  Abbas 
had  been  more  expeditious  than  he,  and  was  already  there, 
actively  preparing  for  the  war.  All  the  military  officers  of  the 
kingdom  now  received  orders  to  repair  with  all  possible  de- 
spatch to  Sultanieh,  a  city  three  days'  journey  west  of  Casbin ; 
and  Pietro,  who  had  voluntarily  become  a  member  of  this 
martial  class,  hurried  on  among  the  foremost,  in  the  hope  of 
acquiring  glory  of  a  new  kind. 

The  shah  and  his  army  had  not  been  many  days  encamped 
in  the  plains  of  Sultanieh,  when  a  courier  from  the  general, 
who  had  already  proceeded  towards  the  frontiers,  arrived  with 
the  news  that  the  Turkish  army  was  advancing,  although 
slowly.  This  news  allowed  the  troops,  who  had  been  fatigued 
with  forced  marches,  a  short  repose  ;  after  which  they  pushed 
on  vigorously  towards  Ardebil  and  Tabriz,  Pietro  and  his  he- 
roic wife  keeping  pace  with  the  foremost.  In  this  critical 
juncture.  Abbas,  though  in  some  respects  a  man  of  strong 
mind,  did  not  consider  it  prudent  to  trust  altogether  to  corpo- 
real armies ;  but,  having  in  his  dominions  certain  individuals 
who  pretended  to  have  some  influence  over  the  infernal  powers, 
sought  to  interest  hell  also  in  his  favour;  and  for  this  purpose 
carried  a  renowned  sorceress  from  Zunjan  along  with  him  to 
the  wars,  in  the  same  spirit  as  Charles  the  First,  and  the  Par- 
liament shortly  afterward,  employed  Lily  to  prophesy  for  them. 
Their  route  now  lay  through  the  ancient  Media,  over  narrow 
plains  or  hills  covered  with  verdure  but  bare  of  trees,  some- 
times traversing  tremendous  chasms,  spanned  by  bridges  of 
fearful  height,  at  others  winding  along  the  acclivities  of  moun- 
tains, or  upon  the  edge  of  precipices. 

Notwithstanding  his  seeming  ardour  to  engage  with  the 
Turks,  Pietro,  for  some  cause  or  another,  did  not  join  the 
fighting  part  of  the  army,  but  remained  with  the  shah's  suite 
at  Ardebil.  This  circumstance  seems  to  have  lowered  him 
considerably  in  the  estimation  of  the  court.  A  battle,  howev- 
er, was  fought,  in  which  the  Persians  were  victorious;  but  the 
Turkish  sultan  dying  at  this  juncture,  his  successor  com- 
manded his  general  to  negotiate  for  peace,  which,  after  the 
usual  intrigues  and  delays,  was  at  length  concluded.  Abbas 
now  returned  to  Casbin,  where  the  victory  and  the  peace 
was  celebrated  with  great  rejoicings;  and  here  Delia  Valle, 
who  seems  to  have  begun  to  perceive  that  he  was  not  likely 
to  make  any  great  figure  in  war,  took  his  leave  of  the  court 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  295 

in  extremely  bad  health  and  low  spirits,  and  returned  to  Is- 
pahan. 

Here  repose,  and  the  conversation  of  the  friends  he  had 
made  in  this  city,  once  more  put  him  in  good  liumour  with 
himself  and  with  Persia;  and  being  of  an  exceedingly  hasty 
and  inconsiderate  disposition,  he  no  sooner  began  to  experi- 
ence a  little  tranquilhty,  than  he  exerted  the  influence  he  had 
acquired  over  the  parents  ot  his  wife  to  induce  them,  right  or 
wrong,  to  leave  Bagdad,  where  they  hved  contentedly  and  in 
comfort,  and  to  settle  at  Ispahan,  where  they  were  in  a  great 
measure  strangers,  notwithstanding  that  one  of  their  younger 
daughters  was  married  to  an  Armenian  of  that  city.  The 
principal  members  of  the  family,  no  less  imprudent  than  their 
adviser,  accordingly  quitted  Mesopotamia  with  their  treasures 
and  effects,  and  established  themselves  in  the  capital  of 
Persia. 

This  measure  was  productive  of  nothing  but  disappointment 
and  vexation.  One  of  Maani's  sisters,  who  had  remained  with 
her  mother  at  Bagdad,  while  the  father  and  brothers  were  at 
Ispahan,  died  suddenly  ;  and  the  mother,  inconsolable  for  her 
loss,  entreated  her  husband  to  return  to  her  with  her  other 
children.  Then  followed  the  pangs  of  parting,  rendered 
doubly  bitter  by  the  reflection  that  it  was  for  ever.  Pietro  be- 
came ill  and  melancholy,  having  now  turned  his  thoughts,  like 
the  prodigal  in  the  parable,  towards  his  country  and  his  father's 
house,  and  determined  shortly  to  commence  his  journey  home- 
ward. Obtaining  without  difliculty  his  dismission  from  the 
shah,  and  winding  up  his  affairs,  which  were  neither  intricate 
nor  embarrassed,  at  Ispahan,  he  set  out  on  a  visit  to  Shiraz, 
intending,  when  he  should  have  examined  Persepolis  and  its 
environs,  to  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to  Persia. 

With  this  view,  having  remained  some  time  at  Shiraz,  ad- 
miring but  not  enjoying  the  pure  stream  of  the  Rocnabad,  the 
bowers  of  Mesellay,  and  the  briglit  atmosphere  which  shed 
glory  on  all  around,  he  proceeded  to  Mineb,  a  small  town  on 
the  river  Ibrahim,  a  little  to  the  south  of  Gombroon  and  Ormus» 
on  the  shore  of  the  Persian  G  ulf.  Maani,  whose  desire  to 
become  a  mother  had  been  an  unceasing  source  of  unhappi- 
ness  to  her  ever  since  her  marriage,  being  now  pregnant, 
nothing  could  have  been  more  ifl-judged  in  her  husband  than 
to  approach  those  pestilential  coasts;  especially  at  such  a 
season  of  the  year.  lie  quickly  discovered  his  error,  but  it 
was  too  late.  The  fever  which  rages  with  unremitting  vio- 
lence throughout  all  that  part  of  the  country  during  six 
months  in  the  year  had  now  seized  not  only  upon  Maani,  but 
on  himself  likewise,  and  upon  every  other  member  of  his 


296  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

family.  Instant  flight  might,  perhaps,  have  rescued  them 
from  danger,  as  it  afterward  did  Chardin,  but  a  fatal  lethargy 
seems  to  have  seized  upon  the  mind  of  Pietro.  He  trembled 
at  the  destiny  which  menaced  him,  he  saw  death,  as  it  were, 
C3ntering  his  house,  and  approach  gradually  the  individual 
whom  he  cherished  beyond  all  others  ;  time  was  allowed  him 
by  Providence  for  escape,  yet  he  stood  still,  as  if  spellbound, 
and  suffered  the  victim  to  be  seized  without  a  struggle.  His 
wife,  whose  condition  I  have  alluded  to  above,  affected  at  once 
by  the  fever,  and  apprehensive  of  its  consequences,  was  terri- 
fied into  premature  labour,  and  a  son  dead-born  considerably 
before  its  time  put  the  finishing  stroke,  as  it  were,  to  the  aflBic- 
tion  of  her  mind.  Her  fever  increased  in  violence — medical 
aid  was  vain — death  triumphed — and  Maani  sunk  into  the 
grave  at  the  age  of  twenty-three. 

A  total  change  now  came  over  the  mind  of  Delia  Valle, 
which  not  only  affected  the  actions  of  his  life,  but  communica- 
ted itself  to  his  writings,  depriving  them  of  that  dashing  quix- 
otism which  up  to  this  point  constitutes  their  greatest  charm. 
A  cloud,  black  as  Erebus,  descended  upon  his  soul,  and  nine 
months  elapsed  before  he  could  again  command  sufficient 
spirits  or  energy  to  announce  the  melancholy  event  to  his 
friend  Schipano.  He,  however,  resolved  that  the  body  of  his 
beloved  wife  should  not  be  consigned  to  the  earth  in  Persia, 
where  he  should  never  more  come  to  visit  or  shed  a  tear  over 
her  grave.  He  therefore  contrived  to  have  it  embalmed,  and 
then,  enclosing  it  in  a  coffin  adapted  to  the  purpose,  placed  it 
in  a  travelling  trunk,  in  order  that,  wherever  his  good  or  bad 
fortune  should  conduct  him,  the  dear  remains  of  his  Maani 
might  accompany  him  to  the  grave.  Certain  circumstances 
attending  this  transaction  strongly  serve  to  illustrate  the  char- 
acter of  Delia  Valle,  and  while  they  tell  in  favour  of  his  affec- 
tion, and  paint  the  melancholy  condition  to  which  his  bereave- 
ment had  reduced  him,  likewise  throw  some  light  upon  the 
manners  and  state  of  the  country.  Dead  bodies  being  re- 
garded as  unclean  by  the  Mohammedans,  as  they  were  in  old 
Greece  and  Rome,  and  most  other  nations  of  antiquity,  no 
persons  could  be  found  to  undertake  the  task  of  embalming 
but  a  few  old  women,  whom  the  auri  sacra  fames  reconciled 
to  the  pollution.  These,  wrapping  thick  bandages  over  their 
mouths  and  nostrils,  to.  prevent  the  powerful  odour  of  the  gum 
from  penetrating  into  their  lungs  and  brain,  after  having  dis- 
€mboweJled  the  corpse,  filled  its  cavities  with  camphor,  and 
with  the  «ame  ingredient,  which  was  of  the  most  pungent  and 
desiccating  nature,  rubbed  all  its  limbs  and  surface  until  the 
perfume  had  penetrated  to  the  very  bones.     Pietro,  at  all 


METRO  DELLA  VALLE.  29^1 

times  superstitious,  was  now  rendered  doubly  so  by  sorrow. 
Having  somewhere  heard  or  read  that  the  bodies  of  men  will 
be  reanimated  at  the  general  resurrection,  wherever  their 
heads  happen  to  be  deposited,  while,  according  to  another  the- 
ory, it  was  the  resting-place  of  the  heart  which  was  to  deter- 
mine the  point,  and  being  desirous,  according  to  either  view  of 
the  matter,  that  Maani  and  himself  should  rise  on  that  awful 
day  together,  he  gave  orders  that  the  heart  of  his  beloved 
should  be  carefully  embalmed  with  the  rest  of  the  body.  It 
never  once  occurred  to  him  that  the  pollinctores  (or  underta- 
kers) might  neglect  his  commands,  and  therefore  he  omitted 
to  overlook  this  part  of  the  operation ;  indeed  his  feelings 
would  not  allow  him  to  be  present,  and  while  it  was  going  on 
he  sat  retired,  hushing  the  tempest  of  his  soul  in  the  best  man- 
ner he  could.  While  he  was  in  this  state  of  agony,  he  observ- 
ed the  embalmers  approaching  him  with  something  in  their 
hands,  and  on  casting  his  eyes  upon  it  he  beheld  the  heart  of 
Maani  in  a  saucer  !  An  unspeakable  horror  shot  through  his 
whole  frame  as  he  gazed  upon  the  heart  which,  but  a  few  days 
before,  had  bounded  with  delight  and  joy  to  meet  his  own ; 
and  he  turned  away  his  head  with  a  shudder. 

When  the  operation  was  completed,  the  mummy  was  laid 
out  upon  a  board,  and  placed  under  a  tent  in  the  garden,  in 
order  to  be  still  further  desiccated  by  the  action  of  the  air. 
Here  it  remained  seven  days  and  nights,  and  the  walls  being 
low,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  strict  and  perpetual  watch  over 
it,  lest  the  hyenas  should  enter  and  devour  it.  Worn  down  as 
he  was  by  fever,  by  watching,  and  by  sorrow,  Pietro  would 
intrust  this  sacred  duty  to  no  vulgar  guardian  during  the  night, 
but,  with  his  loaded  musket  in  his  hand,  paced  to  and  fro  be- 
fore the  tent  through  the  darkness,  while  the  howls  of  the 
hyenas,  bursting  forth  suddenly  quite  near  him,  as  it  were, 
frequently  startled  his  ear  and  increased  his  vigilance.  By 
day  he  took  a  few  hours'  repose,  while  his  domestics  kept 
watch. 

When  this  melancholy  task  had  been  duly  performed,  he 
departed,  in  sickness  and  dejection,  for  the  city  of  Lar,  where 
the  air  being  somewhat  cooler  and  more  pure,  he  entertained 
some  hopes  of  a  recovery.  Not  many  days  after  his  arrival,  a 
Syrian  whom  he  had  known  at  Ispahan  brought  him  news 
from  Bagdad  which  were  any  thing  but  calculated  to  cheer  or 
console  his  mind.  He  learned  that  another  sister  of  Maani 
had  died  on  the  road  in  returning  from  Persia;  that  the 
father,  stricken  to  the  soul  by  this  new  calamity,  had  likewise 
died  a  few  days  after  reaching  home;  and  that  the  widow, 
thus  bereaved  of  the  better  part  of  her  family,  and  feeling  the 
26 


/ 


982 


PIETRO  BELLA  VALLE. 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  0^ 

decrepitude  of  old  age  coming  apace,  was  inconsolable.  Oor 
traveller  was  thunderstruck.  Death  seemed  to  have  put  his 
mark  on  all  those  whom  he  loved.  Persia  now  became  hate- 
ful to  him.  Its  verj  atmosphere  appeared  to  teem  with  mis- 
fortunes as  with  clouds.  Nothing,  therefore,  seemed  left  him 
but  to  quit  it  with  all  possible  celerity. 

Pietfo's  desire  to  return  to  Italy  was  now  abated,  and  trav- 
elling more  desirable  than  home ;  motion,  the  presence  of 
strange  objects,  the  surmounting  of  difficulties  and  dangers, 
being  better  adapted  than  ease  and  leisure  for  the  dissipating 
of  sharp  grief.  For  this  reason  he  returned  to  the  shore  of  the 
Persian  (iulf,  and  embarked  at  Gombroon  on  board  of  an 
English  ship  for  India,  taking  along  Avith  him  the  body  of  his 
wife,  and  a  little  orphan  Georgian  girl  whom  he  and  Maani 
had  adopted  at  Ispahan.  As  even  a  father  cannot  remove  his 
daughter,  or  a  husband  his  Avife,  from  the  shah's  dominions 
without  an  especial  permission,  which  might  not  be  granted 
without  considerable  delay,  Pietro  determined  to  elude  the 
laws,  and  disguising  the  Georgian  in  the  dress  of  a  boy,  con- 
trived to  get  her  on  board  among  the  ship's  crew  in  the  dusk 
of  the  evening,  on  the  19th  of  January,  1623. 

Traversing  the  Indian  Ocean  with  favourable  winds,  he  arri- 
ved on  the  10th  of  February  at  Surat,  where  he  was  hospitably 
entertained  by  the  English  and  Dutch  residents.  He  found 
Ouzerat  a  pleasant  country,  consisting,  as  far  as  his  experience 
extended,  of  rich,  green  plains,  well  watered,  and  thickly  in- 
terspersed with  trees.  From  Surat  he  proceeded  to  Cambay, 
a  large  city,  situated  upon  the  extremity  of  a  fine  plain  at  the 
bottom  of  the  gulf  of  the  same  name.  Here  he  adopted  the 
dress,  and  as  far  as  possible  the  manners  of  the  Hindoos,  and 
then,  striking  off  a  little  from  the  coast,  visited  Ahmedabad, 
travelling  thither  with  a  small  cafila  or  caravan,  the  roads  being 
considered  dangerous  for  solitary  individuals.  At  a  small  vil- 
lage on  the  road  he  observed  an  immense  number  of  beautiful 
yellow  squirrels,  with  fine  large  tails,  leaping  from  tree  to  tree; 
and  a  little  farther  on  met  with  a  great  number  of  beggars  arm- 
ed with  bows  and  arrows,  who  demanded  charity  with  sound  of 
trumpet.  His  observations  in  this  country,  though  sufficiently 
curious  occasionally,  were  the  fruit  of  a  too  hasty  survey, 
which  could  not  enable  him  to  pierce  deeply  below  the  exte- 
rior crust  of  manners.  Indeed,  he  seems  rather  to  have  amu- 
sed himself  with  strange  sights,  than  sought  to  philosophize 
upon  the  circumstances  of  humanity.  In  a  temple  of  Mahades 
in  this  city,  where  numerous  Yoghees,  the  Gymnosophists  of 
antiquity,  were  standing  like  so  many  statues  behind  the  sacred 
lamps,  he  observed  an  image  of  the  god  entirely  of  crystal. 


300  PIETBO  DELLA  VALLE. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Sabermati,  which  ran  close  beneath  the 
walls  of  the  city,  numerous  Yoghees,  as  naked  as  at  the  mo- 
ment of  their  birth,  were  seated,  with  matted  hair,  and  wild 
looks,  and  powdered  all  over  with  the  ashes  of  the  dead  bodies 
which  they  had  aided  in  burning. 

Returning  to  Cambay,  he  embarked  in  a  Portuguese  ship 
for  Goa,  a  city  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  number  of  monks 
that  flocked  thither,  and  for  the  atrocities  which  they  there 
perpetrated  in  the  name  of  the  Church  of  Rome.     Delia  Valle 
soon  found  that  there  was  more  security  and  pleasure  in  living 
among  pagans  "suckled  in  a  creed  outworn,"  or  even  among 
heretics,  than  in  this  Portuguese  city,  where  all  strangers  were 
regarded  with  horror,  and  met  with  nothing  but  baseness  and 
treachery.     Leaving  this  den  of  monks  and  traitors,  he  pro- 
ceeded southward  along  the  coast,  and  in  a  few  days  arrived 
at  Onore,  where  he  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  native  of  distinc- 
tion, whom  they  found  upon  the  shore,  seated  berteath  the 
shade  of  some  fine  trees,  flanked  and  overshadowed,  as  it  were, 
by  a  range  of  small  hills.     Being  in  the  company  of  a  Portu- 
guese ambassador  from  Goa  to  a  rajah  of  the  Sadasiva  race, 
who  then  held  his  court  at  Ikery,  he  regarded  the  opportunity 
of  observing  something  of  the  interior  of  the  peninsula  as  too 
favourable  to  be  rejected,  and  obtained  permission  to  form  a 
part  of  the  ambassador's  suite.     They  set  out  from  Onore  in 
boats,  but  the  current  of  the  river  they  were  ascending  was  so 
rapid  and  powerful,  that  with  the  aid  of  both  sails  and  oars  they 
were  unable  to  push  on  that  day  beyond  Garsopa,  formerly  a 
large  and  flourishing  city,  but  now  inconsiderable  and  neglect- 
ed.    Here  the   scenery,  a  point  which   seldom  commanded 
much  of  Delia  Valle's  attention,  however  picturesque  or  beau- 
tiful it  might  be,  was  of  so  exquisite  a  character,  so  rich,  so 
glowing,  so  variable,  so  full  of  contrasts,  that  indifferent  as  he 
was  on  that  head,  his  imagination  was  kindled,  and  he  con- 
fessed, that  turn  which  way  soever  he  might,  the  face  of  na- 
ture was  marvellously  delightful.     A  succession  of  hills  of  all 
forms,  and  of  every  shade  of  verdure,  between  which  valleys, 
now  deep  and  umbrageous,  now  presenting  broad,  green,  sunny 
slopes  to  the  eye,  branched  about  in  every  direction  ;  lofty 
forests  of  incomparable  beauty,  among  which  the  most  magni- 
ficent fruit-trees,  such  as  the  Indian  walnut,  the  fawfel,  and  the 
amba,  were  interspersed ;  small  winding  streams,  now  glancing 
and  quivering  and  rippling  in  the  sun,  and  now  plunging  into 
the  deep  shades  of  the  woods  ;  while  vast  flights  of  gay  tropical 
birds  were  perched  upon  the  branches,  or  skimming  over  the 
waters ;  all  these  combined  certainly  formed  a  glorious  picture, 
and  justified  the  admiration  of  Pietro  when  he  exclaimed  that 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  90§, 

nothing  to  equal  it  had  ever  met  his  eye.  On  entering  the 
Ghauts  he  perceived  in  them  some  resemblance  to  the  Apen- 
nines, though  they  were  more  beautiful ;  and  to  enjoy  so 
splendid  a  prospect  he  travelled  part  of  the  way  on  foot.  The 
Western  Ghauts,  which  divide  the  vast  plateau  of  Mysore 
from  Blalabar,  Canasen,  and  the  other  maritime  provinces  of 
the  Deccan,  are  in  most  parts  covered  with  forests  of  prodi- 
gious grandeur,  and  in  one  of  these  Pietro  and  his  party  were 
overtaken  by  the  niglit.  Though  "overhead  the  moon  hung 
imminent,  and  shed  her  silver  light,"  not  a  ray  could  descend 
to  them  through  the  impenetrable  canopy  of  the  wood,  so  that 
they  were  compelled  to  kindle  torches,  notwithstanding  which 
they  failed  to  find  their  way,  and  contented  themselves  with 
kindling  a  fire  and  passing  the  night  under  a  tree. 

Ikery,  the  bourn  beyond  which  they  were  not  to  proceed 
towards  the  interior,  was  then  an  extensive  but  thinly-peopled 
city,  though  according  to  the  Hindoos  it  once  contained  a 
hundred  thousand  mhabitants.  Around  it  extended  three 
lines  of  fortifications,  of  which  the  exterior  was  a  row  of  bam- 
boos, thickly  planted,  and  of  enormous  height,  whose  lifted 
heads,  with  the  beautiful  flowering  parasites  which  crept  round 
their  stems  to  the  summit,  yielded  a  grateful  shade.  Here  he 
beheld  a  suttee,  visited  various  temples,  and  saw  the  celebra- 
ted dancing  girls  of  Hindostan  perform  their  graceful  but  vo- 
luptuous postures.  He  examined  likewise  the  ceremonial  of 
the  rajah's  court,  and  instituted  numerous  inquiries  into  the 
religion  and  manners  of  the  country,  upon  all  which  points  he 
obtained  information  curious  enough  for  that  age,  but  now, 
from  the  more  extensive  and  exact  researches  of  later  travel- 
lers, of  little  value.  Returning  to  the  seacoast,  he  proceeded 
southward  as  far  as  Calicut,  the  extreme  point  of  his  travels. 
Here  he  faced  about,  as  it  were,  turned  his  eyes  towards  home, 
and  began  to  experience  a  desire  to  be  at  rest.  Still,  at  Ca- 
nanou,  at  Salsette,  and  the  other  parts  of  India  at  which  he 
touched  on  his  return,  he  continued  assiduously  to  observe 
and  describe,  though  rather  from  habit  than  any  delight  which 
it  afforded  him. 

On  tlie  15th  of  November,  1624,  he  embarked  at  Goa  in  a 
ship  bound  for  Muskat,  from  whence  he  proceeded  up  the 
Persian  Gulf  to  Bassorah.  Here  he  hired  mules  and  camels, 
and  provided  all  things  necessary  for  crossing  the  desert ;  and 
on  the  21st  of  May,  1625,  departed,  being  accompanied  by  an 
Italian  friar,  Marian,  the  Georgian  girl,  and  the  corpse  of 
Maani.  During  this  journey  he  observed  the  sand  in  many 
places  strewed  with  seashells,  bright  and  glittering  as  mother- 
of-pearl,  and  in  others  with  bitumen,  Occasionallv  their  road 
26* 


302  PIETBO  DELL A  VALLE. 

lay  over  extensive  marshes,  covered  thickly  with  reeds  or 
brushwood,  or  white  with  salt ;  but  at  this  season  of  the  year 
every  thing  was  so  dry  that  a  spark  falling  from  the  pipe  of  a 
muleteer  upon  the  parched  grass  nearly  produced  a  conflagra- 
tion in  the  desert.  When  they  had  advanced  many  days' 
journey  into  the  waste,  and  belield  on  all  sides  nothing  but 
sand  and  sky,  a  troop  of  Arab  robbers,  who  came  scouring 
along  the  desert  upon  their  fleet  barbs,  attacked  and  rifled  their 
little  caravan ;  and  Delia  Valle  saw  himself  about  to  be  de- 
prived of  his  wife's  body,  after  having  preserved  it  so  long, 
and  conveyed  it  safely  over  so  many  seas  and  mountains.  In 
this  fear  he  addressed  himself  to  the  banditti,  describing  the 
contents  of  the  chest,  and  the  motives  which  urged  him  so 
vehemently  to  desire  its  preservation.  The  Arabs  were  touch- 
ed with  compassion.  The  sight  of  the  coffin,  enforcing  the 
effect  of  his  eloquence,  interested  their  hearts ;  so  that  not  only 
did  they  respect  the  dead,  and  praise  the  aff*ectionate  and 
pious  motives  of  the  traveller,  but  also  narrowed  their  de- 
mands, for  they  pretended  to  exact  dues,  not  to  rob,  and 
allowed  the  caravan  to  proceed  with  the  greater  part  of  its 
wealth. 

On  arriving  at  the  port  of  Alexandretta  another  difficulty 
arose.  The  Turks  would  never  have  allowed  a  corpse  to  pass 
through  the  cus^tom-house,  nor  would  the  sailors  of  the  ship  in 
which  he  desired  to  embark  for  Cyprus  on  any  account  have 
suff*ered  it  to  come  on  board.  To  overreach  both  parties, 
Pietro  had  the  body  enveloped  in  bales  of  spun  cotton,  upon 
which  he  paid  the  regular  duty,  and  thus  one  further  step  was 
gained.  After  visiting  Cyprus,  Malta,  and  Sicily,  where  he 
remained  some  short  time,  he  set  sail  for  Naples.  Here  he 
found  his  old  friend  Schipano  still  living,  and  after  describing 
to  him  the  various  scenes  and  dangers  tlirough  which  he  had 
passed,  moved  forward  towards  Rome,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  28th  of  March,  1626,  after  an  absence  of  more  than  twelve 
years. 

His  return  was  no  sooner  made  known  in  the  city  than  nu- 
merous friends  and  relations  and  the  greater  number  of  the 
nobility  crowded  to  his  house,  to  bid  him  welcome  and  con- 
gratulate him  upon  the  successful  termination  of  his  travels. 
His  presentation  to  the  pope  took  place  a  few  days  afterward, 
when  Urban  VHI.  was  so  charmed  with  his  conversation  and 
manners,  that,  without  application  or  intrigue  on  the  part  of 
the  traveller,  he  was  appointed  his  holiness'  honorary  cham- 
berlain,— a  compliment  regarded  at  Rome  as  highly  flattering. 
In  order  to  induce  the  pope  to  send  out  missionaries  to  Geor- 
gia, Pietro  now  presented  him  with  a  short  account  of  that 


PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE.  303 

country,  which  he  had  formerly  written  ;  and  the  affair  being 
seriously  taken  into  consideration,  it  was  determined  by  the 
society  De  Propaganda  Fide  that  the  proposed  measure 
should  be  carried  into  effect,  and  that  Pietro  should  be  regu- 
larly consulted  respecting  the  business  of  the  Levant  missions 
in  general. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1627,  he  caused  the  funeral  obsequies 
of  his  wife  to  be  celebrated  with  extraordinary  magnificence 
in  the  church  of  Aracoeli  at  Rome.  The  funeral  oration  he 
himself  pronounced ;  and  when,  after  describing  the  various 
circumstances  of  her  life,  and  the  happiness  of  their  union, 
he  came  to  expatiate  upon  her  beauty,  his  emotions  became 
so  violent  that  tears  and  sobs  choked  his  utterance,  and  he 
failed  to  proceed.  His  auditors,  according  to  some  accounts, 
were  likewise  affected  even  unto  tears  ;  while  others  relate 
that  they  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  If  they  did,  the  fault 
was  in  their  own  hearts ;  for,  however  extravagant  the  manner 
of  Delia  Valle  may  have  been,  death  is  a  solemn  thing,  and 
can  never  fail  properly  to  affect  all  well-constituted  minds. 

However,  though  his  love  for  Maani's  memory  seems  never 
to  have  abated,  the  vanity  of  keeping  up  the  illustrious  name 
of  Delia  Valle,  and  the  consequent  wish  of  leaving  a  legitimate 
offspring  behind  him,  reconciled  a  second  marriage  to  his 
mind,  and  Marian  Tinatin,  the  Georgian  girl  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  the  East,  appears  to  have  been  the  per- 
son selected  for  his  second  wife.  M.  Eyries  asserts,  but  I 
know  not  upon  what  authority,  that  it  was  a  relation  of  Maani 
whom  he  married  ;  but  this  seems  to  be  extremely  improbable, 
since,  so  far  as  can  be  discovered  from  his  travels,  no  relation 
of  hers  ever  accompanied  him,  excepting  the  brother  and  sister 
who  spent  some  time  with  him  in  Persia. 

Though  he  had  exhausted  a  large  portion  of  his  patrimony 
in  his  numerous  and  long-continued  journeys,  sufficient  seems 
to  have  remained  to  enable  him  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  splendour  and  affluence.  He  had  established  himself 
in  the  mansion  of  his  ancestors  at  Rome,  and  the  locomotive 
propensity  having  entirely  deserted  him,  would  probably  never 
have  quitted  the  city,  but  that  one  day,  while  the  pope  was 
pronouncing  his  solemn  benediction  in  St.  Peter's,  he  fell  into 
a  violent  passion,  during  which  he  killed  his  coachman  in  the 
area  before  the  church.  This  obliged  him  once  more  to  fly  to 
Naples ;  but  murder  not  being  regarded  as  a  very  heinous 
offence  at  Rome,  and  the  pope,  moreover,  entertaining  a  warm 
friendship  for  Pietro,  he  was  soon  recalled.  After  this  nothing 
remarkable  occurred  to  him  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
on  the  20th  of  April,  1652.     Soon  after  his  death,  his  widow 


1 


304  PIETRO  DELLA  VALLE. 

retired  to  Urbino ;  and  his  children,  exhibiting  a  fierce  and 
turbulent  character,  were  banished  the  city. 

As  a  traveller,  Delia  Valle  possessed  very  distinguished 
qualities.  He  was  enthusiastic,  romantic,  enterprising.  He 
had  read,  if  not  studied,  the  histories  of  the  various  countries 
through  which  he  afterward  travelled ;  and  there  were  few 
dangers  which  he  was  not  ready  cheerfully  to  encounter  for 
the  gratification  of  his  curiosity.  It  is  impossible  to  peruse  his 
works  without  great  instruction  and  delight ;  for  his  active, 
and  vigorous,  and  observant  mind  continually  gives  birth  to 
sagacious  and  profound  remarks  ;  and  his  adventures,  though 
undoubtedly  true,  are  full  of  interest  and  the  spirit  of  romance. 


CARSTEN   NIEBUHR. 


Carsten  Niebuhr  was  born  on  the  17th  of  March,  1733,  in 
the  province  of  Friesland,  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover.  It 
would  be  to  mislead  the  reader  to  represent  him,  as  some  of 
his  biographers  have  done,  as  the  son  of  a  peasant,  in  the 
sense  in  which  that  term  is  apphed  in  England.  His  father 
and  his  ancestors,  for  several  generations,  had  been  small 
landed  proprietors  ;  he  himself  received  an  education,  and  in- 
herited a  property,  which,  however  small,  served  as  an  incen- 
tive to  ambition  ;  and  though,  like  many  others,  he  found  the 
entrance  of  the  road  to  fame  rugged  and  hard  to  tread,  it  must 
not  be  dissembled  that  his  prudence  and  perseverance  were 
singularly  aided  by  good  fortune. 

Having  lost  his  mother  before  he  was  six  weeks  old,  the 
care  of  his  infancy  was  intrusted  to  a  step-mother;  and  he  was 
still  a  lad  when  his  father  likewise  died.  The  guardians  upan 
whom  the  superintendence  of  his  youth  at  first  devolved,  en- 
tertaining, apparently,  but  little  respect  for  intellectual  pur- 
suits, interrupted  his  studies  ;  and  his  maternal  uncle,  who 
succeeded  them  in  this  important  trust,  would  seem  to  have 
wanted  the  means,  if  he  possessed  the  will,  to  direct  the  course 
of  a  young  man.  Niebuhr  was  therefore  left  very  much  to  his 
own  guidance,  which,  to  a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  I  am  far 
from  regarding  as  a  misfortune.  The  beginnings  of  life,  how- 
ever, like  the  beginnings  of  day,  are  generally  accompanied 
by  mists  which  obscure  the  view,  and  render  it  absolutely  im- 
possible to  determine  with  precision  the  character  of  the  vari- 
ous paths  which  present  themselves  before  us  ;  and  thus  it  was 
that  our  traveller,  who,  knowing  not  that  Providence  was 
about  to  conduct  him  to  a  brilHant  destiny  in  the  East,  at  one 
time  studied  music,  with  the  intention  of  becoming  an  organ- 
ist, and  was  afterward  led,  through  accidental  circumstances, 
to  apply  himself  to  geometry,  for  the  purpose  of  practising  as 
a  land-surveyor. 


306  CARSTEN  NlEBUHR. 

With  this  design  he  repaired,  in  his  twenty-third  year,  to 
Bremen,  where  he  discovered  a  person  from  whom  he  might 
have  derived  the  necessary  instruction  ;  but  finding  that  this 
individual's  domestic  economy  was  under  the  superintendence 
of  two  youthful  sisters,  whose  behaviour  towards  himself  Nie- 
buhr  seems  to  have  regarded  as  forward  and  indecorous,  he 
immediately  quitted  this  city  and  proceeded  to  Hamburgh. 
It  will  easily  be  conceived  that  the  studies  of  a  young  man 
who  voluntarily  cultivated  his  intellect  as  the  only  means  by 
which  he  could  arrive  at  distinction,  were  pursued  with  ardent 
enthusiasm.  Niebuhr,  in  fact,  considered  labour  and  toil  as 
the  only  guides  to  genuine  glory,  and  was  content  to  tolerate 
on  the  way  the  rude  fierceness  of  their  manners. 

When  he  had  studied  the  mathematics,  during  two  years, 
under  Busch,  he  removed  to  Gottingen,  where  he  continued 
another  year.  At  this  period  the  Danish  ministry,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Michaelis,  had  projected  a  scientific  expedition 
into  Arabia,  which  was  at  first  designed,  at  least  by  its  origina- 
tor, merely  to  throw  some  light  upon  certain  passages  of  the 
Old  Testament,  but  which  afterward  embraced  a  much  wider 
field.  Michaelis,  to  whom  the  choice  of  the  individuals  who 
were  to  form  this  mission  had  been  intrusted,  betrayed  the 
narrowness  or  malignity  of  his  mind,  by  neglecting  the  cele- 
brated Reiske,  who  was  then  well  known  to  be  struggling  with 
starvation,  in  order  to  thrust  forward  Von  Haven,  a  pupil  of 
his  own,  who,  but  for  this  partial  choice,  would  probably  have 
lived  and  died  in  obscurity.  Niebuhr  himself  was  recommend- 
ed to  Michaelis  by  Kastner,  whose  pupil  he  had  for  some  time 
been.  The  proposal  was  abruptly  made,  and  as  suddenly  ac- 
cepted. "Have  you  a  mind,"  said  Kastner,  "to  go  into  Ara- 
bia]" "Why  notl"  replied  Niebuhr,  "if anybody  will  pay 
my  expenses."  "The  King  of  Denmark,"  said  Kastner, 
"  will  pay  your  expenses."  He  then  entered  into  the  history 
of  the  Danish  ministry's  project,  and  Niebuhr,  whose  genuine 
ambition  was  most  ardent,  and  who,  though  in  manners 
modest  and  unassuming,  could  not  but  entertain  a  favourable 
opinion  of  his  own  capacity,  at  once  engaged  to  form  a  mem- 
ber of  the  mission.  It  was  agreed,  on  the  part  of  his  Danish 
majesty,  that  he  should  be  allowed  a  year  and  a  half  for  pre- 
paration, with  a  salary  sufficient  for  his  maintenance. 

Niebuhr  had  now  a  definite  object.  The  East,  with  all  its 
barbaric  pomp  and  historical  glory,  which  in  preceding  and 
succeeding  days  have  kindled  enthusiasm  in  so  many  bosoms, 
appeared  to  court  his  examination ;  and,  like  a  lover  who  ap- 
preciates at  their  highest  value  the  accomphshments  of  his 
mistress,  and  is  bent  on  rendering  himself  worthy  of  her,  he 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  90^ 

thenceforward  studied,  with  vehement  earnestness,  all  those 
branches  of  knowledge  which  he  regarded  as  necessary  to  a 
traveller  in  the  East;  and  Latin,  Arabic,  the  mathematics, 
drawing,  practical  mechanics,  together  with  the  history  of  the 
countries  he  was  about  to  visit,  amply  occupied  his  hours. 
An  additional  half-year  being  granted  him,  it  was  not  until 
the  Michaelmas  of  1760  that  he  quitted  Gottingen  for  Copen- 
hagen. 

Here  he  was  received  in  the  most  flattering  manner  by  Count 
Bernstorf,  the  Danish  minister,  by  whom  he  was  appointed 
lieutenant  of  engineers.  The  rank  of  captain  he  modestly  re- 
fused. Niebuhr  was  never  possessed  by  an  immoderate  desire 
for  wealth,  and  a  trait  of  unpresuming  disinterestedness  which 
escaped  him  during  his  preparatory  studies  is  at  once  illustra- 
tive of  this  fact,  and  of  another  equally  important, — that  wealth 
no  less  than  fame  is  frequently  best  won  by  carefully  abstaining 
from  grasping  at  it  too  eagerly.  The  salary  granted  him  by 
the  King  of  Denmark  was  probably  small,  but  our  traveller, 
with  that  repugnance  to  sohcit  which  is  characteristic  of  supe- 
rior minds,  not  only  contrived  to  reduce  his  wants  within  the 
limits  of  his  means,  but  by  rigid  economy  enabled  himself, 
moreover,  to  purchase  at  his  own  expense  whatever  instru- 
ments he  needed.  The  knowledge  of  this  fact  coming  to  the 
ears  of  the  minister,  he  not  only  reimbursed  the  young  travel- 
ler the  sum  he  had  expended,  but,  as  a  mark  of  the  high  satis- 
faction he  derived  from  so  striking  an  evidence  of  honest  inde- 
pendence, committed  to  his  charge  the  travelling-chest  of  the 
mission. 

Niebuhr's  companions  were  four  in  number  :  Von  Haven, 
the  linguist,  a  person  of  mean  capacity  ;  Forskaal,  the  natu- 
rahst,  distinguished  for  his  numerous  and  profound  acquire- 
ments ;  Cramer,  a  physician,  devoid  even  of  professional 
knowledge  ;  and  Bauranfeiud,  an  artist,  not  destitute  of  talent, 
but  ignorant,  full  of  prejudices,  and  addicted  to  the  vulgar 
habit  of  drinking.  Von  Haven,  to  whom  a  long  sea-voyage 
was  disagreeable,  obtained  permission  to  proceed  to  Marseilles 
by  land  ;  and  the  ship  in  which  the  other  members  of  the  ex- 
pedition embarked  was  directed  to  take  him  on  board  at  that 
port.  They  left  the  Sound  on  the  7th  of  January,  1761,  but 
were  three  times  driven  back  by  contrary  winds ;  so  that  it 
was  not  until  the  10th  of  March  that  they  were  enabled  fairiy 
to  put  to  sea,  and  continue  their  voyage. 

Niebuhr  describes,  among  the  singular  things  observed 
during  this  voyage,  a  white  rainbow,  which  only  differed  from 
the  common  rainbow  in  being  destitute  of  colours.  This,  I 
beUeve,  is  a  phenomenon  not  often  witnessed;  but  on  the  31st 


308  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

of  May,  1830,  which  succeeded  a  day  and  night  of  tremend- 
ous thunder,  lightning,  and  rain,  a  similar  rainbow  was  seen 
in  Normandy.  It  was  much  thicker,  but  greatly  inferior  in 
span,  and  less  sharply  defined  at  the  edges  than  the  ordinary 
bow;  and,  as  the  morning  mist  upon  which  it  was  painted 
grew  thinner,  the  arch  decreased  in  span,  until  it  at  length 
vanished  entirely. 

Our  traveller  amused  himself  while  on  board  in  observing 
the  manners  of  the  crew,  which  he  considered  manly  though 
unpolished.  He  likewise  exercised  himself  daily  in  nautical 
and  astronomical  observations  ;  and  by  his  affability  and  the 
extent  of  his  knowledge,  acquired  and  preserved  the-  respect 
of  both  officers  and  men.  They  discovered  Cape  St.  Vincent 
on  the  21st  of  April,  and  a  few  days  afterward  entered  the 
Mediterranean,  where  their  course  was  considerably  retarded 
by  calms  and  contrary  winds.  Meanwhile  the  weather  was 
beautiful,  and  their  eyes  were  refreshed  with  the  most  lovely 
prospects,  now  on  the  African  shores,  and  now  on  those  of 
Europe.  On  the  14th  of  May  they  cast  anchor  in  the  port  of 
Marseilles,  which  was  at  that  time  crowded  by  Swedish, 
Danish,  Dutch,  Spanish,  and  French  ships,  the  greater  num- 
ber of  which  were  prevented  from  putting  to  sea  by  fear  of  the 
English  fleets,  which  scoured  the  Mediterranean,  diffusing 
consternation  and  terror  on  all  sides. 

From  the  agreeable  society  of  Marseilles,  rendered  doubly 
charming  in  their  estimation  by  their  previous  privation,  they 
were  soon  compelled  to  snatch  themselves  away.  On  the  6th 
of  June  Niebuhr  observed  at  sea  the  transit  of  Venus,  and  on 
the  14th  reached  Malta.  This  little  island  enjoys,  like  Ire- 
land, the  privilege  of  being  free  from  serpents,  which  it  is  sup- 
posed to  owe  to  the  interference  of  St.  Paul ;  though  Niebuhr 
imagines  that  the  dry  and  rocky  nature  of  the  soil  is  sufficient, 
without  a  miracle,  to  account  for  the  circumstance.  The 
knights  observing,  perhaps,  a  peculiar  absence  of  bigotry  in  our 
traveller,  imagined  that  this  indicated  a  leaning  towards  Ca- 
tholicism, and  appear  to  have  been  desirous  of  tempting  him 
by  magnificent  promises  to  desert  the  creed  of  his  forefathers. 
Though  his  stay  in  Malta  was  very  short,  Niebuhr  was  careful 
to  observe  whatever  curiosities  the  island  aflbrded :  the  great 
church  of  St.  John,  enriched,  it  is  said,  by  sharing  the  plunder 
of  the  knights,  with  innumerable  ornaments,  and  a  prodigious 
candlestick  of  gold  ;  the  hospital,  where  the  sick,  whatever 
might  be  their  medical  treatment,  were  served  with  vessels  of 
silver ;  the  immense  corn-magazines,  hewn  out  in  the  rock  ; 
the  salt-mines ;  and  the  catacombs. 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  309 

In  sailing  from  Malta  to  Smyrna  he  was  attacked  with 
dysentery,  and  began  to  fear  that  his  travels  were  to  terminate 
there ;  but  the  disorder  was  less  serious  than  he  imagined,  and 
having  reached  Tenedos,  he  embarked  in  a  Turkish  boat,  and 
proceeded  up  the  Dardanelles  to  Constantinople.  Here, 
though  slowly,  he  recovered  his  health,  and  having  remained 
quiet  two  months,  and  provided  oriental  dresses,  not  choosing 
to  expose  himself  in  the  paltry  costume  of  Europe  to  the  laugh- 
ter of  the  populace,  he  set  sail  with  his  companions  for  Egypt. 

On  the  way  they  landed  at  Rhodes,  where,  for  the  first  time 
they  visited  a  Turkish  eating-house.  The  dinner,  though 
dear,  was  good,  but  was  served  up  in  common  earthen  platters, 
in  the  open  street.  They  next  visited  a  Jew,  who  kept  wine 
for  the  accommodation  of  Europeans  ;  and  had  in  his  house 
two  young  women,  whom  he  called  his  daughters,  who  were 
probably  designed  for  the  same  purpose.  Their  reception 
here  cost  them  still  dearer  than  their  Turkish  dinner  ;  and  as 
Jews,  wine,  and  the  drinkers  of  wine  are  held  in  contempt  by  * 
all  sincere  and  respectable  Mohammedans,  this  must  be  con- 
sidered a  highly  injudicious  step  in  Niebuhr.  The  ship  in 
which  they  sailed  had  on  board  a  number  of  female  slaves,  the 
principal  of  whom  were  lodged  in  a  large  chamber  directly 
over  their  cabin,  from  which  we  may  infer  that  the  Turks  do 
not,  like  the  Burmese,  consider  it  a  disgrace  to  have  women 
walking  over  their  heads.  As  there  were  tolerably  wide  cracks 
in  the  ceiling,  our  travellers  frequently  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of 
viewing  these  ladies,  who,  though  a  little  terrified  at  first,  soon 
became  accustomed  to  their  faces,  and  notwithstanding  that 
neither  party  at  all  understood  the  language  of  the  other,  many 
little  presents  of  fruit  and  other  trifles  were  given  and  returned. 
The  mode  in  which  this  aflfair  was  conducted  was  ingenious. 
As  soon  as  the  Mohammedans  collected  together  for  prayer, 
the  girls  gently  tapped  at  their  windows,  and  Niebuhr  and 
Forskaal,  looking  out  of  the  cabin,  beheld  the  handkerchiefs 
of  the  fair  held  out  for  fruit.  When  filled,  they  were  drawn 
up,  and  the  presents  they  chose  to  make  in  return  were  then 
lowered  down  in  the  same  way.  During  the  voyage,  six  or 
eight  persons  having  died  suddenly,  it  was  suspected  that  they 
had  the  plague  on  board;  but  Niebuhr  imagined  that  other 
causes  might  have  hastened  the  end  of  those  who  died  ;  at  all 
events,  none  of  the  members  of  the  expedition  were  infected, 
though  their  physician  had  often,  visited  the  sick. 

The  land  of  Egypt  at  length  appeared  on  the  26th  of  Sep- 
tember, and  on  the  same  day,  late  in  the  evening,  they  cast 
anchor  in  the  port  of  Alexandria.     Norden,  a  scientific,  but  an 
uninteresting  traveller,  having  recently  constructed  a  plan  of 
27  '  ' 


310  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

the  city,  Niebuhr  judged  that  he  might  spare  himself  the  pains 
of  repeating  the  process,  more  especially  as  the  Arabs,  hovering 
in  troops  in  the  vicinity,  rendered  him  apprehensive  that  he 
might  be  robbed.  However,  as  the  eminence  on  which  Pom- 
pey's  pillar  stands  overlooks  a  large  portion  of  the  city,  he 
amused  himself  with  taking  several  angles  from  thence,  in- 
tending to  follow  this  up  by  taking  others  from  some  other  po- 
sitions. While  he  was  thus  engaged,  one  of  the  Turkish  mer- 
chants, who  happened  to  be  present,  observing  his  telescope 
pointed  towards  the  city,  had  the  curiosity  to  look  through  it, 
and  was  not  a  little  alarmed  at  perceiving  a  tower  upside  down. 
"  This,"  says  he,  *'  gave  occasion  to  a  rumour,  that  I  was 
come  to  Alexandria  to  turn  the  whole  city  topsyturvy.  The 
report  reached  the  governor's  house.  My  janizary  refused  to 
accompany  me  when  I  took  out  my  instrument ;  and  as  I 
then  supposed  that  a  European  could  not  venture  to  appear  in 
an  Eastern  city  without  a  janizary,  I  relinquished  the  idea  of 
•making  any  further  geometrical  measurements  there."  "On 
another  occasion,"  he  continues,  "when  I  was  making  an  as- 
tronomical observation  on  the  southern  point  of  the  Delta,  a 
very  civil  and  sensible  peasant,  from  the  village  of  Daraue, 
happened  to  be  present.  As  I  wished  to  show  him  something 
he  had  never  seen  before,  I  pointed  the  telescope  of  the  quad- 
rant towards  his  village,  on  which  he  was  extremely  terrified 
i  at  seeing  all  the  houses  upside  down.     He  asked  my  servant 

v'  what  could  be  the  cause  of  this.     The  man  replied,  that  the 

government,  being  extremely  dissatisfied  with  the  inhabitants 
of  that  village,  had  sent  me  to  overthrow  it  entirely.  The  poor 
peasant  was  greatly  afflicted,  and  entreated  me  to  wait  long 
enough  for  him  to  take  his  wife,  his  children,  and  his  cow  to 
some  place  of  safety.  My  servant  assured  him  he  had  two 
hours  good.  He  immediately  ran  home,  and  as  soon  as  the 
*  sun  had  passed  the  meridian,  I  took  my  quadrant  on  board 
,  again." 

Niebuhr  found  a  number  of  Mohammedans  at  Alexandria 
who  understood  French,  Swedish,  and  Danish  as  completely 
as  if  they  had  been  born  in  the  countries  where  those  languages 
are  spoken.  As  most  European  travellers  proceed  up  the 
Nile  from  this  city  to  Cairo,  the  members  of  the  expedition 
were  desirous  of  performing  the  journey  by  land,  but  were  re- 
strained by  fear  of  the  Arabs ;  and  M.  Forskaal,  who  after- 
ward ventured  upon  this  hardy  enterprise,  was  actually  strip- 
ped to  the  skin,  and  with  great  difficulty  obtained  back  his 
breeches.  Niebuhr  now  hired  a  small  ship,  and  embarked  on 
the  31st  of  October,  but  was  detained  in  the  Gulf  of  Aboukir 
by  contrary  winds.     Impatient  of  delay,  his  companions  pro- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  3ll 

.cce<1ed  thence  to  Rosetta  by  land,  with  a  company  of  Turks  ; 
but  our  traveller  continued  his  voyage,  and  reached  the  city 
very  shortly  after  them.  Though  the  inhabitants  of  Rosetta 
enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  peculiarly  pohte  towards 
strangers,  Niebuhr  was  too  impatient  to  behold  the  capital  of 
modern  Egypt  to  linger  long  in  any  provincial  city  ;  he  there- 
fore hastened  to  ascend  the  Nile,  and  enjoyed  the  romantic 
prospect  of  fertility,  villages  peeping  through  groves  of  date- 
trees,  and  here  and  there  vast  wrecks  of  ancient  cities,  which 
all  travellers  in  that  extraordinary  country  have  admired* 
They  arrived  at  Cairo  on  the  10th  of  November. 

The  Nile,  like  the  Ganges,  has  long  been  renowned  for  the 
daring  race  of  pirates  who  infest  it.  Bruce,  and  many  other 
travellers,  have  celebrated  their  ingenuity  ;  but  the  lollowing 
anecdote,  related  by  Niebuhr,  exhibits  their  exquisite  skill  in  a 
still  more  favourable  point  of  view  :  A  pasha,  recently  arrived 
in  Egypt,  happening  to  be  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
his  servants,  aware  of  the  dexterity  of  their  countrymen,  kept 
so  strict  a  watch  during  the  night,  that  they  detected  one  of 
the  pirates,  and  brought  him  before  the  pasha,  who  threatened 
to  put  him  to  death  on  the  spot.  The  prisoner,  however,  en- 
treated permission  to  show  the  pasha  one  of  the  extraordinary 
tricks  of  his  art,  in  the  hope  of  thereby  inducing  him  to  spare 
his  life.  The  permission  was  granted.  The  man  then  took 
up  the  pasha's  garments,  and  whatever  else  he  found  in  the 
tent,  and  having  tied  them  up  into  a  packet,  as  the  Egyptians 
do  when  they  are  about  to  swim  across  a  river,  made  several 
turns  before  the  company  to  amuse  them.  He  then  insensibly 
approached  the  Nile,  and  darting  into  the  water  like  lightning, 
had  already  'reached  the  opposite  shore,  with  the  pasha's  gar- 
ments upon  his  head,  before  the  Turks  could  get  ready  their 
muskets  to  fire  at  him. 

Niebuhr  was  exceedingly  desirous,  soon  after  his  arrival  at 
Cairo,  of  descending  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Nile  to  Damiet- 
ta  ;  but  the  sky  during  the  whole  winter  and  spring  was  so 
overcast  with  clouds,  and  the  rain  fell  so  frequently,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  take  astronomical  observations.  On  the  1st 
of  May,  however,  the  weather  having  cleared  up,  he  left  Cairo. 
The  wind  blowing  from  the  north,  their  progress  was  slow, 
and  he  had  therefore  considerable  leisure  for  observation. 
The  Coptic  churches  amused  him  much.  In  one  of  these  he 
saw  pictures  representing  Christ,  the  Virgin,  and  several  saints, 
on  horseback ;  intended,  perhaps,  to  insinuate  to  their  Mo- 
hammedan masters,  that  the  founder  of  their  religion  and  his 
followers  had  not  been  compelled,  as  Christians  then  were  in 
Egypt,  to  ride  upon  asses.     These  churches,  moreover,  were 


312  '  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

strewed  with  so  many  crutches,  that  a  stranger  might  con- 
clude, upon  observing  them,  that  the  whole  Coptic  community 
had  lost  the  use  of  their  limbs;  however,  upon  inquiry,  our 
traveller  discovered  that  it  was  the  custom  among  them  to 
stand  in  church,  which  many  persons  found  so  wearisome  that 
they  resolved  to  aid  their  piety  with  crutches.  The  floors 
were  covered  with  mats,  which,  not  being  changed  very  fre- 
quently, swarmed  with  fleas,  numbers  of  which  did  our  traveller 
the  honour  to  prefer  him  before  any  of  their  ancient  patrons. 
In  approaching  Damietta  he  saw  about  twenty  large  boats 
loaded  with  bees  :  each  of  these  boats  carried  two  hundred 
hives;  the  number,  therefore,  of  the  hives  here  assembled  in 
one  spot,  was  four  thousand;  and  when  the  inhabitants  of  this 
floating  city  issued  forth  to  visit  the  flowers  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, they  must  ha^e  appeared  like  a  locust  cloud. 

His  stay  at  Damietta,  which  is  about  four  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Nile,  was  short.  Europeans  are  nowhere  in  the 
East  so  much  detested,  on  account,  chiefly,  of  the  profligate 
character  of  the  French  formerly  settled  there,  who,  having 
debauched  several  Mohammedan  women,  were  nearly  all 
massacred  by  the  infuriated  populace.  Niebuhr's  fancy  that 
they  still  remember  the  crusades,  and  hate  the  Franks  for  the 
evils  those  insane  expeditions  inflicted  on  their  ancestors,  is 
just  as  rational  as  if  the  English  people  were  to  be  supposed 
to  nourish  resentment  against  all  the  northern  nations,  because 
their  barbarous  ancestors  made  piratical  descents  upon  the 
English  coasts. 

While  at  Cairo  he  could  not,  of  course,  resist  the  desire  of 
visiting  the  Pyramids.  He  therefore  hired  two  Bedouin 
guides,  and  proceeded  with  his  friend  Forskaal  towards  the 
desert,  where  they  were  encountered  by  a  young  sheikh,  who, 
by  dint  of  bravado  and  insolence,  succeeded  in  extorting  from 
them  a  small  sum  of  money  ;  but  had  they,  when  he  first  oflTer- 
ed  his  services,  bestowed  upon  him  half  a  crown,  he  would  nor 
only  have  given  them  no  further  molestation,  but  would  have 
constituted  himself  their  protector  against  all  other  importu- 
nates.  Niebuhr  afterward  returned  under  more  favourable 
auspices,  and  completed  the  measurement  of  the  two  great 
pyramids,  the  loftier  of  which  he  found  to  be  four  hundred  and 
forty-three  feet,  and  the  second  to  be  four  hundred  and  three 
feet  high.  I  shall  hereafter,  perhaps,  have  occasion  to  remark 
upon  the  strange  discrepancies  which  are  found  between  the 
measurements  of  various  travellers,  which  are,  in  fact,  so  great, 
that  we  must  suspect  some  of  them,  at  least,  of  having  wanted 
the  knowledge  required  for  such  an  undertaking.  From  con- 
sidering the  petrifactions  and  the  nature  of  the  rocks  in  this 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  313 

neighbourhood,  Niebuhr  was  led  to  infer  the  prodigious  anti- 
quity of  Egypt:  "Supposing  the  whole  of  the  rocks  in  the 
northern  portions  of  the  country  to  be  composed  of  petrifac- 
tions of  a  certain  kind  of  shell,  how  many  years,"  says  he, 
"  must  have  elapsed  before  a  sufficient  number  of  little  snails 
to  raise  mountains  to  their  present  height  could  have  been  born 
and  died  !  How  many  other  years  before  Egypt  could  have 
been  drained  and  become  solid,  supposing  that,  in  those  re- 
mote ages,  the  waters  retired  from  the  shore  as  slowly  as  they 
have  during  the  last  ten  centuries  I  How  many  years  still, 
before  the  country  was  sufficiently  peopled  to  think  of  erecting 
the  first  pyramid!  How  many  more  years,  before  that  vast 
multitude  of  pyramids  which  are  still  found  in  the  country 
could  have  been  constructed  !  Considering  that  at  the  present 
day  we  are  ignorant  of  when,  and  by  whom,  even  the  most 
modern  of  them  was  built." 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1762,  Niebuhr  and  his  companions 
set  out  with  the  caravan  going  from  Cairo  to  Suez  :  the  rest  of 
the  party,  in  spite  of  the  Mohammedans,  mounted  on  horse- 
back, and  Niebuhr  himself  on  a  dromedary.  By  this  means 
he  avoided  several  evils  to  which  the  others  were  lial>le.  Seat- 
ed on  his  mattress  he  could  turn  his  face  now  on  one  side,  now 
on  another,  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  sun  ;  and,  after  having 
travelled  all  day,  was  no  more  fatigued  in  the  evening  than  if 
he  had  been  all  the  while  reposing  in  a  chair ;  while  the  horse- 
men, compelled  to  remain  perpetually  in  the  same  posture, 
were  well-nigh  exhausted.  On  the  30ih  they  encamped  near 
a  well  of  good  water,  mentioned  by  Belin,  Pietro  Delia  Valle, 
and  Pococke,  close  to  which  the  Turks  formerly  erected  a  cas- 
tle, which  was  now  in  ruins,  and  in  three  hours  more  arrived 
at  the  wells  of  Suez,  which  were  surrounded  by  a  strong  wall, 
to  keep  out  the  Arabs,  and  entered  by  a  door  fastened  with 
enormous  clumps  of  iron.  The  water  here  was  drawn  up 
with  buckets  or  sacks  of  leather. 

Suez,  from  its  fortunate  position  on  the  Red  Sea,  carried  on 
a  considerable  trade.  Numbers  of  ships  were  built  there  an- 
nually, the  materials  of  which  were  transported  thither  on  the 
backs  of  camels  from  Cairo.  The  environs  consist  of  naked 
rocks,  or  beds  of  loose  sand,  in  which  nothing  but  brambles 
and  a  few  dry  stunted  plants,  among  others  the  rose  of  Jericho, 
are  found  to  grow.  This  rose  is  employed  by  the  women  of 
the  East  in  various  superstitious  practices,  and  is  therefore  to 
be  found  for  sale  in  all  cities.  When  pregnant,  they  gather 
one  of  the  buds,  and  putting  its  stem  in  water,  foretel  whether 
their  pains  will  be  severe  or  slight  from  the  greater  or  smaller 
development  of  the  flower. 
27* 


3t4  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

Niebuhr*s  first  inquiry  on  arriving  at  Suez  was  concerning 
the  "  Mountains  of  Inscriptions,"  about  which  so  much  had 
been  said  in  Europe.  Tl)e  individuals  to  whom  his  first 
questions  were  put  had  never  even  heard  of  it;  others,  who 
were  exactly  in  the  same  predicament,  but  desired  to  possess 
themselves  of  ahttle  of  their  European  gold,  professed  a  most 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  spot,  but  upon  inquiry  were  de- 
tected. At  length,  however,  an  Arab  was  discovered,  from 
whose  replies  it  was  clear,  that  whether  he  had  seen  the  real 
Gebtlel  Mokatteb  or  not,  some  mountain  or  another  he  had 
beheld,  ujJon  which  inscriptions  in  an  unknown  language  were 
to  be  found.  Under  this  man's  guidance,  therefore,  they 
placed  themselves, — Thatis,  Niebuhr  and  Von  Haven,  for  the 
rest  were,  from  various  causes,  detained  at  Suez;  and  leaving 
the  Red  Sea  on  their  right  hand  they  struck  off  into  the  desert. 

Niebuhr  found  that  the  Arabs,  whose  profession  it  is  to  serve 
as  guides,  were  distinguished,  like  all  other  persons  of  that 
class,  for  their  extravagant  cupidity.  So  long  as  they  could 
live  at  the  expense  of  strangers,  their  own  provisions  and 
means  were  assiduously  spared ;  but  on  other  occasions  they 
exhibited  various  symptoms  that  the  old  national  virtue  of 
hospitality  was  not  wholly  banished  from  their  minds.  The 
women  in  this  part  of  Arabia  are  not  in  the  habit  of  conceal- 
ing their  faces  from  strangers,  as  is  the  fashion  in  Egypt. 
Niebuhr,  in  his  solitary  rambles  through  the  country,  discovered 
the  wife  and  sister  of  a  sheikh  grinding  corn  beside  their  tent; 
who,  instead  of  flying  and  concealing  themselves  at  his  ap- 
proach, as  he  seems  to  have  expected,  came  forward,  accord- 
ing to  the  good  old  custom  of  the  East,  with  a  present  in  their 
hands. 

On  arriving  at  what  his  guides  called  the  "  Mountain  of  In- 
scriptions," a  lofty  rugged  eminence,  which  it  cost  them  much 
time  and  toil  to  chmb,  he  found — not  what  he  had  expected — 
but  a  vast  Egyptian  cemetery,  in  which  were  a  great  number  of 
sepulchral  monuments  covered  with  hieroglyphics.  These 
inscriptions  he  was  not  permitted  to  copy  at  the  time,  because 
the  sheikh  of  the  moimtain  apprehended  he  might  thereby 
gain  possession  of  the  immense  treasures  concealed  beneath  ; 
but  one  of  his  guides,  who  probably  had  little  faith  in  that  point 
of  the  sheikh's  creed,  afterward,  on  his  return  from  Mount 
Sinai,  enabled  him  to  copy  whatever  he  pleased.  On  his  arri- 
val at  the  convent  of  St.  Catherine  the  monks  politely  refused 
to  admit  him,  alleging,  as  their  excuse,  that  he  had  not  brought 
along  with  him  a  letter  from  their  bishop.  The  patriarch's 
letter,  which  he  presented  to  them,  they  returned  unopened. 
He  was,  in  fact,  destined  to  meet  with  nothing  but  disappoint- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUIIR.  315 

ment  in  these  celebrated  regions  ;  for  his  Arabs,  having  con- 
ducted him  up  to  a  certain  height  on  Mount  Sinai,  refused  to 
proceed  any  fartlier,  and  he  was  not  possessed  of  sufficient 
resolution  to  ascend  the  remainder  alone. 

Niebuhr  now  hastened  back  to  Suez,  and  on  his  return 
forded  the  Red  Sea  on  his  dromedary,  a  thing  which  no  Euro- 
pean had  done  before,  though  the  guides,  who  were  on  foot, 
did  not  find  the  water  above  knee  deep.  Being  desirous  of 
surveying  the  extremity  of  the  Arabian  Gulf,  he  procured  a 
guide  soon  after  his  return  from  Mount  Sinai,  with  whom  he 
set  out  upon  this  expedition.  They  travelled,  however,  in  con- 
stant fear;  and  the  sight  of  a  stranger  in  the  distance  increas- 
ed the  terrors  of  the  guide  to  so  extraordinary  a  pitch,  that  it 
may  be  suspected  he  had  blood  upon  his  hands,  and  dreaded 
the  hour  of  retribution. 

The  constant  arrival  of  pilgrims  from  Egypt  had  now  ren- 
dered Suez,  in  proportion  to  its  extent,  more  populous  than 
Cairo.  These  holy  men,  being  on  their  way  to  the  city  of 
their  prophet,  regarded  Christians  with  an  evil  eye,  just  as  a 
bigoted  Franciscan  travelling  to  Jerusalem  would  regard  a 
heretic  or  an  unbeliever;  and  on  this  account  Niebuhr  greatly 
dreaded  the  voyage  lie  was  about  to  perform  in  their  company 
from  Suez  to  Jidda.  To  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  all  causes 
of  dispute  with  their  fellow-passengers,  they  embarked  several 
days  before  the  rest,  paid  their  passage,  stowed  away  their 
luggage,  and  then  amused  themselves  with  observing  the 
strange  characters  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  not  the 
least  extraordinary  of  which  was  a  rich  black  eunuch,  who 
in  imitation  of  the  great  Turkish  lords,  travelled  with  his 
harem. 

All  the  passengers  having  at  length  repaired  on  board,  they 
set  sail  on  the  9th  of  October,  and  sailing  along  coral  reefs, 
which  in  bad  weather  are  highly  dangerous,  they  arrived  next 
day  at  Tor.  Near  this  town  is  a  small  village  inhabited  by 
Christians,  to  which  Forskaal  went  alone,  for  the  purpose  of 
visiting  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  site  of  ancient  Elim.  While 
he  was  absent,  it  was  rumoured  on  board  that  the  Arabs  had 
formed  the  intention  of  pursuing  and  arresting  the  Frank,  who 
had  landed  with  the  design  of  sketching  their  mountains; 
upon  which  a  number  of  janizaries  from  Cairo,  who  happened 
to  be  on  board,  immediately  set  out  for  the  village,  and  having 
met  with  M.  Forskaal,  conducted  him  back  in  safety  to  the 
vessel.  "Are  there  many  Christians,"  inquires  Niebuhr, 
"  who,  under  similar  circumstances,  would  do  as  much  for  a 
Jewr» 


\ 
316  CAKSTEN   NIEBUHR. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  October  they  discovered, 
about  sunset,  the  Emerald  Mountains  on  the  coast  of  Egypt, 
called  Gebel  Zumrud  by  the  Arabs.  Next  day  there  happened 
an  echpse  of  the  sun.  In  Mohammedan  countries  persons 
who  are  able  to  calculate  an  eclipse  are  regarded  as  consum- 
mate physicians.  Forskaal  had  informed  Xhe,  reis,  or  captain, 
that  an  eclipse  was  about  to  take  place  ;  and  to  amuse  him 
and  keep  him  from  interrupting  his  astronomical  observations, 
Niebuhr  had  smoked  several  glasses,  through  which  he,  as 
well  as  the  principal  ipercliants,  might  contemplate  the  phe- 
nomenon. They  were  all  greatly  amused,  and  from  that 
moment  Forskaal  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  a  second 
Avicenna.  From  a  spirit  of  humane  complaisance,  which  in- 
duces us  to  allow  every  one  an  opportunity  of  exhibiting  his 
pecuhar  talents,  men  are  exceedingly  apt  to  fall  ill  when  they 
come  in  contact  with  a  physician.  Our  traveller's  Moham- 
medan companions  were  particularly  polite  in  this  way;  for, 
no  sooner  had  they  persuaded  themselves  that  there  was  a 
physician  on  board,  than  they  all  discovered  that  they  were 
attacked  by  diseases  which  had  previously  lain  dormant,  and 
confidingly  demanded  medicines  and  advice.  Forskaal  pre- 
scribed for  all.  To  the  majority  he  recommended  more  or 
less  sleep,  and  a  careful  attention  to  their  diet.  A  pilgrim  at 
length  presented  himself,  who  complained  that  he  was  unable 
to  see  during  the  night.  The  physician  advised  him  to  light 
a  candle.  This  was  excellent.  The  Arabs,  who  are  naturally 
lively,  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  and  all  their  diseases  were  for- 
gotten in  a  moment. 

Between  Ras  Mohammed  and  Hassani  the  ship  was  twice 
in  danger  of  being  set  on  fire  by  the  negligence  of  the  women ; 
but  at  length  they  reached  this  small  island  in  safety,  and  the 
Mohammedans  believing  the  principal  danger  to  be  now  over, 
exhibited  various  tokens  of  joy,  firing  muskets  and  pistols, 
illuminating  the  ship  with  lamps  and  lanterns,  and  uttering  the 
triumphant  cry  of  Be,  be,  he!  so  commonly  used  by  the  orien- 
tals. The  sailors  and  the  pilot  petitioned  for  a  present,  the 
former  coming  round  to  each  passenger  with  a  little  boat  in 
their  hands,  which,  when  the  collecti  )n  was  over,  was  thrown 
into  the  sea.  During  this  passage  Niebuhr,  who,  up  to  his 
arrival  at  Suez,  had  scarcely  seen  the  face  of  a  Mohammedan 
woman,  had  an  opportunity  of  viewing  three  or  four  of  them 
naked  in  a  bath;  and  his  indiscreet  curiosity  very  fortunately 
entailed  upon  him  no  evil  consequences. 

On  the  29th  of  October  they  arrived  at  Jidda,  where  the 
usual  attempts  were  made  to  defraud  the  custom-house.     In 


CARSTEN   NIEBUHR.  3if 

this  praiseworthy  design  some  succeeded  to  the  extent  of  their 
desires ;  but  others,  less  adroit,  or  more  unfortunate,  were  de- 
tected and  compelled  to  pay  the  duties,  no  such  atrocity  as  the 
confiscation  of  the  whole  property  being  ever  practised.  A 
duty  of  two  or  two  and  a  half  per  cent,  being  levied  upon  all 
specie,  people  were  most  anxious  to  conceal  their  wealth:  but 
by  endeavouring  to  effect  this,  one  of  Niebuhr's  companions 
suffered  severely ;  for  in  stepping  from  the  ship  into  the  boat, 
his  purse,  which  he  had  tied  round  his  body,  opened  accident- 
ally, and  about  a  hundred  crowns  fell  into  the  sea.  The  com- 
mon cash  of  the  expedition  was  conveyed  on  shore  in  the 
bottoms  of  their  boxes  of  drugs,  which  were  not  searched,  it 
being  in  Arabia  a  general  opinion  that  physicians,  having  no 
need  of  money,  seldom  carry  any  about  with  them. 

Niebuhr  had  observed  in  Egypt  that  the  populace  looked 
with  inexpressible  contempt  upon  Christians,  and  thence  in- 
ferred that  in  proportion  as  they  approached  the  Holy  City 
they  should  find  this  inhospital  bigotry  on  the  increase ;  but  his 
apprehensions  were  unfounded,  for  the  people  of  Jidda,  long 
accustomed  to  the  sight  of  Europeans,  and  constantly  experi- 
encing the  humanizing  influence  of  commerce,  were  peculiarly 
refined,  allowing  strangers  to  do  almost  what  they  pleased.  It 
was  merely  forbidden  them  to  approach  the  Mecca  gate ; 
which,  like  the  city  to  which  it  leads,  is  reputed  holy.  Our 
traveller,  during  his  residence  at  Cairo,  had  formed  an  ac- 
quaintance with  a  poor  sheikh,  who,  for  a  Mohammedan, 
might  be  said  to  be  as  highly  favoured  by  science  as  he  was 
neglected  by  fortune;  and  this  man,  in  gratitude  for -the 
knowledge  he  had  derived  from  him,  besides  furnishing  him 
with  letters  of  recommendation  to  the  Kihaya  and  Pasha  of 
Jidda,  had  privately  written  to  those  important  personages, 
who  had  honoured  him  for  his  knowledge,  earnestly  requestmg 
them  to  show  every  possible  mark  of  kindness  and  attention 
to  his  European  friends.  These  were  the  letters  from  which 
they  had  least  expectations,  and  presented  last;  nevertheless, 
when  the  recommendations  of  all  their  other  friends  had  failed 
even  to  procure  them  a  lodging,  those  of  the  poor  sheikh  intro- 
duced them  to  powerful  protectors.  Niebuhr  was  here  witness 
of  the  curious  mode  of  catching  wild  ducks  noticed  by  Po- 
cocke  in  Upper  Egypt,  and  by  another  English  traveller  in 
China.  When  a  number  of  these  birds  were  observed  in  the 
water,  the  sportsman  undressed,  covered  his  head  with  sea- 
weed, and  then  crept  quietly  into  the  water.  By  this  means 
the  ducks  were  deceived,  so  that  they  allowed  the  man  to  come 
near  and  catch  them  by  the  legs. 


318  CAESTEN    NIEBUUR. 

They  remained  at  Jidda  until  the  14th  of  December,  when 
they  embarked  in  one  of  the  country  vessels  for  Loheia.  Nie- 
buhr  was  not  possessed  of  the  art  of  painting  what  he  saw  with 
the  fine  colours  of  language.  His  narrative  is  frequently  dry 
even  to  insipidity.  He  was  observant,  he  was  calm,  he  was 
judicious,  but  he  was  destitute  of  eloquence,  and  this  deficien- 
cy is  nowhere  in  his  works  more  strongly  felt  than  in  his  ac- 
count of  his  various  voyages  through  the  Red  Sea.  On  the 
22d  they  landed  on  the  coast  of  Yemen,  near  Fej  el  Jelbe, 
inhabited  by  Bedouins,  who  are  suspected  of  being  pagans. 
A  few  tents  were  discovered  on  the  shore,  and  as  soon  as  the 
travellers  had  landed,  which  they  did  unarmed  lest  they  should 
be  taken  for  enemies,  several  of  the  wild  natives  came  down  to 
meet  them.  Their  appearance  and  dress  were  extraordinary. 
Their  dark  hair  descended  in  profusion  to  their  shoulders ; 
and  instead  of  a  turban,  several  of  them  had  merely  a  cord 
tied  round  the  head,  intended,  I  imagine,  to  keep  their  tresses 
in  order.  Others,  more  careful  and  industrious,  had  woven 
themselves  a  kind  of  bonnet  with  green  palm-leaves.  A 
miserable  waist-cloth  constituted  the  whole  of  their  dress. 
From  the  eagerness  of  the  sailors  to  get  their  lances  out  of 
their  hands  they  immediately  discovered  that  they  were  sus- 
pected ;  upon  which  they  cast  the  weapons  on  the  ground, 
assuring  the  strangers  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear.  Not- 
withstanding that  tiiey  had  landed  in  search  of  provisions  the 
Bedouins  conducted  them  to  their  tents,  where  two  women 
came  out  to  meet  them.  Their  salutation  was  curious.  The 
women,  who  were  unveiled,  kissed  the  arm  of  the  sheikh,  who, 
m  return,  pressed  their  heads  with  his  lips.  The  ladies  then 
advanced  towards  the  strangers.  Their  complexion  was 
sallow  brown,  they  had  blackened  their  eyelids  with  surme, 
and  died  their  nails  with  henne;  and,  like  the  lower  ranks  of 
women  in  Egypt,  exhibited  marks  of  tattooing  on  the  chin, 
cheeks  and  forehead.  Cosmetics  being  rare  in  those  countries, 
they  requested  our  travellers  to  favour  them  with  a  small  quan- 
tity of  kohol  and  al  henne;  but  they  had  injudiciously  neg- 
lected to  provide  themselves  with  any  thing  of  the  kind,  and 
consequently  saw  themselves  in  the  disagreeable  predicament 
of  being  compelled  to  refuse. 

On  their  arrival  at  Loheia  they  were  received  with  remark- 
able politeness  by  the  emir  and  the  chief  merchants  of  the  city. 
They  had  taken  the  small  vessel  in  which  they  performed  the 
voyage  for  a  longer  passage  as  far  as  Hodeida;  and  the  cap- 
tain, understanding  that  they  had  some  intention  of  remaining 
at  Loheia,  secretly  applied  to  the  emir  with  a  request  that  he 
would  compel  them  to  complete  their  engagement,  either  by 


CARSTEN    NIEBUHR.  319 

proceeding  all  the  way  to  Hodeida,  or  by  paying  the  whole 
sum  agreed  upon.  With  a  generosity  not  often  displayed 
towards  utter  strangers  by  men  in  office,  the  emir  replied,  that 
should  the  travellers  refuse  payment  of  the  sum  in  question, 
he  himself  would  satisfy  his  demands;  and  the  principal 
merchant  to  whom  the  suspicious  navigator  also  applied  enter- 
ed into  the  same  engagement.  Of  course  they  were  not  al- 
lowed to  suffer  by  their  grateful  and  astonished  guests. 

The  above  merchant  in  his  eastern  style  of  hospitality,  gave 
them  a  house  to  live  in  during  their  stay.     In  return  the  travel- 
lers amused  him  and  the  emir  with  the  effects  of  their  micro- 
scopes, telescopes,  &c.     These   things  filled  them   with  won- 
der; crowds  of  people,  curious  but  well-behaved,  thronged 
their  court  from  morning  till  night,  examining  with  attention 
whatever  they  saw,  and  expressing  their  astonishment  at  every 
thing.     This  was  too   much  for  Danish  politeness.      They 
hired  a  porter,  and  stationing  him  at  their  door,  gave  strict  or- 
ders that  none  but  professional  men  should  be  admitted.     But 
the  curiosity  of  the  Arabs  was  not  to  be  subdued  so  easily;  for, 
when  all  other  excuses  failed,  they  feigned  illness,  and  gained 
admittance  under  pretence  of  coming  to  consult  the  physician. 
Sometimes  Dr.  Cramer,  who  appears  to  have  been  an  uncouth 
creature,  was  requested  to  favour  sick  persons  with  a  visit  at 
their  own  houses,  and  one  day  received  a  pressing  entreaty  to 
repair  without  delay  to  the  emir  el  bahr,  or  captain  of  the  port, 
who  had  need  of  consulting  him.     Cramer,  not  attending  to 
this  summons  immediately,  was   shortly  afterward  informed 
that  the  emir  el  bahr^s  saddle-horse  was  at  the  door  waiting  for 
him.     This  piece  of  attention  was  too  flattering  to  be  resisted ; 
he  therefore  descended  immediately,  and  was  about  to  put  his 
foot  into  the  stirrup,  when  he  was  interrupted  with  the  infor- 
mation that  the  horse  was  unwell,  and  had  been  brought  there 
as  a  patient!     Physicians  in  Arabia  prescribe  for  horses  as 
well  as  men;  this,  therefore  was  not  meant  as  an  insult ;  but 
Cramer,  who  felt  all  his  Danish  blood  curdle  in  his  veins  at  the 
bare  idea  of  prescribing  for  a  Mohammedan  horse,  and  was, 
moreover,  mortified  at  not  being  allowed  to  mount  his  patient^ 
indignantly  refused  to  exercise  the  functions  of  a  horse-doctor. 
Luckily,  however,  their  European  servant,  who  had  served  in 
a  dragoon  regiment,  understood  something  of  the  veterinary 
art,  and  undertook  the  cure  of  the  emir's  horse;  which  suc- 
ceedingly  happily,  he  also  was  regarded  as  an  eminent  physi- 
cian, and  was  allowed  to  elevate  his  ambition  to  the  treatment 
of  men. 

As  our  travellers  continued,  as  far  as  possible,  to  live  after 
the  European  fashion,  their  manners  were  necessarily  as  much 


v320  CARSTEN   NIEBUHR. 

an  object  of  curiosity  to  the  Arabs  as  those  of  the  Arabs  were 
to  them.  One  day  two  young  men  came  to  see  them  eat.  Of 
these,  one  was  a  young  nobleman  from  Sana,  whose  gentle 
manners  announced  a  superior  education;  the  other,  a  young 
chief  from  the  mountains,  whose  country  was  seldom  visited 
by  strangers.  This  the  naivete  and  simplicity  of  his  manners 
soon  rendered  manifest.  Upon  being  invited  to  eat,  he  replied, 
•^'God  preserve  me  from  eating  with  infidels,  who  have  no  be- 
lief in  God !"  Niebuhr  then  demanded  the  name  of  his  coun- 
try ;  "  What,"  said  he,  " can  my  country  concern  thee?  Hast 
thou  formed  the  design  of  going  thither  to  subdue  it T'  He 
afterward  made  several  remarks  upon  their  manners,  the  sim- 
plicity of  which  excited  their  laughter;  at  which  the  Arab  felt 
ashamed,  and  ran  away  in  confusion.  His  companion  fetched 
liim  back,  however,  and  he  returned,  wondering  at  the  amaz- 
ing quantity  of  food  which  they  devoured.  Fowl  after  fowl 
disappeared  before  these  mighty  eaters  ;  the  poor  Arab,  who 
began  to  entertain  awful  ideas  of  the  capacity  of  a  German 
stomach,  and  apprehending  that  they  might  bring  about  a 
famine  in  the  land,  for  a  while  looked  on  in  silent  amazement; 
but  w^hen  they  had  already  eaten  as  much  as  would,  perhaps, 
have  satisfied  a  whole  tribe  of  Bedouins,  he  started  up,  upon 
seeing  Von  Haven  preparing  to  carve  yet  another  fowl,  and 
seizing  him  by  the  arm,  exclaimed,  "How  much  then,  dost 
thou  intend  to  eat  V  This  sally  produced  still  louder  peals  of 
laughter  than  ever,  and  the  poor  Arab,  who  probably  appre- 
hended that  they  might  finish  by  eating  him,  rushed  out  of  the 
house  and  disappeared. 

Having  sufficiently  observed  whatever  was  interesting  or 
new  at  Loheia,  they  departed  thence  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1763,  their  servants  and  baggage  mounted  on  camels,  and 
themselves  on  asses.  Not  that  Europeans  were  here,  as  at 
Cairo,  prohibited  from  riding  on  horseback,  but  that  horses 
were  dear  and  not  easily  to  be  hired,  while  the  asses,  though 
comparatively  cheap,  were  large  fine  animals,  of  easy  gait. 
Arabia,  it  is  well  known,  is  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  burning 
sand,  which  has  in  all  ages  aided  in  protecting  it  from  inva- 
sion. This  our  travellers  had  now  to  traverse,  but  they  sutfer- 
ed  no  particular  inconvenience  from  the  heat,  and  in  four  days 
arrived  at  Beit  el  Fakih^  the  greatest  coffee  emporium  in  the 
world. 

Niebuhr,  being  now  in  a  country  where  travelling  was  at- 
tended with  no  risk,  and  desiring,  apparently,  to  escape  from 
the  society  of  his  companions,  hired  an  ass,  and  set  out  alone 
on  an  excursion  to  several  neighbouring  towns.  This  was 
flucceeded  by  several  other  excursions,  and  at  length  he  pro- 


CARSTEX  NIEBUHR.  32^1 

ceeded  to  the  Coffee  Mountains,  a  district  which  offers,  per- 
haps, as  many  curious  particulars  to  the  observation  of  a  trav- 
eller as  any  spot  in  Asia.  These  mountains  could  be  ascend- 
ed only  on  foot.  The  road,  though  rugged  and  broken,  lay 
through  coffee  plantations  and  gardens,  and  to  Niebuhr,  vi^lio 
had  just  quitted  the  burning  plains  of  the  Tehama,  afforded 
the  most  exquisite  gratification.  The  prospects,  moreover, 
which  here  meet  the  eye  on  ail  sides  are  rich  and  beautiful. 
They  are  precisely  what  the  hills  of  Judea  must  have  been  be- 
fore Sion  had  been  profaned  by  the  heathen,  when  every  man, 
confident  in  the  protection  of  the  Lord,  sat  down  tranquilly 
under  his  vine  or  under  his  fig-tree.  These  mountains  are 
covered  with  vineyarJs  to  the  summit,  have  a  woody  appear- 
ance, and  are  beautified  by  numerous  mountain  streams, 
which  frequently  leap  in  long  cascades  from  the  rocks.  The 
coffee-tree,  which  was  at  this  time  in  full  flower  in  many  places, 
diffuses  around  an  agreeable  odour,  and  somewhat  resembles 
the  Spanish  jasmin.  The  Arabs  plant  these  trees  so  close 
that  the  rays  of  the  sun  can  scarcely  find  their  way  between 
them,  which  prevents  the  necessity  of  frequent  watering  ;  but 
they  have  reservoirs  on  the  heights  from  which  they  can,  vvhen 
necessary,  turn  numerous  streamlets  into  the  plantations. 

From  the  Coffee  Mountains  they  returned  to  Beit  el  Fakih, 
whence  they  shortly  afterward  departed  on  another  short  ex- 
cursion. The  natives,  who  carefully  abstained  from  exposing 
themselves  to  the  sun  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  expressed 
their  well-grounded  astonishment  that  Europeans  should  be 
imprudent  enough  to  hazard  so  dangerous  a  step;  and  our 
travellers  were,  in  reality,  at  this  very  time  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  those  fatal  diseases  which  shortly  afcerward  swept  them 
away,  Niebuhr  only  excepted  ;  for  I  am  persuaded  that  they 
might  have  returned,  even  in  spite  of  their  execrable  diet  and 
destructive  habits  of  drinking,  to  brave  the  climate  of  Yemen, 
had  they  timed  their  journeys  more  judiciously. 

By  this  time  their  appearance  was  tolerably  oriental ;  the 
gun  had  bronzed  their  countenances,  their  beards  had  acquir- 
ed a  respectable  length,  their  dress  was  exactly  that  of  the 
country,  and  they  had,  moreover,  adopted  Arabic  names. 
Even  their  guides  no  longer  took  them  for  Europeans  but 
supposed  them  to  be  members  of  the  eastern  church,  who  by 
forbidden  studies  had  succeeded  in  discovering  the  art  of 
making  golJ,  and  were  searching  among  the  lonely  recesses 
of  their  mountains  for  some  rare  plant  whose  juices  were  re- 
quisite in  their  alchymical  processes.  Niebuhr's  assiduous 
observation  of  the  stars  considerably  aided  in  strengthening 
23 


322  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

this  delusion,  which  upon  the  whole,   perhaps,  was  rathet* 
beneficial  to  them  than  otherwise. 

In  the  hilly  districts  of  Yemen  our  traveller  observed  among 
the  Arabs  a  peculiar  mode  of  passing  the  night.  Instead  of 
making  use  of  a  bed,  each  individual  crept  entirely  naked  into 
a  sack,  where,  without  closing  the  mouth  of  it,  the  breath  and 
transpiration  kept  him  sufficiently  warm.  Niebuhr  himself 
never  tried  the  sack,  but  veiy  soon  acquired  the  habit,  which 
is  universal  among  the  Arabs  of  Yemen,  of  sleeping  with  the 
face  covered,  to  guard  against  the  malignant  ellects  of  the 
dews  and  poisonous  winds.  Here,  M.  Forskaal  discovered 
the  small  tree  that  produces  the  balm  of  Mecca,  which  hap- 
pening to  be  in  flower  at  the  time  enabled  him  to  write  a  com- 
plete description  of  it,  which  he  did  seated  under  its  branches. 
The  inhabitants,  who  knew  nothing  of  its  value,  merely  made 
use  of  it  as  firewood,  on  account  of  its  agreeable  odour. 

Upon  descending  from  these  mountainous  countries,  where 
the  climate  is  as  cool  and  salubrious  as  in  most  parts  of  Eu- 
rope, Niebuhr  found  the  heat  of  the  Tehama  almost  insupport- 
able, and  entering  a  little  coffee-house,  overwhelmed  with 
fatigue,  threw  himself  on  his  mat  in  a  current  of  air,  and  fell 
asleep.  This  heedless  action  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  He 
awoke  in  a  violent  fever,  which  hung  about  him  for  a  consid- 
erable time,  and  reduced  his  frame  to  such  an  extreme  state  of 
weakness  that  the  shghtest  exertion  became  painful.  Von 
Haven,  too,  whose  supreme  delight  consisted  in  brandy,  wine, 
and  good  eating,  and  who  seldom  quitted  his  sofa,  except  for 
the  purpose  of  placing  himself  before  his  gods  at  the  dinner- 
table,  now  began  to  experience  the  impolicy  of  feeding  like  an 
ogre  in  the  deserts  of  the  Tehama,  and  very  quickly  fell  a 
victim  to  his  imprudence. 

From  Beit  el  Fakih  they  proceeded  to  Mokha,  where,  as  at 
Cairo,  Europeans  were  compelled  to  enter  the  city  by  a  par- 
ticular gate,  on  foot,  as  a  mark  of  humiliation.  Niebuhr  found 
that  he  and  his  companions  were  here  taken  for  Turks,  and 
they  were  accordingly  directed  to  the  khan,  or  inn,  where  the 
Osmanlis  usually  took  up  their  abode.  Though  they  under- 
stood that  there  was  an  English  merchant  at  Mokha,  they 
judged  it  unnecessary,  in  the  first  instance,  to  make  applica- 
tion to  him,  as  they  had  everyM'here  else  in  Yemen  been  re- 
ceived with  politeness  and  hospitality;  and  besides,  they  were 
somewhat  apprehensive  that,  from  their  dress  and  appearance, 
he  might  be  led  to  regard  them  as  vagabonds  or  renegades. 
They  therefore  addressed  themselves  to  an  Arab  merchant,  by 
whom  they  were  well  received. 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHll»>  32?* 

The  people  of  Mokha  made  some  pretensions  to  civilizationt 
which  is  unfortunate,  as  the  term,  at  least  in  the  East,  means 
custom-house  officers,  and  insolence  towards  strangers.  Our 
travellers,  though  no  merchants,  had  large  quantities  of  bag- 
gage, which,  of  course,  was  taken  to  the  custom-house,  before 
they  could  be  allowed  to  enjoy  the  use  of  it.  I  have  already 
observed,  that  although  Niebuhr  himself  was  a  temperate,  per- 
haps even  an  abstemious  man,  his  companions  set  a  high 
value  on  the  gratification  of  their  senses.  Von  Haven  himself, 
who,  as  I  have  already  observed,  shortly  afterward  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  his  indiscretion,  was  still  among  them,  and  it  may 
therefore  be  easily  imagined  that  the  first  articles  they  were 
desirous  of  obtaining  from  the  custom-house  were  their  cook- 
ing utensils  and  their  beds.  The  Arabs,  however,  were  differ- 
ently minded.  They  allowed  their  curiosity  to  fasten  upon 
the  cases  in  which  the  natural  history  specimens  were  packed, 
and  resolved  to  begin  with  them.  Among  these,  unfortunate- 
ly, there  was  a  small  barrel  containing  various  fish  of  the  Red 
Sea,  preserved  in  spirits  of  wine.  This  M.  Forskaal,  who  had 
collected  these  fishes  himself,  injudiciously  requested  the  officers 
to  allow  to  pass  unopened.  The  request  immediately  roused 
all  their  suspicions.  He  might,  for  aught  they  knew,  be 
a  magician,  who  had  confined  the  Red  Sea  itself  in  that  barrel, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  it  off,  with  all  its  fishes,  into  Eu- 
rope. It  behooved  them,  therefore,  to  bestir  themselves.  Ac- 
cordingly the  barrel  was  the  first  thing  opened  ;  but  when  the 
operation  had  been  performed,  the  result  anticipated  by  the 
naturalist  was  produced,  for  so  pungent,  so  atrocious  a  stink 
was  emitted  from  the  half-putrefied  fish,  that  the  authorities 
very  probably  apprehended  them  to  be  a  troop  of  assassins, 
commissioned  by  the  devil  to  administer  perdition  through  the 
nostrils  to  all  true  believers.  The  custom-house  officer,  how- 
ever, confiding  in  the  protection  of  the  Prophet,  determined  to 
brave  the  infernal  odour,  and  in  order  to  explore  the  abomina- 
tion to  the  bottom,  took  out  the  horrid  remains  of  the  fish,  and 
stirred  up  the  liquor  with  a  piece  of  iron.  The  entreaties  of 
the  travellers  to  have  it  put  on  one  side  probably  caused  them 
to  be  regarded  as  ghouls,  who  made  their  odious  repasts  upon 
such  foul  preparations.  The  Arab  still  stirred  and  stirred, 
and  at  length  in  an  inauspicious  moment  upset  the  cask,  and 
deluged  the  whole  custom-house  with  its  contents.  Had  Mo- 
hammed himself  been  boiled  in  this  hquid,  it  could  not  have 
smelt  more  execrably  ;  we  may  therefore  easily  imagine  the 
disgust  with  which  the  grave  assembly  beheld  it  flowing  under 
their  beards,  infecting  them  with  a  scent  which  it  would  take 
several  dirrhems*  worth  of  perfume  to  remove.     Their  ill- 


324  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

hHmour  was  increased  when,  on  opening  another  cask,  con- 
taining insects,  their  nostrils  were  again  saluted  with  a  fresh 
variety  of  stink,  wliich  they  inferred  must  possess  pecuHar 
charms  for  the  nose  of  a  Frank,  since  he  wouKl  travel  so  far  to 
procure  himself  the  enjoyment  of  its  savour.  An  idea  now 
began  to  suggest  itself  to  the  Arahs,  which  still  further  irritated 
them,  which  was,  that  the  insolent  Franks  had  packed  up 
these  odious  things  in  order  to  insult  the  governor  of  the  city, 
at  the  expense  of  whose  beard,  it  was  not  doubted,  they  in- 
tended to  amuse  themselves.  This  persuasion  was  fatal  to 
many  a  cockleshell.  They  mercilessly  thrust  down  a  pointed 
iron  bar  through  the  collections,  crushing  shells,  and  beetles, 
and  spiders.  The  worst  stroke  of  all,  however,  was  yet  to 
come.  This  was  the  opening  of  a  small  cask,  in  which  several 
kinds  of  serpents  were  preserved  in  spirits.  Everybody  was 
now  terrified.  It  was  suggested  that  the  Franks  had  no  doubt 
come  to  the  city  for  the  purpose  of  poisoning  the  inhabitants, 
and  had  represented  themselves  as  physicians  in  order  to  com- 
mit their  horrid  crimes  the  more  effectually.  Even  the  gov- 
ernor was  now  moved.  In  fact,  his  anger  was  roused  to  such 
a  pitch,  that,  though  a  grave  and  pious  man,  he  exclaimed, 
"By  God,  these  people  shall  not  pass  the  night  in  our  city!" 
The  custom-house  was  then  closed. 

While  they  were  in  this  perplexity,  one  of  their  servants 
arrived  in  great  hurry  and  confusion,  with  the  news  that  their 
books  and  clothes  had  been  thrown  out  through  the  window 
at  their  lodgings,  and  the  door  shut  against  them.  They 
moreover  found,  upon  inquiry,  thnt  it  would  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover any  person  who  would  receive  into  his  house  individuals 
suspected  of  meditating  the  poisoning  of  the  city  ;  but  at 
length  a  man  bold  enough  to  undertake  this  was  found.  Such 
was  their  position  when  they  received  from  the  English  mer- 
chant above  alluded  to  an  invitation  to  dinner.  "Never,'* 
says  Niebuhr,  "  was  an  invitation  more  gladly  accepted ;  for 
we  not  only  found  at  his  house  a  dinner  such  as  we  had  never 
seen  since  our  departure  from  Cairo,  but  had  at  the  same  time 
the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  a  man  who  became  our  sincere 
and  faithful  friend.  The  affair  of  the  custom-liouse  was  long 
and  tedious;  but  at  length,  by  dint  of  bribery  and  perseverance, 
their  baggage,  snakes  and  all,  was  delivered  to  them,  and  they 
even  rose,  in  consequence  of  a  cure  attempted  by  M.  Cramer 
on  the  governor's  leg,  into  high  consideration  and  favour. 

Niebuhr  was  here  again  attacked  by  dysentery,  and  Von 
Haven  died.  This  event  inspired  the  whole  party  with  terror, 
and  having  with  much  difficulty  obtained  the  governor's  per- 
mission,  they  shortly   afterward   departed   for   the  interior. 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

They  travelled  by  night,  to  escape  the  extreme  heat  of  the  sun, 
but  soon  found  the  roads  so  bad  as  to  render  this  mode  of 
journeying  impracticable.  The  country  during  the  early  part 
of  their  route  was  barren,  and  but  thinly  inhabited;  but  in 
proportion  as  tliey  departed  from  the  shore  the  landscape  im- 
proved in  beauty  and  fertility.  At  the  small  city  of  Jerim,  on 
the  road  to  Sana,  Niebuhr  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  friend 
Forskaal,  the  best  Arabic  scholar  of  the  whole  party,  and  a 
man  who  looked  forward  with  enthusiasm  to  the  glory  to  be 
derived  from  the  successful  termination  of  their  travels.  The 
bigotry  of  the  Mohammedans  rendered  it  difficult  to  obtain  a 
place  of  burial  for  tlie  dead,  who  was  interred  in  the  European 
fashion  ;  which,  immediately  after  their  departure,  caused  the 
Arabs,  who  imagine  that  the  Europeans  bury  treasures  with 
their  dead,  to  exhume  the  body.  Finding  nothing  to  reward 
their  pains,  they  compelled  the  Jews  to  reinter  him ;  and  as 
these  honest  people  complained  that  they  were  likely  to  have 
no  remuneration  for  their  labour,  the  governor  allowed  them 
to  take  the  coffin  in  payment,  and  restore  the  body  naked  to 
the  earth. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1763,  they  arrived  in  the  environs  of 
Sana,  and  sent  forward  a  servant  with  a  letter,  announcing 
their  arrival  to  the  chief  minister  of  the  imam.  This  states- 
man, however,  who  had  previously  received  tidings  of  their 
approach,  and  was  desirous  of  receiving  them  with  true  Arab 
politeness,  had  already  despatched  one  of  his  secretaries  to 
meet  them  at  the  distance  of  half  a  league  from  the  city. 
This  gentleman  informed  them  that  they  had  been  longexpect- 
tid  at  Sana,  and  that,  in  order  to  render  their  stay  agreeable, 
the  imam  liad  assigned  them  a  country-house  at  Bir  el  Assab. 
While  they  were  conversing  with  the  secretary,  and  secretly 
congratulating  themselves  on  their  good  fortune,  they  arrived 
at  the  entrance  into  their  garden,  where  the  Arab  desired  them 
to  alight.  They  of  course  obeyed,  but  soon  discovered  that 
their  guide  had  played  them  a  trick  in  the  mannc^r  of  the 
people  of  Cairo,  for  he  remained  on  his  ass  during  the  rest  of 
the  way,  which  was  considerable,  enjoying  the  pleasure  of 
beholding  a  number  of  Franks  toiling  along  on  foot  beside  his 
beast.  This  put  them  out  of  humour,  and  their  spleen  was 
increased  when,  on  arriving  at  their  villa,  they  found  that, 
however  elegant  or  agreeable  it  might  be,  it  did  not  contain  a 
single  article  of  furniture,  or  a  person  who  would  provide  them 
even  with  bread  and  water. 

Next  day,  however,  they  received  from  the  imam  a  present 
of  five  sheep,  three  camel-loads  of  wood,  a  large  quantity  of 
wax-tapers,  rice,  and  spices.     At  the  same  time  they  were  in- 
28* 


326  OABSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

formed  that  two  days  at  least  would  elapse  before  tliey  could 
obtain  an  audience,  a  matter  about  which  they  were  indifferent; 
but  that  they  could  not  in  the  mean  time  quit  tlieir  house. 
Though  considerably  chagrined  at  the  latter  circumstance, 
they  hoped  in  some  measure  to  neutralize  its  effects,  by  receiv- 
ing the  visits  of  such  natives  as  curiosity,  or  any  other  motive, 
might  allure  to  the  house ;  and  accordingly  were  very  much 
gratified  at  the  appearance  of  a  Jew,  who  had  performed  in 
their  company  the  journey  from  Cairo  to  Loheia.  This  young 
Israelite,  delighted  to  spend  a  few  moments  in  the  company  of 
persons  who  received  him  without  any  demonstrations  of  con- 
tempt, appeared  to  experience  a  gratification  in  obliging  them; 
and  came  on  the  second  day  accompanied  by  one  of  tlie  most 
celebrated  astrologers  of  his  sect,  from  whom  Niebuhr  learned 
the  Hebrew  appellations  of  several  stars.  While  he  was  yet 
conversing  with  this  learned  descendant  of  Abraham,  the 
secretary  of  the  imam  arrived.  They  were  ignorant  of  the 
etiquette  of  the  court  of  Sana,  according  to  which  they  should 
have  abstained  from  receiving  as  well  as  from  paying  visits ; 
but  the  secretary,  whose  business  it  was  to  have  instructed 
them  on  these  points,  doubly  enraged  by  their  infraction  of  the 
rules  of  decorum,  and  by  a  sense  of  his  own  negligence,  direct- 
ed all  the  violence  of  his  fury  against  the  unfortunate  Jews, 
whose  society  he  imagined  must  have  been  equally  disagreea- 
ble to  the  travellers  as  it  would  have  been  to  him.  He  there- 
fore not  oidy  expelled  them  from  the  house,  but,  in  order  to 
protect  the  imam's  guests  from  a  repetition  of  the  same  intru- 
sion, gave  peremptory  orders  to  their  Moliammedan  attendant 
to  admit  no  person  whatever  until  they  should  liave  obtained 
their  audience. 

Two  days  after  their  arrival  they  were  admitted  into  the 
presence  of  the  imam.  It  is  probable  that,  having  previously 
formed  an  exalted  idea  of  the  splendour  of  oriental  princes,  the 
reader  will  be  liable  to  disappo!n  ment  on  the  present  occasion. 
The  riches  and  magnificence  of  the  califs,  however,  of  which 
we  find  so  many  jrlowing  descriptions  in  the  Thousand  and 
One  Nights,  in  D'Herbelot,  and  many  other  writers,  have  long 
passed  away,  leaving  to  the  successors  of  those  religious  mon- 
archs  notliing  but  remembrance  of  ancient  glory,  which  gleams 
like  a  meteoric  light  about  their  throne  and  diadem.  Niebuhr, 
arriving  at  Sana  from  the  sandy  deserts  of  the  Tehama,  where 
poverty  reigns  paramount  over  every  thing,  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantage of  possessing  an  imagination  sobered  by  stern  reali- 
ties. His  fancy  depicted  the  court  of  the  imam  in  the  livery 
of  the  desert.  He  expected  little.  If  he  was  disappointed* 
therefore,  it  was  not  disagreeably.  v; 


CARSTEN  NTEBUHR.  327  ' 

|6^  The  imam,  with  a  vanity  pardonable  enough  in  a  prince 
who  learns  from  his  cradle  to  estimate  his  own  greatness  by 
the  pomp  and  glitter  which  surround  him,  had  in  fact  employ- 
ed the  two  days  elapsed  since  the  arrival  of  his  guests  in  active 
preparations  for  their  reception  ;  and  the  rules  of  etiquette 
forbidding  strangers  to  pay  or  receive  visits  during  the  interval, 
were  originally  intended  to  conceal  this  circumstance,  and 
create  the  belief  that  the  holyday  appearance  of  the  court  was 
its  ordinary  costume.  Our  travellers  were  conducted  to  the 
palace  by  the  minister's  secretary,  who  here  performed  what 
is  called  the  mehmaudar's  office  in  Persia.  They  found  the 
great  court  of  the  edifice  thronged  with  horses,  officers,  and 
other  Arabs  of  various  grades  ;  so  that  it  required  the  ministry 
of  the  imam's  grand  equerry  to  open  them  a  way  through  the 
crowd.  The  hall  of  audience  was  a  spacious  square  apart- 
ment, vaulted  above,  and  having  on  its  centre  several  fountains 
of  water,  which,  gushing  aloft  to  a  considerable  height,  and 
falling  again  incessantly,  maintained  a  refreshing  coolness  in 
the  air.  A  broad  divan,  adornpd  with  fine  Persian  carpets, 
occupied  the  extremity  of  the  hall,  and  flanked  the  throne, 
which  was  merely  covered  with  silken  stuffs,  and  rich  cush- 
ions. Here  the  imam  sat  cross-legged,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  East.  He  received  the  travellers  graciously,  allow- 
ed them  to  kiss  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and  the  back  and 
palm  of  his  hand — an  honour  which  is  but  sparingly  granted 
to  strangers.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  ceremony  a  herald 
cried  aloud,  "God  save  the  imam  !"  and  all  the  people  repeat- 
ed the  same  words.  As  their  knowledge  of  Arabic  was  stiH 
very  limited,  they  conversed  with  the  imam  by  means  of  an 
interpreter,  a. contrivance  admiraLly  adapted  for  shortening 
public  conferences,  since  there  are  £tw  persons  who,  under 
such  circumstances,  would  be  disposed  to  indulge  in  useless 
circumlocution. 

The  result  of  this  audience  was,  that  they  obtained  the 
prince's  permission  to  remain  in  the  country  as  long  as  they 
desired  ;  and  on  their  retiring,  a  small  present  in  money  was 
sent  them,  which  they  judiciously  determined  to  accept.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  they  were  invited  to  the  minis- 
ter's villa,  where  Niebuhr  exhibited  his  mathematical  instru- 
ments, his  microscopes,  books,  engravings,  <fcc. ;  at  the  sight 
of  which  Fakih  Achmed  expressed  the  highest  satisfaction. 
From  the  various  questions  which  he  put  to  them,  they  dis- 
covered, moreover,  that  he  himself  was  a  man  of  very  con- 
siderable knowledge,  particularly  in  geography  ;  while  from 
his  constant  intercourse  with  foreigners  his  manners  had  ac- 
quired an  ease  and  gracefulness  which  rendered  his  company 


32S  CARSTEN  NtEBUHR. 

highly  pleasing.  Nevertheless,  Niebuhr,  who  feared  that  the 
cupidity  of  this  minister,  or  of  some  other  courtier,  might  be 
excited  by  the  sight  of  his  instruments,  regretted  to  perceive 
these  tokens  of  curiosity,  and  the  necessity  iie  was  under  of 
satisfying  it ;  but  his  suspicions,  which  appear  to  have  been 
as  unfounded  as  they  were  illiberal,  were  not  of  long  duration, 
for  no  man  demanded  of  him  any  part  of  his  property,  or 
seemed  to  regard  it  with  covetousness.  He,  in  fact,  learned 
shortly  afterward  that  even  the  presents  which  it  was  judged 
necessary  to  make  both  to  the  imam  and  his  minister  were 
altogether  unexpected,  since  they  were  not  merchants,  and 
demanded  no  favours  of  prince  or  courtiers. 

Niebuhr  confesses  that  the  reception  which  he  and  his  com- 
panions met  with  at  Sana  was  marked  by  a  degree  of  civility 
and  friendsliip  that  far  surpassed  their  expecta'ions.  The 
Arabs  would  seem,  indeed,  to  have  derived  so  much  gratifica* 
tion  from  their  society,  that  it  is  more  than  probable  they  would 
willingly  have  made  some  sacrifice  to  retain  them  ;  but  the 
death  of  Von  Hnven  and  For^kaal  had  cast  a  damp  over  their 
imaginations;  they  apprehended  that  disease  might  even  then 
be  uodermining  tlieir  constitutions,  and  were  therefore  more 
desirous  of  flying  from  the  country  than  of  studying  its  produc- 
tions or  its  inhabitants.  When  they  departed  from  Mokha 
several  English  ships  were  lying  there,  taking  in  cargoes  of 
coffee  for  India;  and  this  circumstance,  by  promising  to  facil- 
itate their  progress  farther  towards  the  east,  operated  strongly 
upon  their  determination  to  quit  Arabia,  the  original  object  of 
their  mission,  for  other  regions  wliicli  appeared  more  agreea- 
ble. One  of  Niebuhr's  biographers  appears  to  think  that  it 
was  mere  solicitude  to  transmit  to  Europe  an  account  of  what 
had  been  performed  by  the  expedition,  and  not  any  apprehen- 
sion of  danger,  which  rendered  him  so  exceedingly  desirous  of 
quitting  Yemen,  for  that  jje  never  clung  to  life  with  any  great 
eagerness.  I  have  by  no  means  an  unfavourable  opinion  of 
Niebuhr's  courage,  which,  on  the  contrary,  I  consider  to  have 
been  in  general  equal  to  the  dangers  to  which  he  was  exposed; 
but  I  nowhere  find  any  traces  of  that  stoical  indifference  about 
life  and  death  which  his  biographer  seems  to  attribute  to  hira ; 
and  am  persuaded,  that  on  the  occasion  of  his  departure  from 
Sana,  it  was  the  apprehension  of  death,  united,  perhaps,  with 
a  longing  for  European  society,  which  actuated  his  move- 
ments. At  the  same  time  1  acknowledge  that  his  fears  were 
natural,  and  that  most  travellers  under  similar  circumstances 
would  have  acted  much  the  same  way.  We  miss,  however,  in 
Niebuhr,  both  on  this  and  on  all  other  occasions,  the  chival- 
rous spirit  of  Marco  Polo,  Pietro  della  Valle,  Chardiu,  and 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  329 

Bruce,  as  we  miss  in  his  writings  the  enthusiasm  which  casts 
80  powerful  a  charm  over  the  records  of  their  adventures. 
'  The  same  reasons  which  induce  me  to  acknowledge  the  ra- 
tional nature  of  Niebuhr's  apology  for  suddenly  qultiing  Yemen 
long  before  he  had  completed  his  examination  and  description 
of  it,  incline  me  likewise  to  accept  his  reasons  for  avoiding  the 
road  by  Jerim  and  Taas,  which  would  have  led  him  by  Had- 
dafa  and  Dhafar,  where  Hamyaric  inscriptions  were  said  to 
exist.  He  had  already  been  frequently  deceived  by  the  mis- 
representations of  Arabic  ignorance,  and  therefore  doubted 
the  accuracy  of  his  informants.  The  three  remaining  mem- 
bers of  the  mission  set  out  from  Sana  on  the26tli  of  July,  and 
arriving  at  Mokha  on  the  5th  of  August,  found  that  their  ap- 
prehensions of  danger  at  Sana,  which,  thougli  excusable,  were 
not  well  founded,  had  precipitated  them  into  real  peril;  for 
the  English  ship  in  which  they  intended  to  embark  was  by  no 
means  ready  to  sail,  so  that  they  had  to  remain  in  that  burning 
climate  nearly  a  whole  month, during  which  almost  every  indi- 
vidual of  the  party,  servants  and  all,  fell  sick. 

The  ship  in  which  Niebulir  at  length  set  sail  for  India  be- 
longed to  Mr.  Francis  Scott,  a  youftger  son  of  the  Scotts  of 
Harden,  a  Jacobite  Aimily  of  Roxburgshire.  With  this  gentle- 
man Niebulir  ever  after  lived  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship; 
and  "  five-and-thirty  years  afterward,"  says  our  traveller's  son, 
the  historian  of  the  Roman  republic,  "  when  I  studied  in  Ed- 
inburgh, I  was  received  in  all  respects  as  one  of  the  family  in 
the  house  of  this  venerable  man,  who  then  lived  at  his  ease  in 
the  Scottish  capital  on  the  fortune  he  had  acquired  by  honor- 
able industry." 

On  his  arrival  at  Bombay  he  met  with  the  most  cordial  re- 
ception from  the  English,  in  whose  society  he  had  first  learned 
to  delight  while  in  Egypt.  Here  he  spent  a  considerable  time 
in  studying  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Hindoos,  and  his 
observations  though  now  destitute  of  value,  must  at  that  time 
have  possessed  considerable  interest,  above  all  on  the  Conti- 
nent. He  here  lost  Cramer,  the  last  of  his  companions; 
Raurenfeind,  the  artist,  having  died  on  the  voyage  During 
his  stay  at  Bombay  he  made  a  voyage  to  Surat,  famous  in  the 
history  of  oriental  commerce  and  in  the  Arabian  Nights ;  but 
his  stay  was  short,  and  he  returned  to  Bombay  without  push- 
ing his  researches  any  farther  into  the  interior.  The  passion 
for  travelhng  was  certainly  never  very  powerful  in  Niebuhr; 
but  he  was  possessed  by  considerable  curiosity,*  and  this  pas- 
sion induced  him  to  form  the  design  of  proceeding  in  an  Eng- 
lish ship  to  China ;  but  being  unwell  at  the  time  of  the  ship** 


330  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR* 

departure,  he  relinquished  the  design,  which  he  never  after- 
ward resumed. 

His  residence  at  Bombay,  a  much  less  healthy  place  than 
Sana,  was  continued  so  long*  thf^t  I  am  strongly  inclined  to 
suspect  the  want  of  European  society  may,  after  all,  have 
numbered  among  his  most  powerful  reasons  for  hurrying  from 
Yemen.  From  this  city  he  forwarded  the  manuscripts  of  his 
deceased  companions  as  well  as  his  own  papers,  by  way  of 
London,  to  Copenhagen  ;  and  at  length,  on  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1764,  set  sail  in  one  of  the  company's  ships  of  war, 
bound  for  Muskat  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  During  this  voyage 
he  beheld  the  surface  of  the  sea  for  half  a  German  mile  in  ex- 
tent covered  at  night  with  that  luminous  appearance  which  we 
denominate  "phosphoric  fires;"  and  which,  according  to  his 
opinion,  arises  entirely  from  shoals  of  medusas,  which  by  the 
English  sailors  are  called  "blubbers."  A  few  days  afterward, 
as  they  approached  the  shore  of  Oman,  they  were  accompanied 
for  a  considerable  distance  by  a  troop  of  dolphins,  which,  by  the 
persevering  manner  in  which  they  followed  the  ship,  seemed, 
as  Lucian  jocularly  observes,  to  be  animated  by  a  kind  of  phi- 
lanthropy, as  when  they  bore  Melicerta  and  Arion  to  the  shore 
on  their  backs. 

They  arrived  at  Muskat  on  the  3d  of  January,  1765 ;  and 
here  Nicbuhr,  had  the  interior  of  Arabia  possessed  any  at- 
tractions for  him,  had  once  more  an  opportunity  of  indulging 
his  curiosity,  and  fulfilling  the  original  design  of  the  expedi- 
tion; for,  from  the  humane  and  polished  manners  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Oman,  travelling  was  here,  he  enys,  attended  with  no 
more  danger  than  in  Yemen.  He  preferred,  however,  as- 
cending the  Persian  Gulf  in  an  English  ship;  and  therefore, 
after  a  stay  of  a  few  days,  set  sail  for  Abusheher,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  4th  of  February. 

Here  Niebuhr,  who  had  learned  the  Enghsh  language  at 
Bombay,  found  himself  still  in  the  company  of  an  English- 
man, from  whom  he  obtained  a  plan  of  the  city,  together  with 
much  curious  and  valuable  information  respecting  the  country 
and  its  inhabitants.  This  Englishman,  whose  name  was  Jervis, 
spoke,  read,  and  wrote  the  Persian  with  fluency,  and  amused 
himself  with  making  a  collection  of  manuscripts  in  that  lan- 
guage; among  which  was  the  "Life  of  Nadir  Shah,"  by  his 
own  private  secretary,  Mohammed  Mahadi  Khan.  The 
authenticity  of  this  work  was  so  highly  spoken  of  in  Persia, 
that  Niebuhr  w*s  at  some  pains  to  procure  a  copy  of  it  for  the 
King  of  Denmark's  library;  and  it  was  from  this  copy  that 
Sir  William  Jones  afterwards  compiled  his  "  History  of  Nadir- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  331 

Sfiah,"  once  celebrated  but  now  sunk  into  oblivion.  At  Abu- 
tsheher  our  traveller  saw  several  of  that  species  of  cat,  numbers 
of  which  are  now  brought  into  Europe  from  Angola.  They 
were  procured  from  Kerman,  and  it  was  said  that  they  would 
nowhere  breed  except  in  those  countries  in  which  the  shawl 
goat  was  found-7-an  opinion  which  has  long"  been  proved  to 
have  been  erroneous. 

Shortly  after  Niebuhr's  arrival  at  Abusheher,  Mr.  Jervis 
determined  upon  sending  a  quantity  of  merchandise  to  Shiraz ; 
and  his  intention  was  no  sooner  made  public,  than  a  number 
of  petty  merchants,  together  with  several  flimilies  from  the  in- 
terior, who  had  been  expelled  from  their  homes  by  the  troubles 
consequent  upon  the  deith  of  Nadir  Shah,  desired  to  unite 
themselves  to  his  party;  and  thus  a  small  kafilah  was  at  once 
formed.  So  excellent  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  most 
beautiful  city  of  Persia,  as  well  as  the  famous  ruins  of  Persc- 
polis,  was  not  to  be  overlooked.  Our  traveller  therefore  joined 
the  trading  caravan,  and  on  the  15th  of  February  set  out  for 
the  interior. 

For  this  journey,  however,  he  was  but  badly  prepared.  He 
was  wholly  ignorant  of  the  Persian  language,  and  therefore, 
had  he  not  by  great  good  fortune,  found  some  persons  among 
the  party  who  spoke  Arabic,  as  well  as  an  Armenian  who  was 
a  tolerable  master  of  the  Italian,  he  must  have  been  reduced  to 
depend  upon  the  universal  but  scanty  language  of  signs. 
Strange  to  say,  likewise,  he  had  abandoned  the  oriental  cos- 
tume, though  fully  aware,  by  his  own  account,  of  the  advan- 
tao-es  to  be  derived  from  it  by  a  traveller.  In  other  respects 
he  conducted  himself  judiciously  ;  for,  understanding  that  the 
Enghsh,  notwithstanding  the  troubled  state  of  Persia,  had  no- 
where any  thing  to  fear,  he  represented  himself  as  an  English- 
man; and  thus,  without  passport  or  formal  permission,  he 
travelled  with  perfect  freedom  and  safety.  He  observed  dur- 
ing this  journey  a  curious  superstition  among  the  Armenians, 
of  which  he  had  nowhere  else  discovered  any  traces  :  having 
despatched  his  servant  upon  some  business  at  a  distance  from 
the  encampment,  he  was  one  day  compelled  to  act  as  his  own 
cook,  and  was  about  to  cut  off  the  head  of  a  fowl.  His  face 
at  that  moment  happening  to  be  turned  towards  the  west,  an 
Armenian  who  was  present  informed  him  that  a  Christian 
should  turn  his  face  to  the  east  when  he  killed  a  fowl,  no  less 
than  when  he  prayed.  Others  (as  the  affair  was  a  serious 
business)  conjectured  that  he  turned  towards  Mecca,  either 
that  his  servant,  who  was  a  Mohammedan,  might  conscien- 
tiously partake  cf  the  food,  or  fce:;ause  that  in  reality  was  his 
kehlek.    Seeing,  however,  that  people  endeavoured  to  decide 


332  CARSTEN   NIEBUHR. 

respecting  his  religion  by  the  mode  in  which  he  slaughtered  a 
hen,  he  tor  the  future  relinquished  to  his  servant  the  art  and 
mystery  of  cookery. 

Our  traveller  had  an  opportunity,  near  Firashbend,  of  visit- 
ing a  Turkoman  camp.  He  found  them  rich  in  camels, 
horses,  asses,  cows,  and  sheep.  Their  ^^^omen,  like  those  of 
the  Bedouins,  enjoyed  the  most  perfect  liberty,  and  wore  no 
veils.  These  Turkoman  women  were  said  to  be  exceedingly 
laborious,  and  the  small  carpets  so  universal  in  Persia  were 
of  their  workmanship,  lie  likewise  beheld  a  Kurdish  family. 
Farther  on  he  had  a  very  laughable  adventure  with  a  troop  of 
Armenian  woman,  which,  as  characteristic  at  once  of  the  Ar- 
menians and  cf  liimseir,  merits  some  attention.  Having 
travelled  for  some  time  through  rain  and  hail,  the  kafilah  at 
length  halted,  near  the  village  of  jRoms/mw,  in  which  Niebuhr 
hired  a  house  for  a  day,  and  purchased  a  quantity  of  wood,  in 
the  hope  of  enjoying  a  good  lire  until  bedtime.  Not  desiring, 
however,  to  taste  of  these  blessings  alone,  he  invited  several 
Armenians  to  share  the  advantage  of  his  apartments,  which 
they  most  readily  accepted.  Presently,  however  a  number  of 
women  and  children  presented  themselves  for  admission,  and 
appeared  extremely  well  satisfied  when  he  granted  them  per- 
mission to  place  themselves  inside  of  tiie  door.  He  had  short- 
ly afterward  occasion  to  leave  the  house  for  a  moment.  Upon 
his  return,  he  found  the  husbands  of  the  wonien^eated  near 
the  entrance  of  the  house,  while  the  whole  harem  had  estab- 
lished itself  round  the  fire !  and  conceiving  that  it  might  be  im- 
prudent to  sit  down  by  the  fire  among  the  women,  or  to  drive 
them  away  from  it,  he  allowed  them,  though  certainly  not  from 
politeness,  to  dry  tiiemselves  first.  Here  he  was  detained  for 
twenty  four  hours  by  bad  weather.  The  apartments  which 
he  occupied  were  on  the  second  story,  and  his  horse,  which 
had  its  quarters  in  the  adjoining  chamber,  being  somewhat 
restless  in  the  night,  broke  through  the  floor,  and  fell  down 
into  the  landlord's  apartment  below!  ' 

The  kafilah  reached  Shirezon  the  4th  of  March.  Here  he 
was  hospitably  received  and  entertained  by  the  only  European 
in  the  city,  a  young  English  merchant,  whose  name  he  shouId# 
have  been  at  the  pains  to  learn,  for  assuredly  it  was  not,  as  he 
imagined,  J/r. //crcw/cs.  His  stay  at  Shirez  was  rendered 
agreeable  by  the  politeness  of  the  governor,  who,  at  his  first 
audience,  informed  him  that  he  would  decapitate  the  first  per- 
son who  should  offer  him  any  injury  in  his  territories.  The 
audience  being  over  one  of  the  governor's  friends  undertook  to 
show  them  the  palace.  Several  of  the  apartments  were  coat- 
ed with  beautiful  Tabriz  marble,  and  covered  with  magnificent 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 


m. 


carpets;  and  among  the  ornaments  of  the  palace  were  numer- 
ous European  mirrors,  and  pictures  of  Persian  workmanship, 
among  which  was  one  representing  a  woman  bathing,  almost 
wholly  naked.  Niebuhr  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  pictures 
of  this  kind  in  the  house  of  a  Mohammedan  ;  but,  in  fact,  the 
Sbiaks  are  far  less  rigid  on  this  point  than  the  Soarmees  ;  and 
we  learn  from  the  Arabian  Nights,  that  even  so  early  as  the 
time  of  Haroon  al  Rashid,  painting  was  encouraged  in  Persia 
and  Mesopotamia,  since  that  celebrated  prince  is  said  to  have 
adorned  his  palace  with  the  performances  of  the  principal 
Persian  artists. 

From  Shiraz  he  proceeded  to  the  ruins  of  Persepolis,  the 
site  and  nature  of  which  is  described  in  the  life  of  Chardin. 
His  head-quarters  during  his  stay  was  at  the  small  village  of 
Merdast.  From  thence,  as  well  as  from  the  other  villages,  the 
peasants  frequently  came  to  observe  him  during  his  examina- 
tion of  the  ruins,  in  which  he  constantly  employed  the  whole 
day,  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  five  in  the  after- 
noon. The  majority  of  these  visiters  were  women  and  young 
girls,  who  were  curious  to  see  a  European;  and  the  whole  of 
the  population  were  so  entirely  harmless,  that  the  traveller  felt 
himself  as  safe  in  their  company  as  he  could  have  been  in  any 
village  in  Europe.  He  here  received  a  visit  from  an  Arab 
sheikh,  a  learned,  polished,  and  agreeable  man,  who  had 
passed  thirty  years  in  Persia,  during  which  time  he  had 
amassed  considerable  wealth,  and  now  lived  in  independence 
and  ease. 

From  Persepolis  he  returned  by  the  way  of  Shiraz  to  Abu- 
sheher,  where  he  embarked  in  one  of  the  country  vessels  for 
the  island  of  Karak,  where  he  was  hospitably  received  and 
entertained  by  the  Dutch  merchants  settled  there  ;  and  after  a 
short  stay,  proceeded  to  Bassorah.  Here  he  embarked  in  a 
small  vessel  which  was  about  to  sail  up  the  Euphrates  to 
Hillah.  His  companion,  during  this  voyage,  was  an  officer  of 
the  janizary  corps,  who  lay  in  a  small  chamber  close  to  Nie- 
buhr's  cabin,  and  appeared  to  be  at  the  point  of  death.  In 
other  respects,  this  little  voyage,  which  occupied  twenty-one 
days,  was  sufficiently  agreeable.  The  passengers  were  re- 
markable for  their  good-humour  and  obliging  disposition  ;  and 
often,  when  our  traveller  set  up  his  quadrant  on  the  banks  of 
the  stream,  they  stood  around  him  in  a  circle,  while  he  was 
making  his  observations,  to  screen  him  from  the  wmd  with 
their  long  flowing  dresses. 

At  Rumahia,  a  small  village  on  the  Euphrates,  he  lodged 
with  two  of  his  Mohammedan  companions  at  the  house  of  a 
Soonnee,  who  happened  to  be  the  moollah  of  a  mosque.    Soon 
29 


334  CARSTRN    NIERCHR. 

after  their  arrival,  our  traveller  entered  into  conversation  with 
his  host,   and   their  discourse  turning  on  the  subject  of  mar- 
riage, he  observed,  among  other  things,  that  in  Europe,  a  man, 
when  he  gives  his  daughter  to  any  one  in  wedlock,  is  generally 
accustomed  to  add  a  considerable  sum  of  money.     This  cus- 
tom greatly  delighted  the  moollalu    "Do  you  hear,"  says  he 
to  his  mother-in-law,  who  was   sitting   near  him,  while  the 
daughter  was  preparing  ihe'ir  pilaUy — "do  you  hear  what  thie 
stranger  is  saying?     It  was  not  thus  that  you  acted  towards 
me,  my  mother;  I  was  compelled  to  pay  you  a  sum  of  money 
before  you  would  give  me  your  daughter!"     The  mother-in- 
law,  after  patiently  hearing  him  to  the  end,  replied,  "Ah  !  my 
son,  upon  what  should  I  and  my  daughter  have  subsisted,  had 
1  given  thee  my  field  and  my  date  trees  t"     This  slight  inter- 
ruption in  the  conversation  having  ceased,  Niebuhr,  resuming 
the  thread  of  the  discourse,  remarked,  that  in  Europe  no  man 
could  possess  more  than  one  wife,  under  pain  of  death;  that 
married  persons  enjoyed   everything  in  common;  and   that 
their  property  descended  to  their  children.     It  was  now  the 
old  lady's  turn  to  be  eloquent.     "Well,  my   son,"   says  she, 
have  you  marked  what  the  gentleman  has  just  related  ?     Ah! 
what  justice  prevails  in  those  countries !     Ah !  had  you  no 
other  wife  than  my  daughter,  and  could  I  be  sure  you  would 
never  divorce  her,  how  willingly  would  I  relinquish  to  you  my 
house,  and  all  I  possess  !"     The  young  woman,  who  had  hith- 
erto seemed  to  pay  no  attention  to  what  was  said,  now  likewise 
joined  in  the  discussion.     "Alas!    my  husband!"  said  sho, 
"how  can  you  desire  that  my  mother  should  give  you  her 
house?     You  would  soon  bestow  it  upon  your  other  wives, 
ou  love  them  better  than  me.     I  see  you  so  seldom!" 
The  mother  and  daughter  proceeded  in  this  way  for  some 
time,  and  at  length  Niebuhr,  turning  to  the  moollah,  demanded 
how  many  wives  he  had.     "  Four,"  replied  the  man.     This 
was  the  highest  number  permitted  by  the  law.     He  had,  there- 
fore, indulged  his  affections  to  the  utmost;  and  as  each  of  his 
spouses  had  a  separate  house  and  garden,  he  flitted  cii  pleasure 
from  wife  to  wife,  and  was  everywhere  received  as  a  man  re- 
turning home  from  a  long  journey.     Our  traveller  inquired  of 
this  'zenlous  polygamist  whether  his  private  happiness  had  been 
increased  or  diminished  by  his  having  availed  himself  of  the 
privilege  of  a  Mohammedan  ;  but,  because  his  reply  was  con- 
trary to  his  own  European  views,  as  that  of  every  other  Mus- 
sulman, whom  he  had  questioned  on  the  subject,  had  been,  he 
absurdly  accused  him  of  insincerity. 

From  this  place  he  proceeded  to  Meshed  Alt,  wliere  he  was 
deterred  from  entering  the  mosque,  by  the  fear  that  he  might, 


CAR8TEN    NIEBUUR.  335 

as  a  punishment  for  his  presumption,  be  compelled  to  profesu 
Mohfimmedanism ;  but  he  admired  the  exterior  of  its  gilded 
dome,  which  ghttercd  like  a  globe  of  flame  in  the  sun.  The 
riches  of  this  mosque,  allowing  much  for  the  exaggeration  of 
the  Shiaks,  must  still  be  immense.  The  interior  of  the  dome 
is  no  less  superbly  gilt  than  the  exterior,  and  is  adorned  with 
Arabic  inscriptions  in  rich  enamel ;  other  inscriptions,  in  let- 
ters of  gold,  glitter  alotig  the  walls  ;  while  enormous  candela- 
bra, in  silver  and  fine  gold,  set  with  jewels,  support  the 
tapers  which  afibrd  light  to  the  pious  during  the  darkness  of 
the  night.  This  accumulation  of  gorgeous  ornaments,  though 
supplied  from  a  commendable  motive,  affects  the  worshippers 
injuriously,  and  once  occasioned  a  pious  Arab  to  exclaim, 
*'  Verily,  the  treasures  lavished  upon  this  tomb  have  made  me 
forget  God!" 

Niebuhr  next  visited  the  ruins  of  Kufa,  and  Meshed  Hus- 
sein, and  then  returned  to  Hillah,  near  which  are  found  the 
misshapen  ruins  of  Babylon.  We  must  not,  as  he  justly  ob- 
serves, expect  to  find  among  the  remains  of  this  city  any  thing 
resembling  the  sublime  magnificence  which  cast  a  halo  over 
the  ruins  of  Persian  and  Egyptian  cities.  Babylon,  like 
modern  London,  was  a  city  of  bricks,  prodigious  in  extent, 
mighty  in  appearance,  but  calculated,  from  the  nature  of  its 
materials,  to  give  way,  when  war  or  time  laid  its  giant  hands 
upon  its  towers.  Its  very  site  is  now  become  an  enigma,  "a 
place  for  the  bittern,  and  pools  of  water."  Modern  travellers, 
however,  have  since  visited  this  celebrated  spot,  and  described 
it  so  frequently,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  pause  and  repeat 
what  they  have  written,  particularly  as  no  two  agree  upon  any 
one  point. 

His  stay  at  Babylon  was  brief,  and  on  the  5th  of  January, 
t766,  he  left  it  to  proceed  towards  Bagdad,  where  he  remain- 
ed until  the  3d  of  March,  awaiting  the  departure  of  a  caravan 
for  Syria.  At  length,  finding  no  better  companions,  he  de- 
parted with  a  kafilah  composed  wholly  of  Jews,  from  one  of 
whom  who  had  travelled  much  in  the  country,  he  expected  to 
derive  considerable  information.  He  still  possessed  the  sul- 
tan's firman,  which  he  had  procured  at  Constantinople,  and 
had  likewise  provided  himself  with  a  passport  from  the  Pasha 
of  Bagdad.  He  therefore  anticipated  no  interruption  on  the 
way.  In  proceeding  from  Bagdad  to  Mousul,  he  traversed 
the  plain  on  which  the  great  battle  of  Arbela,  which  reduced 
Persia  to  a  Macedonian  province,  was  gained  by  Alexander. 
Ruin  and  desolation  have  since  that  day  been  busily  at  work 
in  these  countries.  Among  the  vagabonds  who  now  roam 
over  or  vegetate  upon  these  renowned  scenes,  are  a  strange 


336  CARSTEN  NIEBUHB. 

people,  accused  by  many  writers  of  worshipinj»  the  devil ;  I 
mean  the  Yezeedis,  who,  though  suspected  by  Niebuhr  of  be- 
ing an  offshoot  from  the  Beyazi  sect  of  Oman,  appear  to  be 
rather  tlie  descendants  of  the  ancient  Manichaeans,  or  a  rem- 
nant of  the  Hindoo  population,  worshippers  of  Siva^  hurled 
into  this  obscure  liaunt  by  the  storms  of  war. 

At  Mousul,  where  he  found  numerous  Catholic  and  Nesto- 
rian  Christians,  he  was  received  with  extreme  scorn,  because 
his  worthy  corehgionists  learned  that  he  did  not  fast  during 
Lent.  However,  by  allowing  himself  to  be  defrauded  a  little 
by  a  Dominican  father,  a  dealer  in  coins  and  physic,  he  quick- 
ly regained  his  character,  and,  during  the  remainder  of  his 
stay,  was  reputed  a  very  good  Christian.  From  this  city  he 
departed  with  a  numerous  caravan,  bound  partly  for  Aleppo, 
partly  for  Mardin,  Orfah,  or  Armenia.  The  whole  number  of 
the  travellers,  including  a  guard  of  fifty  soldiers,  and  about 
three  or  four  hundred  Arabs,  amounted  to  little  less  than  a 
thousand  men.  Yet,  notwithstanding  their  numbers,  the 
slightest  report  of  there  being  a  horde  of  Kurds  in  their  neigh- 
bourhood threw  these  gallant  warriors  into  consternation,  and, 
upon  one  particular  occasion,  their  confusion  was  so  extreme 
that,  like  the  honest  knight  of  La  Mancha,  they  mistook  a 
flock  of  sheep  for  an  army.  The  robbers  on  this  road  are 
exceedingly  expert  in  their  vocation  ;  and  one  of  the  mer- 
chants of  the  caravan,  who  had  often  travelled  by  this  route, 
amused  Niebuhr  with  an  anecdote  illustrative  of  their  skill, 
which  deserves  to  be  repeated  : — He  was  one  night  encamped, 
he  said,  on  the  summit  of  a  steep  hill,  and  for  the  greater  secu- 
rity had  pitched  his  tent  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  He 
himself  kept  watch  until  midnight,  at  which  time  he  was  re- 
lieved by  his  servant,  who,  as  it  would  appear,  soon  fell  asleep. 
On  awaking  about  daybreak,  he  observed  a  robber  in  the  tent. 
He  had  already  flistened  the  hook,  with  which  he  meant  to 
perform  his  feat,  in  a  bale  of  merchandise;  but  sprang  out  of 
the  tent,  upon  perceiving  he  was  discovered,  still  holding  fast 
the  cord  of  his  hook.  The  merchant,  however,  immediately 
detached  the  hook  from  the  bale,  and  fastened  it  in  the  clothes 
of  his  slumbenng  domestic,  who,  as  the  robber  continued 
tugging  violently  at  the  cord,  was  soon  roused.  The  robber 
pulled,  the  servant  rolled  along  like  a  woolsack,  and  the  master 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  tumble  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  hill,  that  he  might  in  future  be  somewhat  more  careful 
of  his  master's  property. 

Niebuhr  himself,  whose  cautious  temper  generally  defended 
him  from  danger,  had  on  this  journey  a  trifling  adventure  with 
an  Arab  sheikh.     It  entered  into  the  head  of  this  fiery  young 


CARSTEN  NIEBUIIR.  337 

Islamite  that  it  would  be  amusing  to  have  a  frolic  with  a  Giaour, 
and  for  this  purpose  he  deprived  our  traveller  of  his  bed  and 
counterpanes.  Niebuhr  complained  to  the  caravan  bashi,  but 
could  only  get  a  portion  of  his  property  restored.  Next  day, 
therefore  he  applied  to  the  sheikh  himself,  who,  instead  of  re- 
turning the  articles,  only  jested  with  him  upon  his  uncharitable 
disposition,  which  would  not  allow  him  to  share  his  luxuries, 
even  for  a  few  days,  with  a  true  believer,  who  was  willing  to  be 
condescending  enough  to  sleep  on  the  bed  of  an  infidel.  Our 
traveller,  hoping  to  terrify  the  Arab,  now  produced  the  sultan's 
firman,  and  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad's  passport;  but  this  only 
rendered  matters  worse.  "  Here  in  the  desert,"  said  the  sheikh, 
"  /am  thy  sultan  and  thy  pasha.  Thy  papers  have  no  au- 
thority with  me!"  Some  days  afterward,  however,  the  Arab 
returned  him  his  effects,  from  fear,  according  to  Niebuhr,  of 
the  Governor  of  Mardin  ;  but  more  probably  because  he  had 
never  intended  to  retain  them. 

From  this  point  of  his  travels  he  proceeded  by  way  of  Mar- 
din,  Diarbekr,  and  Orfah,  to  Aleppo,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
6th  of  June.  Here  he  remained  some  time,  during  which  he 
acquired  the  friendship  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Patrick  Russel, 
from  whom  he  received  much  information  respecting  the 
Kurds  and  Turkomans,  whose  principal  chiefs  frequently 
visited  Russel  at  his  house.  His  inquiries  likewise  extended 
to  the  Nassaireah  and  Ismaeleah.,  who,  from  the  accounts  of 
the  Moliammedans  and  oriental  Christians,  would  appear  to 
have  preserved  among  them  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
ancient  worshippers  of  Venus.  Nocturnal  orgies,  in  which 
every  man  chose  his  mistress  in  the  dark,  and  the  adoration 
of  the  Yoni,  in  a  young  woman  who  exposed  herself  naked 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  this  extravagant  reverence,  were 
likewise  attributed  to  them ;  but,  as  Niebuhr  observes,  there  is 
nothing  too  absurd  or  abominable  to  be  related  by  the  orthodox 
and  dominant  party  of  a  persecuted  and  heretical  sect.  He, 
in  fact,  found  that  the  Roman  Catholics  everywhere  in  the 
East  represented  their  Protestant  brethren  as  persons  who  liv- 
ed without  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world  ;  while  we,  on 
the  otlier  hand,  look  upon  them  as  idolaters,  as  far  removed  as 
the  pagans  of  old  from  the  pure  religion  of  Christ. 

After  the  death  of  his  companions,  Niebuhr  had  applied  to 
the  Danish  government  for  permission  to  extend  his  journey  in 
the  East,  and,  through  the  benevolence  of  Count  Bernstorff,  his 
wishes  had  been  readily  complied  with.  He  therefore  passed 
from  Syria  into  Cyprus,  for  the  purpose  of  copying  certain 
Phenician  inscriptions  at  Cittium,  the  birth-place  of  Zeno, 
which  had,  it  was  suspected,  been  incorrectly  copied  by  Po- 
29* 


338  CAR8TEN  NIEBUHR. 

cocke.  Finding  no  inscriptions  of  the  kind  on  the  spot  to 
which  he  had  been  directed,  he,  with  an  iJhberality  which  was 
not  common  with  him,  imputed  to  Pococke  tlie  gross  absurdity 
of  having  confounded  Armenian  with  Phenician  characters; 
but,  as  his  recent  biographer  remarks,*  it  is  more  probable 
that  the  stones  had,  in  the  interval,  been  removed. 

From  Cyprus  he  passed  over  into  Palestine,  visited  Jerusa- 
lem, Sidon,  Mount  Lebanon,  and  Damascus,  and  then  return- 
ed to  Aleppo.  Here  he  continued  until  the  20th  of  November, 
1766,  when  he  set  out  with  a  caravan  for  Brusa,  in  Asia  Minor ; 
and  in  traversing  the  table-land  of  Mount  Taurus,  sufl'ered, 
says  one  of  his  biographers,  as  mucJi  from  frosts,  piercing 
winds,  and  snow-drifts,  as  he  could  have  done  in  a  winter 
journey  in  northern  regions.  Lofty  mountains  are  every- 
where cold.  Chardin  nearly  perished  among  the  snows  of 
Mount  Caucasus;  Don  Ulloa  suffered  severely  from  the  same 
cause  in  the  Andes,  almost  directly  under  the  equator ;  and 
the  lofty  range  of  the  Himmalaya,  which  divides  Hindostan 
from  Tibet,  is  so  excessively  cold,  that  Baber  Khan,  though  a 
soldier  and  a  Tartar,  beheld  with  terror  the  obstacle  wliich 
these  mountains  presented  to  his  ambition  ;  and  their  summits 
have  hitherto  been  protected  by  cold  from  human  intrusion. 
Upon  reaching  Brusa,  however,  he  reposed  himself  for  some 
time,  and  then  set  out  for  Constantinople,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  20th  of  February,  1767. 

Here  he  remained  three  or  four  months,  studying  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  empire,  civil  and  mihtary.  He  then  directed  his 
course  through  Roumeha,  Bulgaria,  Waliachia,  and  Molda- 
via, towards  Poland,  and  on  arriving  at  Warsaw  was  received 
with  extraordinary  politeness  by  King  Stanislaus  Poniatowsky, 
with  whom  he  afterward  corresponded  for  many  years.  From 
Warsaw  he  continued  his  journey  towards  Copenhagen,  and 
visited  on  the  way  Cottingen  and  his  beloved  native  place, 
when  the  death  of  his  mother's  brother,  during  his  absence, 
had  left  him  in  possession  of  a  considerable  marsh-farm.  He 
arrived  at  Copenhagen  in  November,  and  was  received  in  the 
most  flattering  manner  by  the  court,  the  ministers,  and  men  of 
science. 

Niebuhr  now  employed  himself  in  preparing  his  various 
works  for  publication.  The  "Description  of  Arabia"  was 
published  in  1772,  and  although  it  must  unquestionably  be  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  exact  and  copious  works  of  ihe  kind 
ever  composed  on  any  Asiatic  country,  it  met  with  but  a  cold 
reception  from  the  public.  This,  however,  is  not  at  all  surpri- 
smg.  Written  in  the  old  style  of  books  of  travels,  which  ap- 
pear to  have  aimed  at  imparting  instruction  without  at  all  in- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 


teresting  the  imagination,  it  can  never  be  relished  by  the  gene- 
rality of  readers,  who  at  all  times,  and  especially  in  these  latter 
ages,  have  required  to  be  cheated  into  knowledge  by  the  secret 
but  irresistible  charms  of  composition.  Niebulir,  unfortunate- 
ly, possessed  in  a  very  limited  degree  the  art  of  an  author. 
His  style  has  nothing  of  that  life  and  vivacity  which  compen- 
sates, in  many  writers,  for  the  want  of  method.  But  those  who 
neglect  his  works  on  these  accounts  are  to  be  pitied  ;  for  they 
abound  with  information,  and  everywhere  exhibit  marks  of  a 
remarkable  power  of  penetrating  into  the  character  and  motives 
of  men,  and  a  noble,  manly  benevolence,  which  generally  in- 
clines to  a  favourable,  but  just  interpretation.  He  understood 
the  Arabs  better  than  almost  any  other  traveller,  and  his  opin- 
ion of  them  upon  the  whole  was  remarkably  favourable.  It  is 
to  him,  therefore,  that  in  an  attempt  to  appreciate  the  charac- 
ter of  this  extraordinary  people,  I  would  resort,  in  preference 
even  to  Volney,  who,  whatever  might  be  the  perspicuity  of  his 
mind,  had  far  fewer  data  whereon  to  found  his  conclusions. 

In  1773  he  married,  and  his  wife  bore  him  two  children,  a 
daughter  and  B.  G.  Niebuhr,  the  author  of  the  "  Roman  His- 
tory." Next  year  the  first  volume  of  his  "Travels"  appeared, 
and  was  received  by  the  public  no  less  coldly  than  the  "  De- 
scription of  Arabia  ;"  which  was,  perhaps,  the  cause  why  the 
second  volume  was  not  published  until  1778;  and  why  the 
third,  which  would  have  completed  his  "Travels'"  history, 
was  never  laid  before  the  world,  or  even  prepared  for  publica- 
tion. This  is  exceedingly  to  be  regretted,  as,  whatever  may 
be  the  defects  of  Niebuhr  as  an  author,  he  was,  as  an  observer, 
highly  distinguished  for  sagacity;  and  his  account  of  Asia 
Minor  would  have  been  still  valuable,  notwithstanding  all  that 
has  since  been  written  on  that  country. 

He  continued  to  live  at  Copenhagen  for  ten  years  ;  but  at 
length  the  retirement  of  Count  Bernstorf  from  the  ministry,  and 
a  report  that  General  Huth  designed  to  despatch  him  into 
Norway  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  geographical  survey  of 
that  country,  disgusted  him  with  the  capital.  He  therefore 
demanded  of  the  government  permission  to  exchange  his  mili- 
tary for  a  civil  appointment,  and  accordingly  obtained  the 
situation  of  secretary  of  the  district  of  Meldorf,  whither  he  re- 
moved his  family  in  the  year  1778.  This  town  afforded  Nie- 
buhr few  opportunities  of  entering  into  society.  He  conse- 
quently endeavoured  to  extract  from  solitude  and  Irom  study 
the  pleasures  which  he  could  not  take  in  the  company  of  man- 
kind, and  addicted  himself  to  gardening  and  bcoks.  When 
his  children  had  reached  an  age  to  require  instruction,  he  un- 
dertook to  conduct  their  education  himself.     "He  iLs:ructed 


I 

340  CAR8TEN   NIEBUHR. 

US,"  says  his  son,  "in  geography,  and  related  to  us  many  pas- 
sages of  history.  He  taught  me  Enghsh  and  French — better, 
at  any  rate,  than  they  would  have  been  taught  by  anybody 
else  in  such  a  phice;  and  something  of  mathematics,  in  which 
he  would  have  proceeded  much  further,  had  not  want  of  zeal 
and  desire  in  me  unfortunately  destroyed  all  his  pleasure  in  the 
occupation.  One  thing,  indeed,  was  characteristic  of  his  whole 
system  of  teaching:  as  he  had  no  idea  how  anybody  could 
have  knowledge  of  any  kind  placed  before  him,  and  not  seize 
it  with  the  greatest  avidity,  and  hold  to  it  with  the  steadiest 
perseverance,  he  became  disinclined  to  teach  whenever  we 
appeared  inattentive  or  reluctant  to  learn.  As  the  first  in- 
struction I  received  in  Latin,  before  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
become  a  scholar  of  the  learned  and  excellent  Jager,  was  very 
defective,  he  helped  me,  and  read  with  me  "  Ciesar's  Com- 
mentaries." Here  again,  the  peculiar  bent  of  his  mind  show- 
ed itself:  he  always  called  my  attention  much  more  strongly 
to  the  geography  than  the  history.  The  map  of  Ancient  Gaul 
by  D'Anville,  for  whom  he  had  the  greatest  reverence,  always 
lay  before  us.  I  was  obhged  to  look  out  every  place  as  it  oc- 
curred, and  to  tell  its  exact  situation.  His  instruction  had  no 
pretensions  to  be  grammatical ;  his  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage, so  far  as  it  went,  was  gained  entirely  by  reading,  and 
by  looking  at  it  as  a  whole.  He  was  of  opinion  that  a  man 
did  not  deserve  to  learn  what  he  had  not  principally  worked 
out  for  himself;  and  that  a  teacher  should  be  only  a  helper  to 
assist  the  pupil  out  of  otherwise  inexplicable  difficulties.  From 
these  causes  his  attempts  to  teach  me  Arabic,  when  he  had 
already  lost  that  facility  in  speaking  it  without  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  dispense  with  grammatical  instruction,  to  his  disap- 
pointment and  my  shame,  did  not  succeed.  When  I  afterward 
taught  it  myself,  and  sent  him  translations  from  it,  he  was 
greatly  deligiited. 

"I  have  the  most  lively  recollection  of  many  descriptions  of 
the  structure  of  the  universe,  and  accounts  of  eastern  coun- 
tries, which  he  used  to  tell  me  instead  of  fairy  tales,  when  he 
took  me  on  his  knee  before  I  went  to  bed.  The  history  of 
Mohammed;  of  the  first  califs,  particularly  of  Omar  and  Ah, 
for  whom  he  had  the  deepest  veneration  ;  of  the  conquests  and 
spread  of  Islimism;  of  the  virtues  of  the  heroes  of  the  new 
faith,  and  of  the  Turkish  converts,  were  imprinted  on  my 
childish  imagination  in  the  liveliest  coIoim's.  Historical  works 
on  these  same  subjects  were  nearly  the  first  books  that  fell  into 
my  hands. 

"I  recollect,  too,  that  on  the  Christmas-eve  of  my  tenth  year, 
by  way  of  making  the  day  one  of  peculiar  solemnity  and  re- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  34^ 

joicing  to  me,  he  went  to  a  beautiful  chest  containing  his  man- 
uscripts, which  was  regarded  by  us  children,  and  indeed  by 
the  whole  household,  as  a  kind  of  ark  of  the  covenant ;  took 
out  the  papers  relating  to  Africa,  and  read  to  me  from  them. 
He  had  taught  me  to  draw  maps,  and  with  his  encouragement 
and  assistance  I  soon  produced  maps  of  Habbesh  and  Soudan. 

"I  could  not  make  him  a  more  welcome  birthday  present 
than  a  sketch  of  the  geography  of  eastern  countries,  or  transla- 
tions from  voyages  and  travels,  executed  as  might  be  expect- 
ed from  a  child.  He  had  originally  no  stronger  desire  than 
that  I  might  be  his  successor  as  a  traveller  in  the  East.  But 
the  influence  of  a  very  tender  and  anxious  mother  upon  my 
physical  training  and  constitution,  thwarted  his  plan,  almost 
as  soon  as  it  was  formed.  In  consequence  of  her  opposition, 
my  father  afterward  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  it. 

"The  distinguished  kindness  he  had  experienced  from  the 
English,  and  the  services  which  he  had  been  able  to  render  to 
the  East  India  Company,  by  throwing  light  upon  the  higher 
part  of  the  Red  Sea,  led  him  to  entertain  the  idea  of  sending 
me,  as  soon  as  I  was  old  enough,  to  India.  With  this  scheme, 
which,  plausible  as  it  was,  he  was  afterward  as  glad  to  see 
frustrated  as  I  was  myself,  many  things,  in  the  education  he 
gave  me,  were  intimately  connected.  He  taught  me,  by  pre- 
ference, out  of  English  books,  and  put  EngUsh  works,  of  all 
sorts,  into  my  hands.  At  a  very  early  age  he  gave  me  a  regu- 
lar supply  of  English  newspapers  :  circumstances  which  I  re- 
cord here,  not  on  account  of  the  powerful  influence  they  have 
had  on  my  maturer  life,  but  as  indications  of  his  character.'* 

In  the  winter  of  1788  he  received  from  Herder  a  copy  of  his 
"  Persepolis,"  which  afforded  him  one  proof  that  he  was  not 
forgotten  by  his  countrymen.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
war  which  was  then  raging  against  Turkey  ;  for,  in  proportion 
to  his  love  for  the  Arabs,  was  his  hatred  of  the  Turks,  whom 
he  cordially  desired  to  see  expelled  from  Europe.  The  French 
expedition  to  Egypt,  however,  was  no  object  of  gratification 
to  him  ;  for  his  dislike  of  the  French  was  as  strong  as  his  dis- 
like of  the  Turks,  convinced  that  their  absurd  vanity  and  want 
of  faith  would  infallibly  neutralize  the  good  effects  even  of  the 
revolution  itself. 

The  account  given  by  his  distinguished  son  of  the  latter 
days  of  this  meritorious  traveller  is  worthy  of  finding  a  place 
here.  "  His  appearance,"  says  he,  "  was  calculated  to  leave 
a  delightful  picture  in  the  mind.  All  his  features,  as  well  as 
his  extinguished  eyes,  wore  the  expression  of  the  extreme  and 
the  exhausted  old  age  of  an  extraordinarily  robust  nature.  It 
was  impossible  to  behold  a  more  venerable  sight.     So  venera- 


342  CARSTEN   NIEBUHR. 

ble  was  it,  that  a  Cossack  who  entered  an  unbidden  guest  into 
the  chamber  where  he  sat  with  his  silver  locks  uncovered^  was 
so  struck  with  it,  that  he  manifested  the  greatest  reverence  for 
him,  and  a  sincere  and  cordial  interest  for  the  whole  house- 
hold. His  sweetness  of  temper  was  unalterable,  though  he 
often  expressed  his  desire  to  go  to  his  final  home,  since  all 
which  he  had  desired  to  live  for  had  been  accomplished. 

"  A  numerous,  and  as  yet  unbroken,  family  circle  was  as- 
sembled around  him  ;  and  every  day  in  which  he  was  not 
assailed  by  some  peculiar  indisposition  he  conversed  with 
cheerfulness  and  cordial  enjoyment  on  the  happy  change 
which  had  taken  place  in  public  affairs.  We  found  it  very 
dehghtful  to  engage  in  continued  recitals  of  his  travels,  which 
he  now  related  with  peculiar  fulness  and  vivacity.  In  this 
manner  he  once  spoke  much  and  in  great  detail  of  Persepolis, 
and  described  the  walls  on  which  he  had  found  the  inscriptions 
and  bas-reliefs,  exactly  as  one  would  describe  those  of  a  build- 
ing visited  within  a  few  days  and  familiarly  known.  We  could 
not  conceal  our  astonishment.  He  replied,  that  as  he  lay  in 
bed,  all  visible  objects  shut  out,  the  pictures  of  what  he  had 
beheld  in  the  East  continually  floated  before  his  mine's  eye, 
so  that  it  was  no  wonder  he  could  speak  of  them  as  if  he  had 
seen  them  yesterday.  With  hke  vividness  was  the  deep  in- 
tense sky  of  Asia,  with  its  brilliant  and  twinkling  host  of  stars, 
which  he  had  so  often  gazed  at  by  night,  or  its  lofty  vault  of 
blue  by  day,  reflected  in  the  hours  of  stillness  and  darkness  on 
his  inmost  soul ;  and  this  was  his  greatest  enjoyment.  In  the 
beginning  of  winter  he  had  another  bleeding  at  the  nose,  so 
violent  that  the  bystanders  expected  his  death ;  but  this  also 
he  withstood. 

"About  the  end  of  April,  1815,  the  long  obstruction  in  his 
chest  grew  much  worse  ;  but  his  friendly  physician  alleviated 
the  symptoms,  which  to  those  around  him  appeared  rather 
painful  than  dangerous.  Towards  evening  on  the  26th  of 
April,  1815,  he  was  read  to  as  usual,  and  asked  questions 
which  showed  perfect  apprehension  and  intelhgence  ;  he  then 
sunk  into  a  sluml)er,  and  departed  without  a  struggle." 

Niebuhr  had  attained  his  eighty-second  year.  He  was  a 
man  rather  below  than  above  the  middle  size,  but  robust  in 
make,  and  exceedingly  oriental  in  air  and  gestures.  As  might 
be  clearly  enough  inferred  from  his  works,  he  was  no  lover  of 
poetry;  for,  though  he  is  said  to  have  admired  Homer  in  the 
German  translation  of  Voss,  together  with  the  Herman  and 
Dorothea  of  Goethe,  this  might  be  accounted  for  upon  a  differ- 
ent principle.  His  imagination,  however,  was  liable  to  be 
sometimes  excited  in  a  very  peculiar  way.     "  It  is  extraordina- 


CARSTEN    NIEBUHR.  343 

ry,"  says  his  son,  "that  this  man,  so  remarkably  devoid  of 
imagination,  so  exempt  from  illusion,  waked  us  on  the  night 
in  which  his  brother  died,  though  he  was  at  such  a  distance 
that  he  knew  not  even  of  his  illness,  and  told  us  that  his  brother 
was  dead.  What  had  appeared  to  him,  waking  or  dreaming, 
he  never  told  us." 


JOHN  BELL. 


Bell  seems  to  have  been  born  about  the  year  1690,  at 
Antermony,  in  Scotland.  He  was  possessed,  even  from  his 
earliest  years,  by  a  strong  passion  forjtravel;  but  his  passion, 
together  with  a  large  portion  of  shrewdness  and  sagacity,  con- 
stituting the  better  part  of  his  inheritance,  he  judiciously  ap- 
plied himself  to  the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery,  a  know- 
ledge of  which,  in  all  semi-barbarous  countries,  is  frequently 
of  more  avail  to  the  traveller  even  than  wealth.  It  does  not 
appear  whether  Bell  was  directed  in  the  choice  of  his  scene  by 
preference  or  by  chance.  However,  as  all  Europe  was  at  that 
period  filled  with  admiration  of  the  projects  of  Peter  the  First, 
whose  reputation  for  munificence  drew  crowds  of  adventurers 
by  a  species  of  magnetic  attraction  towards  the  north,  it  is 
probable  that  a  desire  of  personal  aggrandizement  united 
with  a  thirst  of  knowledge  in  urging  our  traveller  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Petersburg.  Put  be  this  as  it  may,  having  obtained 
from  several  respectable  persons  recommendatory  letters  to 
Dr.  Areskine,  chief  physician  and  privy  counsellor  to  the  czar 
Peter  the  First,  he  embarked  at  London  in  July,  1714,  for  St. 
Petersburg.  On  his  arrival  he  was  received  in  a  very  friendly 
manner  by  Dr.  Areskine,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  inten- 
tions of  availing  himself  of  the  first  opportunity  which  should 
offer  of  visiting  some  portions  of  Asia.  The  desired  occasion 
soon  presented  itself.  The  czar,  preparing  at  this  period  to 
send  an  embassy  into  Persia,  appointed  Aremy  Petrovich 
Valensky,  a  captain  of  the  guards,  to  conduct  the  mission  ; 
and  this  gentleman  applying  to  Dr.  Areskine  to  recommend 
him  a  medical  attendant,  Bell  was  immediately  brought  for- 
ward by  his  countryman,  and  received,  on  his  favourable  tes- 
timony, into  the  ambassador's  suite.  Through  the  same  in- 
terest, he  was  likewise  at  once  formally  introduced  into  the 
fiervice  of  the  czar. 


JOHN  BELL.  345 

Bell  set  out  from  Petersburg  on  the  15th  of  July,  1715,  ac- 
companied hy  a  part  of  the  ambassador's  suite,  and  for  some 
time  directing  his  course  along  the  western  bank  of  the  Neva, 
encamped  in  the  evening  on  a  small  stream  which  falls  into 
that  river,  and  passed  the  night  in  a  wagon.  Next  day  they 
embarked  on  the  Volchovu,  the  banks  of  which  were  covered 
with  villages  and  fruitful  cornfields,  interspersed  with  woods, 
and  continued  their  journey  by  water  until  they  approached 
Novogorod,  where  they  quitted  their  "moving  road,"  as  Pascal 
terms  a  river,  and  proceeded  on  horseback.  At  Iver,  Bell  be- 
held the  mighty  stream  of  the  Volga,  the  navigation  of  which 
from  this  town  to  the  Caspian  Sea  is  interrupted  by  no  cataract, 
and  whose  waters  abound  with  an  extraordinary  variety  of  the 
finest  fish  in  the  world. 

From  this  place  they  proceeded  towards  the  ancient  capital 
of  the  empire,  through  a  plain  but  agreeable  country,  covered 
with  rich  harvests,  which  infallibly  produce  a  pleasing  effect 
upon  the  mind,  and  dotted  with  small  tufted  groves,  the  ver- 
dure of  which  contrasted  admirably  with  the  yellow  grain 
waving  at  their  feet.  On  reaching  the  village  from  which  the 
first  view  of  Moscow  was  obtained.  Bell  observes,  that  "  at  this 
distance  few  cities  in  the  world  make  a  finer  appearance,  for 
it  stands  on  a  rising  ground,  and  contains  many  stately  churches 
and  monasteries,  whose  steeples  and  cupolas  are  generally 
covered  either  with  copper  gilt  or  tin  plates,  which  shine  like 
gold  and  silver  in  the  sun." 

The  Kremlin,  to  which  Bishop  Heber  was  fond  of  comparing 
some  of  the  old  Mohammedan  edifices  of  Hindostan,  appears 
to  have  excited  no  very  particular  admiration  in  Bell,  who 
merely  observes  that  it  was  compounded  of  a  number  of  build- 
ings added  to  one  another  at  diff'erent  times,  and  that  some  of 
the  apartments  were  remarkably  spacious.  Here  they  em- 
barked on  the  Moskwa,  and  dropping  slowly  down  the  stream, 
entered  the  Volga  a  little  below  Nishna.  The  river  at  this 
place  is  of  very  great  breadth,  and,  the  wind  blowing  from  the 
north,  they  were  driven  along  with  prodigious  velocity.  Signs 
of  the  approach  of  winter  now  began  to  appear,  for  it  was  the 
latter  end  of  October;  the  Volga  was  suddenly  filled  with 
floating  ice,  which,  united  with  its  powerful  current,  and  the 
force  of  the  wind,  rendered  their  position  exceedingly  danger- 
ous. They,  however,  continued  their  voyage,  and  arrived  on 
the  3d  of  November  at  Zabackzar,  a  considerable  town  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  a  little  above  Kazen. 

In  this  part  of  Russia,  according  to  Bell,  the  best  and  largest 
falcons  in  the  world  are  caught,  which  being  highly  valued  for 
their  strength  and  beauty,  particularly  by  the  Turks  and  Per- 
30 


346  JOHN  BELL. 

sians,  are  sold  to  those  nations  at  extravagant  prices.  They 
are  not,  as  might  have  been  expected,  taken  from  the  nest; 
but  after  they  are  full  grown,  when  their  natural  instincts  have 
been  developed  by  exercise,  and  their  physical  powers  have 
acquired,  by  strugghng  witli  storms  and  tempests,  their  utmost 
maturity  and  vigour.  They  are  then  taught  to  fly  at  swans, 
geese,  herons,  hares,  and  even  antelopes ;  and  our  traveller 
saw  one  of  them  take  a  wild  duck  out  of  the  water  when  nothing 
but  her  bill,  which  she  had  put  up  for  air,  could  be  perceived. 
Many  of  these  falcons  are  as  white  as  doves.  Bell  afterward 
saw  in  Kudistan  the  beautiful  species  of  hawk  called  ckerJck, 
which  the  Persians  and  Arabs  train  for  antelope  hunting.  This 
is  done  by  stuffing  the  skin  of  one  of  these  animals,  and  placing 
the  food  of  the  hawk  between  its  horns,  which  afterward,  when 
the  bird  comes  to  be  employed  in  the  chase,  induces  it  to 
pounce  upon  the  head  of  the  antelope,  and  either  strike  it  to 
the  ground,  or  retard  its  movements  until  the  greyhounds 
come  up.  Sir  John  Malcolm,  who  witnessed  this  singular 
sport  at  Abusheher,  observes  that  "the  huntsmen  proceed  to  a 
large  plain,  or  rather  desert,  near  the  seaside;  they  have 
hawks  and  greyhounds,  the  former  carried  in  the  usual  man- 
ner on  the  hand  of  the  huntsman,  the  latter  led  in  a  leash  by  a 
horseman,  generally  the  same  who  carries  the  hawk.  When 
the  antelope  is  seen  they  endeavour  to  get  as  near  as  possible ; 
but  the  animal,  the  moment  it  observes  them,  goes  off  at  a 
rate  that  seems  swifter  than  the  wind;  the  horses  are  instantly 
at  full  speed,  having  slipped  the  dogs.  If  it  is  a  single  deer 
they  at  the  same  time  fly  the  hawks;  but  if  a  herd,  they  wait 
till  the  dogs  have  fixed  upon  a  particular  antelope.  The 
hawks,  skimming  along  near  the  ground,  soon  reach  the  deer, 
at  whose  head  they  pounce  in  succession,  and  sometimes  with 
a  violence  that  knocks  it  over." 

The  Persian  style  of  hare  hunting,  which  few  travellers 
have  noticed,  is  scarcely  less  interesting,  and  is  thus  described 
by  Sir  John  Malcolm.  "When  at  Shirez  the  elchee  (ambas- 
sador) had  received  a  present  of  a  very  fine  shah-baz,  or  royal 
falcon.  Before  going  out  I  had  been  amused  at  seeing  Nuttee 
Beg,  our  head  falconer,  a  man  of  great  experience  in  his  de- 
partment, put  upon  this  bird  a  pair  of  leathers,  which  he  fitted 
to  its  thighs  with  as  much  care  as  if  he  had  been  the  tailor  of  a 
fashionable  horseman.  I  inquired  the  reason  of  so  unusual 
a  proceeding.  *  You  will  learn  that,'  said  the  consequential 
master  of  the  hawks,  *when  you  see  our  sport;'  and  I  was 
convinced,  at  the  period  he  predicted,  of  the  old  fellow's  know- 
ledge of  his  business.  The  first  hare  seized  by  the  falcon  was 
very  strong,  and  the  ground  rough.     While  the  bird  kept  tlie 


JOHN  BELL. 

claws  of  one  foot  fastened  in  the  back  of  its  prey,  the  other 
was  dragged  along  the  ground,  till  it  had  an  opportunity  to 
lay  hold  of  a  tuft  of  grass,  by  which  it  was  enabled  to  stop  the 
course  of  the  hare,  whose  efforts  to  escape,  I  do  think,  would 
have  torn  the  hawk  asunder,  if  it  had  not  been  provided  with 
the  leathern  defences  which  have  been  mentioned.  The  next 
time  the  falcon  was  flown  gave  us  proof  of  that  extraordinary 
courage  which  its  whole  appearance,  and  particularly  its  eye, 
denoted.  It  had  stopped  and  quite  disabled  the  second  hare 
by  the  first  pounce,  when  two  greyhounds,  which  had  been 
slipped  by  mistake,  came  up,  and  endeavoured  to  seize  it. 
They  were,  however,  repulsed  by  the  falcon,  whose  boldness 
and  celerity  in  attacking  the  dogs,  and  securing  its  prey,  ex- 
cited our  admiration  and  astonishment."  Bell  was  informed 
of  a  circumstance,  while  travelling  in  Kurdistan,  which  raises 
still  higher  our  admiration  of  the  falcon's  courage ;  for  it  is 
trained  by  the  Tartars  to  fly  at  foxes  and  even  wolves. 

But  to  return  to  the  Volga  :  On  arriving  on  the  5th  of  No- 
vember at  Kazan,  they  found  that  the  winter  had  set  in,  that 
the  Volga  was  filled  with  floating  ice,  and  that,  therefore,  since 
the  nations  inhabiting  both  banks  of  the  river  were  hostile  to 
Russia,  or  extremely  barbarous  in  their  manners,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  defer  the  prosecution  of  their  journey  until  the 
following  spring.  This  aflforded  Bell  ample  leisure  for  the 
conducting  of  his  researches  into  the  manners,  character,  and 
rehgion  of  the  neighbouring  tribes.  Here  he  found  two  Swe- 
dish generals,  Hamilton  and  Rosen,  taken  prisoners  at  the 
battle  of  Pultowa,  and  exiled  by  the  barbarous  policy  of  the 
czar  to  these  remote  regions ;  but,  excepting  that  they  were 
exiles,  they  had  no  great  reason  to  complain  of  their  treatment, 
for  they  were  allowed  to  share  in  whatever  amusements  and 
pleasures  the  place  afforded,  and  were  by  no  means  subjected 
to  a  rigorous  confinement. 

It  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  June  that  they  were  enabled 
to  continue  their  voyage.  They  then  began  once  more  to  de- 
scend the  stream,  which  they  did  with  great  velocity;  and 
making  a  short  stay  at  Samara  and  Astrakhan,  proceeded  on 
their  voyage,  entered  the  Caspian,  and  on  the  30th  of  August 
arrived  at  Niezabad,  where,  there  being  neither  harbour  nor 
creek,  they  hauled  up  their  flat-bottomed  vessels  on  the  beach. 
Here  an  accident  occurred  to  one  of  Bell's  companions,  which 
strikingly  illustrates  the  facility  with  which  the  imagination, 
when  strongly  excited,  overthrows  the  other  faculties  of  the 
mind.  The  ship  in  which  the  secretary  of  the  embassy  was 
embarked  did  not  arrive  until  several  hours  after  the  others 
had  been  drawn  on  shore,  by  which  time  the  wind  had  begun 


348  JOHN  BELL. 

to  blow  with  great  violence,  while  the  sea  broke  tremendously 
upon  the  beach.  Not  being  able  under  such  circumstances, 
to  reach  the  land,  they  at  first  cast  anchor  in  the  open  road ; 
but  the  gale  increasing,  even  this  position  was  considered  dan- 
gerous, so  that  they  quickly  shpped  their  cable  and  put  out  to 
sea.  The  secretary  and  the  other  gentlemen  on  board,  how- 
ever, not  greatly  admiring  their  situation,  and  willing,  from 
their  extreme  impatience  to  be  once  more  on  terra  firma,  to 
run  even  a  considerable  risk  in  endeavouring  to  effect  their 
purpose,  ordered  the  master  of  the  ship,  a  Dutchman  in  the 
service  of  the  czar,  to  run  her  ashore  at  all  hazards,  engaging 
themselves  to  be  accountable  for  the  consequences.  But  when 
the  ship  had  approached  within  a  certain  distance  of  the  land, 
the  sea  ran  so  high  that  no  boat  could  be  hoisted  out.  The 
secretary's  fear  of  the  sea  increasing  with  the  obstacles  to  his 
landing,  he  at  length  prevailed  upon  a  sailor,  at  the  peril  of 
his  life,  to  carry  him  ashore  on  his  back,  which,  in  spite  of  all 
difficulties,  the  man  actually  performed ;  "but  his  clothes  being 
drenched  with  salt-water,  and  the  road  lying  through  deep 
sands,  he  was  soon  fatigued,  and  therefore  retired  nearer  to 
the  woods,  in  hopes  of  finding  a  more  smooth  and  easy  path. 
He  discovered  what  he  sought ;  but  instead  of  leading  him  to 
the  ships,  it  carried  him  away  from  the  shore,  and  the  right 
course,  into  thick  encumbered  wood  ;  and  in  these  circum- 
stances night  overtook  him,  utterly  ignorant  of  the  dismal  and 
dangerous  wild  into  which  he  had  wandered.  Thus  destitute 
of  all  assistance,  he  chmbed  a  tree  to  save  himself  from  the 
wild  beasts  with  which  these  woods  abound;  and  in  this  situa- 
tion continued  all  the  night,  and  till  noon  the  next  day ;  for 
the  people  in  his  own  ship  never  doubted  of  his  having  safely 
reached  our  tents ;  while  we,  on  the  contrary,  had  not  the 
least  suspicion  of  his  having  come  on  shore.  At  last,  however^ 
about  noon,  his  servant  came,  inquiring  for  his  master,  who, 
he  told  us,  left  the  ship  the  night  before.  This  account  filled 
us  all  with  anxiety  and  apprehension  ;  as  we  certainly  conclu- 
ded he  would  be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  wild  beasts,  or  murdered 
by  the  savages  who  inhabit  this  coast.  Immediate  order  was 
given  for  all  our  people  to  repair  to  the  woods  in  searcli  of 
him.  He  was  at  last  found  wandering  from  path  to  path, 
without  knowing  one  direction  from  another.  When  he  came 
to  the  tents  he  looked  ghastly  and  wild,  and  related  many 
strange  stories  of  what  he  had  heard  in  the  night.  All  possi- 
ble care  was  taken  to  alleviate  his  distress.  During  his  sleep, 
which  was  very  discomposed,  he  often  started,  groaned,  and 
spoke;  and  even  after  he  awaked,  he  persisted  in  affirming 
that  there  were  numbers  of  people  round  the  tree  in  the  night, 


JOHN  BELL.  349 

talking  different  languages.  The  imagination,  no  doubt,  will 
natuniily  have  a  strong  effect  on  any  man  in  such  uncommon 
circumstances  ;  for,  though  the  secretary  was  a  man  of  pene- 
tration and  sound  judgment,  in  vain  did  we  endeavour  to  un- 
deceive him,  by  representing  that  it  was  nothing  but  the  jackals 
whicli  made  the  noise  he  had 'heard."  In  fact,  he  never  re- 
covered liis  former  sagacity  and  soundness  of  mind  :  and  the 
accident  may  even  be  supposed  to  have  hastened  his  death, 
which  took  place  not  long  afterward. 

From  Niezabad  they  proceeded  to  Shamakia,  where  the  in- 
habitants, to  whom  the  Muscovites  were  novelties  at  that  time, 
crowded  the  tops  of  their  houses  to  behold  them.  The  time 
of  their  stay  was  spent  in  the  way  usual  with  ambassadors; 
that  is,  in  attempts  of  politeness,  affecting  state,  and  in  disputes 
with  the  Khan  of  Shamakia.  At  length,  however,  all  these 
were  ended,  and  they  departed.  The  suite  of  the  ambassador 
was  numerous;  for  in  the  East  a  man's  dignity  is  estimated 
by  the  camel-loads  of  people  at  his  heels :  one  hundred  and 
sixty  camels,  nearly  two  hundred  horses  and  mules,  which,  if 
common  sense  were  constituted  judge  of  the  matter,  would  be 
thought  amply  sufficient  to  bear  the  czar's  compliments  and  a 
letter  to  the  shah. 

On  entering  Kurdistan,  Bell,  from  whose  mind  the  "  rugged 
Russian  bears,"  jackals,  and  other  nuisances,  had  not  chased 
away  all  classical  reminiscences,  seems  to  have  experienced 
some  pleasure  at  the  idea  of  traversing,  though  in  a  contrary 
direction,  the  same  track  which  was  pursued  by  Xenophon 
and  the  Ten  Thousand  in  their  retreat  from  Babylonia.  The 
Kurds,  the  ancient  Karduchi,  were  still,  he  says,  reckoned  a 
brave  people  ;  and,  in  fact,  would  be  extremely  disposed,  if 
any  thing  were  to  be  gained  by  it,  to  harass  any  body  of  men, 
whether  small  or  great,  who  passed  through  their  country. 
On  the  day  before  they  arrived  at  Tabriz  they  crossed  a  ridge 
of  mountains,  from  which,  as  he  was  infonned  by  an  Armeni- 
an, the  snowy  peaks  of  Ararat,  or  Agri  Dag,  might  be  seen  in 
clear  weather. 

From  Tabriz  they  set  out  in  the  heart  of  winter,  the  country 
being  covered  with  deep  snow,  and  the  roads,  in  consequence, 
almost  impassable.  The  bright  reflection  of  the  sunbeams 
from  the  snow  produced  an  extraordinary  effect  upon  the  Rus- 
sians. Their  faces  swelled,  and  many  of  them  were  afflicted 
with  ophthalmia.  But  the  Persians  themselves  are  liable  to 
the  latter  inconvenience,  and,  in  order  to  guard  against  it, 
wear  a  network  fillet  of  black  horsehair  over  the  eyes  ;  which 
Bell  found,  upon  trial,  to  be  an  effectual  preventive.  This 
30* 


350  JOHN  BELL. 

contrivance,  I  imagine,  might  be  made  use  of  with  equal  suc- 
cess in  traversing  the  sands  of  Egypt  or  Arabia. 

As  they  proceeded  southward  they  quickly  escaped  from  the 
regions  of  snow,  and  on  reaching  Sarva,  a  small  town  a  little 
to  the  north  of  Room,  found  the  pomegranate-trees  already  in 
blossom  on  the  22d  of  February.  The  Persians,  at  least  that 
part  of  them  who  make  any  claim  to  civilization,  are  a  pleasant 
people  to  travel  among.     For  if,  in  classic  lands. 

Not  a  mountain  reared  its  head  unsung, 

no  mountain,  no,  nor  valley  neither,  rears  or  lowers  its  head 
without  having  some  particular  legend  attached  to  it.  Near 
Room  you  are  shown  a  hill  from  which  no  one  who  has  been 
mad  enough  to  reach  the  top  ever  descended  ;  and  are  told  a 
lamentable  story  of  a  young  page  sent  up  with  a  hghted  torch 
in  his  hand  by  Shah  Abbas,  who,  of  course,  never  returned, 
but  may  yet  perhaps  come  down  with  his  torch  unconsumed, 
upon  the  re-advent  of  the  Twelfth  Imam.  At  Rashan  your 
imagination  is  excited  by  being  placed  in  apartments,  the  floors 
of  which  are  almost  paved  with  scorpions,  the  sting  of  every 
one  of  which  is  more  deadly  than  the  sword  of  Rustam,  or  the 
lance  of  Afrasiab.  But  these  reptiles,  like  the  spear  of  Achil- 
les, undo,  as  it  were,  with  one  hand  what  they  perform  with 
the  other  ;  for  when  they  have  darted  their  poison  into  the 
frame,  they  yield,  on  being  caught  and  fried,  though  not  alive, 
I  hope,  an  oil  which  the  Persians  reckon  an  infalhble  antidote 
to  their  venom.  The  only  advantage  which  seems  to  be  de- 
rived from  this  energetic  little  reptile  is,  that  it  enriches  the 
Persian  language  with  a  new  variety  of  that  rhetorical  figure 
of  speech  called  commination,  or  cursing;  for  when  any  per- 
son is  desirous  of  concentrating  his  wrath  in  a  single  impreca- 
tion, instead  of  having  recourse  to  that  convenient  but  vulgar 
demon  who  takes  our  enemies  oft*  our  hands  in  Europe,  he 
arms  his  wishes  with  the  sting  of  a  Rashan  scorpion,  and  flings 
that  at  the  head  of  his  adversaries. 

The  embassy  arrived  at  Ispahan  on  the  I4th  of  March ; 
and  the  shah's  court  immediately  put  itself  in  training  for  a 
grand  theatrical  exhibition,  in  order  to  impress  the  barbarians 
with  a  favourable  idea  of  the  greatness  of  the  Asylum  of  the 
Universe.  While  the  stage  decorations  were  preparing,  our 
traveller,  who  entertained  a  reasonable  respect  for  royal  pomp 
and  magnificence,  employed  himself  in  observing  the  city  and 
its  environs  ;  and  when  the  important  day  came,  accompanied 
the  ambassador  into  the  presence  of  the  shah.  Every  thing 
passed  oft"  in  the  usual  style.     Exhibitions  of  elephants  capar- 


JOHN  BELL.  351 

isoned  with  gold  and  silver  stuffs  ;  lions  led  in  massive  chains 
of  gold;  twenty  horses  superbly  caparisoned,  having  all  their 
saddles  and  bridles  ornamented  with  gold  and  silver,  and  set 
with  sapphires,  emeralds,  and  other  precious  stones,  while  the 
stakes  by  which  they  were  fastened,  and  the  mallets  with  which 
those  stakes  were  driven  into  the  earth,  were  of  sohd  gold : 
such  were  the  siglits  beheld  within  the  precincts  of  the  palace. 
On  the  outside,  however,  poverty,  ignorance,  and  starvation 
exhibited  their  gaunt,  phantom  visages  among  the  crowd, 
scaring  the  eyeballs  of  those  who  were  not  too  much  dazzled 
by  the  gorgeous  apparatus  of  tyranny,  to  discover  the  real  na- 
ture of  the  materials  out  of  which  they  were  forgedv 

When  the  ambassador  was  presented  to  the  shah,  he  made 
a  speech  to  him  in  Russian;  the  "Asylum  of  the  Ifni- 
verse"  replied  in  Persian;  and  since  neither  of  them  under- 
stood one  word  of  what  was  sai^d  to  him  by  the  other,  their 
speeches  must  have  been  exceedingly  interesting.  However,. 
a  third  person,  "  doctus  utriusque  lingure,"  clothed  the  shah's 
ideas  in  Russian  for  the  benefit  of  the  ambassador,  while  he 
presented  the  thoughts  of  the  latter,  or  at  least  something  like 
them,  to  the  shah,  in  the  mellifluous  language  of  Persia.  All 
this  while  music,  which  the  traveller  did  not  find  inharmoni- 
ous, was  played  in  the  audience-chamber,  and  the  mufti  was 
reading  aloud  various  portions  of  the  Koran.  Whether  this 
was  intended  to  show  how  indiflerent,  respecting  all  secular 
concerns,  the  holy  men  of  Persia  were,  or  to  throw  an  air  of 
religion  over  the  transaction,  or,  finally,  to  exorcise  all  such 
devils  as  might  be  supposed  to  accompany  such  a  rabble  of 
Franks,  Bell  did  not  inquire;  which,  I  think,  was  a  great 
oversight.  An  entertainment,  which  all  parties  thought  more 
agreeable  than  the  speeches,  followed  next.  The  shah  him- 
self, according  to  ancient  usage,  was  served  before  his  guests  ; 
but  the  ambassador  had  the  honor  of  being  next  attended  to. 
Every  article  of  the  feast  was  served  up  in  large  gold  or  china 
dishes,  but,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  East,  fingers  were 
substituted  for  knives  and  forks,  and  these,  as  among  the  an- 
cient Greeks,  were  wiped  with  large  thin  cakes  of  bread,  in- 
stead of  napkins. 

The  dmner  to  which  they  were  shortly  after  invited  by  the 
keeper  of  the  great  seal,  was  more  magnificent  than  that  given 
them  by  the  shah.  "  Soon  after  we  entered,"  says  Bell,  "there 
were  served  up  a  great  variety  of  sweetmeats,  and  all  kinds 
of  fruit  that  the  climate  afforded.  Coffee  and  sherbet  were 
carried  about  by  turns.  We  were  placed  cross-legged  upon 
the  carpets,  except  the  ambassador,  who  had  a  seat.  During 
this  part  of  the  feast  we  were  entertained  with  vocal  and  in- 


352  JOHxV    BELL. 

strumerital  music,  dancing  boys,  tumblers,  puppets,  and  jug- 
glers. All  the  performers  executed  their  parts  with  great  dex- 
terity. Two  of  them  counterfeited  a  quarrel,  one  beat  off  the 
other's  turban  with  his  foot,  out  of  which  dropped  about  fifteen 
or  twenty  large  serpents,  which  ran  or  crawled  about  the  room. 
One  of  them  came  towards  me  with  great  speed,  which  soon 
obliged  me  to  quit  my  place.  On  seeing  us  alarmed,  they 
told  us  the  creatures  were  altogether  inoffensive,  as  their  teeth 
had  been  all  drawn  out.  The  fellow  went  about  the  room  and 
gathered  them  again  into  his  turban,  like  so  many  eels.  The 
victuals  were  now  served  in  a  neat  and  elegant  manner. 
Every  thing  was  well  dressed  in  the  Persian  fashion.  Our 
host  was  very  cheerful,  and  contributed  every  thing  in  his 
power  to  please  his  guests.  He  excused  himself  handsomely 
enough  for  not  having  wine,  as  it  was  not  then  used  at  court. 

Two  days  after  this  the  ambassador  received  intimation,  that 
the  business  of  the  embassy  being  concluded,  he  might  depart 
when  he  pleased ;  but  the  Russ,  who  seems  to  have  relished 
the  pilaus  of  Ispahan,  would  have  been  better  pleased  to  re- 
main where  he  was  the  whole  year.  However,  it  being  clear 
that  the  disciples  of  Ali  by  no  means  participated  in  his  feel- 
ings, he  unwillingly  prepared  to  encounter  once  more  his 
native  fogs  and  snows.  They  left  Ispahan  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, and  proceeded  through  Kasbin  and  Ghilan  towards 
Shamakia.  At  Kasbin  many  of  the  ambassador's  suit,  and 
Bell  among  the  number,  were  attacked  by  a  pestilential  fever, 
which  appears  to  have  been  the  plague  ;  but  they  all,  except- 
ing one  person,  recovered.  They,  however,  lost  twenty-two 
of  their  number  before  they  finally  quitted  the  Persian  do- 
minions. 

It  being  the  depth  of  winter  when  the  ambassador  arrived 
at  Shamakia,  he  resolved  to  remain  there  until  the  following 
summer;  time,  in  his  opinion,  being  of  little  value.  Accord- 
ingly, it  was  not  until  the  26th  of  June  that  they  embarked  oA 
the  Caspian.  Their  journey  homewards  was  long  and  tedi* 
ous ;  but  they  at  length  reached  Petersburg  on  the  30th  of 
December,  1718;  having  consumed  nearly  three  years  and  a 
half  in  going  to  and  returning  from  Ispahan. 

Bell  observes  that  Peter,  who  was  in  the  capital  when  t!iey 
arrived,  was  said  to  be  well  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  his 
ambassador,  whose  principal  business  was  to  cultivate  and 
cement  amity  and  a  good  understanding  between  the  two 
crowns  of  Russia  and  Persia.  The  city,  notwithstanding  the 
Swedish  war,  which  had  lasted  nearly  twenty  yeai-s,  had  been 
greatly  improved  and  adorned  during  his  short  absence  ;  and 
its  appearance  had  been  so  greatly  changed,  that  he  could 


JOHN   BELL. 


353 


scarcely  imagine  himself,  he  says,  in  the  same  place.  Other 
changes  had  likewise  taken  place  in  that  short  interval.  His 
friend  Dr.  Areskine  was,  he  found,  no  more,  having  died 
about  six  weeks  previous  to  his  arrival.  However,  he  was 
kindly  received  by  his  other  friends,  as  well  Russian  as  Eng- 
lish ;  and  he  mentions  it  as  a  circumstance  worthy  of  remark, 
that  he  met  among  the  former  with  many  persons  of  much 
worth  and  honour. 

Captain  Valensky,  the  Persian  ambassador,  having  con- 
tracted a  friendship  for  him  during  their  journey,  continued 
to  regard  him  with  the  same  feelings  after  their  return;  and 
when,  on  hearing  that  the  czar  was  about  to  despatch  an  em- 
bassy to  China,  Bell  expressed  an  ardent  desire  to  accompany 
it,  recommended  him  in  such  a  manner  to  the  ambassador. 
Captain  IsmailofF,  as  not  only  procured  his  reception  into  the 
suite  of  the  mission,  but  the  friendship  of  that  worthy  man  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Our  traveller  set  out  from  Petersburg  on  his  way  to  C]iina 
on  the  14th  of  July,  1719,  and  proceeded  through  Moscow  to 
Kazan,  where  he  awaited  the  setting  in  of  winter,  the  journey 
through  Siberia  being  to  be  performed  in  sledges.  The  poor 
Swedish  generals  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  at  Pultowa 
were  still  here,  regretting,  naturally  enough,  but  unavailingly, 
their  long  detention  from  their  native  land.  On  the  24th  of 
November,  the  snow  having  fallen  sufficiently  to  smooth  the 
roads,  Bell  and  a  portion  of  the  ambassador's  suit  departed 
from  Kazan.  Their  road  lay  through  a  fertile  country,  pro- 
ducing abundance  of  cattle,  corn,  and  honey,  and  covered,  in 
many  places,  by  vast  woods  of  tall  oaks,  fir,  and  birch.  The 
beehives  used  here  were  of  a  remarkable  form.  The  inhabi- 
tants, says  Bell,  take  the  trunk  of  a  lime-tree,  aspen,  or  any 
soft  wood,  of  about  five  or  six  feet  long ;  having  scooped  it 
hollow,  they  make  a  large  aperture  in  one  side,  about  a  foot 
in  length  and  four  inches  broad  ;  they  then  fix  cross  rods  with- 
in the  trunk  for  the  bees  to  build  upon,  and  having  done  this, 
close  up  the  place  carefully  with  a  board,  leaving  small  notch- 
es for  the  bees  to  go  in  and  out.  These  hives  are  planted  in 
proper  places  at  the  side  of  a  wood,  and  tied  to  a  tree  with 
strong  withes,  to  prevent  their  being  destroyed  by  the  bears, 
who  are  great  devourers  of  honey.  Bell  learned,  moreover, 
that  the  peasantry  in  these  parts  had  a  method  of  extracting 
the  honey  without  destroying  the  bees;  but  the  persons  who 
gave  him  the  information,  described  the  process  so  indistinctly 
that  he  could  not  understand  it. 

Their  road  now  lay  for  many  days  through  dark  woods, 
interspersed  at  wide  intervals  with  villages  and  cornfields. 


354 


JOHN    BELL. 


The  cold  daily  became  more  and  more  intense ;  thick  fojp 
hung  upon  the  ground  ;  the  frost  penetrated  everywhere.  The 
fingers  and  toes  of  those  most  exposed  were  frozen,  and  could 
only  be  restored  to  animation  by  being  rubbed  with  snow.  At 
length,  on  the  9th  of  December,  they  arrived  at  Solehampsky, 
famous  for  its  great  salt-works,  which,  if  necessary,  could  not 
only  have  furnished  all  Russia,  but  several  other  countries  also, 
with  salt.  Vast  strata  of  salt-rocks  seem  here  to  extend  on  all 
sides  at  a  certain  distance  from  the  surface.  Pits  are  sunk  to 
these  rocks,  and  are  quickly  filled  with  water,  which,  being 
drawn  off  and  boiled  in  large  caldrons,  the  salt  is  deposited  at 
the  bottom.  The  vein  of  salt-rock  sometimes  runs  under  the 
river  Kama,  in  which  case  it  is  reached  by  sinking  wooden 
t.owers  in  the  stream,  as  ihey  do  when  building  the  piers  of  a 
bridge,  and  piercing  through  these  to  the  necessary  depth. 
The  salt  water  then  springs  up,  fills  the  wooden  tower,  and  is 
pumped  off  as  before.  Prodigious  strata  of  this  kind  of  rock 
traversing  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  may,  perhaps,  be  the  cause  of 
the  saltness  of  its  waters. 

There  are  extensive  mines  of  excellent  iron-ore  in  the  same 
neighbourhood ;  where  is  likewise  found  the  asbestos  fossil, 
from  which  the  incombustible  linen  is  manufactured.  The 
value  of  this  laniferous  stone  is  said  to  have  been  dis- 
covered by  a  sportsman,  who,  happening  one  day  to  be  in 
want  of  wadding  in  the  woods,  and  observing  the  threadlike 
fibres  of  this  fossil,  plucked  some  of  them  off  for  that  use;  and 
finding  that  the  gunpowder  had  no  effect  upon  them,  commu- 
nicated the  fact  to  others,  which  led  to  those  inquiries  and 
experiments  by  which  its  extraordinary  properties  were  dis- 
covered. 

From  Solekampsky  they  proceeded  to  theOural  Mountains, 
which  divide  Russia  from  Siberia.  These  are  covered  in  all 
directions  by  vast  forests,  excepting  in  a  fewva'Ieys  where  they 
have  been  felled  by  man,  where  our  traveller  found  the  land- 
scape beautiful  even  in  the  depth  of  winter.  On  descending 
their  eastern  slope  into  the  plains,  a  milder  prospect,  woods,  vil- 
lages, cornfields,  and  meadows,  met  the  eye :  but  winter  still 
reigned  over  all,  binding  up  the  streams,  whirling  his  snow-drifts 
oyerthe plain, or  clothing  the  forests  with  frost  and  icicles.  The 
fogs,  however,  had  disappeared  ;  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  all  was  snow  below  and  sunshine  above.  On  the  16th 
of  December  the  gilded  crosses  and  cupolas  of  Tobolsk  were 
discovered,  rising  in  the  distance  above  the  snowy  plain  ;  and 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  they  found  themselves  agree- 
ably lodged  within  its  walls. 


JOHN    BELL.  355 

.^  Here,  as  well  as  in  most  of  the  towns  through  which  they  had 
passed,  they  found  a  nunnber  of  Swedish  officers  of  distinc- 
tion; among  the  rest  Dittmar,  secretary  to  Charles  XII.;  and 
Bell  observes  that  they  were  permitted  to  enjoy  a  considerable 
share  of  liberty.  They  could  walk  about  where  they  pleased, 
hunt  in  the  woods,  and  even  make  long  journeys  to  visit  their 
countrymen  at  distant  places.  He,  in  fact,  so  indulgent  to 
tyranny  had  his  residence  in  Russia  rendered  him,  thought 
**his  majesty"  was  showing  them  an  especial  favour  by  can- 
toning them  in  those  parts  where  they  could  live  well  at  a  small 
expense,  and  enjoy  all  the  liberty  which  persons  in  their  cir- 
cumstances could  expect. 

Whatever  may  be  our  opinion  of  the   conduct  of  Peter, 
whom  the  childish  folly  of  some  writers  has  denominated  the 
Great,  it  must  be  confessed,  that  as  far  as  his  own  interests 
were  concerned,  the  exiling  of  these  officers  into  Siberia  was 
a  judicious  step,  as  it  tended  powerfully  to  civilize,  that  is,  to 
render  more  taxable,  the  wild  and  ignorant  inhabitants  of  that 
vast  country.     Several  of  the  Swedish   exiles   were  persons 
who   had   received   a   superior   education.     Not  being   able 
quickly  to  conform  to  the  gross  tastes  of  those  who  surrounded 
them,  they  therefore  laboured  by  every  means  in  their  power 
to  diffuse  a  relish  for  their  own  more  liberal  preferences  ;  and 
as  they  very  fortunately  reckoned  painting  and  music, — arts 
which,  addressing  themselves  partly  to  the  senses,  possess  a 
certain  charm   even  for  savages, — among  their  accomplish- 
ments, they  succeeded  by  their  pictures  and  concerts  in  sub- 
duing the  ferocity  of  their  masters.     Still  further  to  extend 
their  influence,  they  sometimes  amused  themselves  with  teach- 
ing a  select  portion  of  the  youth  of  both  sexes  the  French  and 
German  languages  ;  and  as  ingenuous  youth  has  all  the  world 
over,  a  reverence  for  those  who  introduce  it  into  the  paths  of 
knowledge,  the  purpose  of  the   Swedes  was  amply  accom- 
plished, and  they  enjoyed  the  affection  of  powerful  and  hon- 
orable friends. 

To  a  sportsman  the  neighbourhood  of  Tobolsk  affbrds  end- 
less amusement.  Here  are  found  every  species  of  game 
compatible  with  the  nature  of  the  climate:  the  urban,  the 
heathcock,the  partridge,  which  in  winter  turns  white  as  a  dove, 
woodcocks,  snipes,  and  a  prodigious  variety  of  water-fowl. 
Vast  flights  of  snowbirds  which  are  about  the  size  of  a 
lark,  come  to  Siberia  in  autumn,  and  disappear  in  spring.  In 
colour  many  of  these  birds  are  as  white  as  snow,  while  others 
are  speckled  or  brown.  Bears,  wolves,  lynxes,  several  kinds 
of  foxes,  squirrels,  ermines,  sables,  and  martins,  abound  in 
the  woods.     The  ermines  generally  burrow  in  the  open  field, 


I 


356  JOHN    BELL. 

where  they  are  caught  in  traps  baited  with  a  morsel  of  flesh. 
These  animals  are  caught  only  in  winter,,  when  their  fur  is 
white  and  most  valuable.  They  turn  brown  in  summer.  The 
hares,  likewise,  and  the  foxes  of  these  northern  regions,  imi- 
tate the  changes  of  mother  earth ;  and  in  winter  are  clad  in 
furs  resembling  in  colour  the  snows  over  which  they  run. 

During  his  stay  at  Tobolsk,  Bell  made  numerous  inquiries 
respecting  the  religion  and  manners  of  the  Tartars  inhabiting 
the  region  lying  between  the  Caspian  and  Mongolia;  and 
learned,  among  other  particulars,  that  in  an  ancient  palace, 
the  construction  of  which  some  attributed  to  Timour,  others  to 
Genghis  Khan,  there  were  preserved  numerous  scrolls  of 
glazed  paper,  fairly  written  in  many  instances  in  gilt  charac- 
ters. Some  of  these  scrolls  were  said  to  be  black,  though  the 
far  greater  number  were  white.  They  were  written  in  the 
Kalmuck  language.  While  our  traveller  was  busy  in  these 
inquiries,  a  soldier  suddenly  presented  himself  before  him  in 
the  street  with  a  bundle  of  these  scrolls  in  his  hand ;  which, 
as  the  man  offered  them  for  a  small  sum,  he  pujchased,  and 
brought  to  England.  They  were  here  distributed  among  our 
traveller's  learned  friends  ;  and  as  Sir  Hans  Sloane  was  reck- 
oned among  the  number,  they  will  eventually  find  their  way  to 
the  British  Museum.  But  whether  or  not  any  of  them  have 
as  yet  been  translated,  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover.  Two 
similar  scrolls  sent  by  Peter  I.  to  Paris,  were  immediately 
turned  into  French  by  the  savans  of  tliat  capital,  to  whom  no 
language  comes  amiss,  from  that  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and 
Parsees  to  that  of  modern  sparrows,  and  were  said  to  be  mere- 
ly a  commission  to  a  lama,  or  priest,  and  a  form  of  prayer. 
Whether  this  interpretation  may  be  depended  on,  says  Bell,  I 
shall  not  determine. 

On  the  9lh  of  January,  1720,  they  set  out  from  Tobo'sk. 
Their  road  now  led  them  through  numerous  Tartar  villages, 
where  the  houses  were  constructed  of  wood  and  moss,  with 
thin  pieces  of  ice  fixed  in  holes  in  the  walls  instead  of  win- 
dows. The  whole  country,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
consisted  of  level  marshy  grounds,  sprinkled  with  lakes,  and 
overgrown  with  tall  woods  of  aspen,  alder,  willows,  and  other 
aquatic  trees,  among  which  our  traveller  remarked  a  species 
of  large  birch,  with  a  bark  as  smooth  and  white  as  paper. 

Pursuing  their  journey  with  the  utmost  rapidity,  they  arrived 
on  the  4th  of  February  at  Tomsk,  where  Bell,  as  usual,  im- 
mediately set  on  foot  the  most  active  inquiries  respecting  the 
neighbouring  regions  and  their  inhabitants.  From  the  citadel 
of  Tomsk,  which  is  situated  on  an  eminence,  a  chain  of  hills 
is  discovered  towards  the  south,  beyond  which,  our  traveller 


JOHN   BELL.  357 

was  informed,  in  a  vast  plain,  many  tombs  and  burying- 
places  were  found.  His  information  throws  much  interesting 
light  on  a  passage  of  Herodotus.  This  great  historian  relates, 
in  his  fourth  book,  that  when  the  ancient  Scythians  interred 
their  king,  they  were  accustomed  to  strangle  upon  his  body 
his  favourite  concubines,  his  cupbearer,  his  cook,  and  other 
favourite  personages;  and  we  learn  from  other  authors,  that 
together  with  the  bones  of  these,  cups,  vases,  and  other  vessels 
of  gold  were  deposited  with  the  royal  corpse  in  the  tomb. 

The  tombs  discovered  in  the  great  plains  south  of  Tomsk 
in  all  probability  were  those  of  ancient  Scythian  chiefs  and 
kings;  but  if  so,  the  spot  must  have  been  regarded  as  the  com- 
mon cemetery  of  the  race,  to  which  the  bodies  of  all  persons 
above  a  certain  rank  were  to  be  borne,  for  the  number  of  bar- 
rows found  there  was  immense.  Numerous  individuals  annu- 
ally resorted  hither  from  Tomsk  and  other  places  to  search  for 
treasure  among  these  ancient  graves,  and  they  constantly 
found  among  the  ashes  of  the  dead  large  quantities  of  gold, 
silver,  brass,  and  occasionally  precious  stones  ;  hilts  of  swords, 
armour,  saddle-ornaments,  bits,  and  horse-trappings,  together 
with  the  bones  of  horses  and  elephants,  were  sometimes  met 
with.  From  which  Bell  infers,  that  when  any  general  or  per- 
son of  distmction  was  interred,  it  was  customary  to  bury  all 
his  arms,  his  favourite  horse,  and  servant  with  him  in  the  same 
grave ;  and  this  practice  prevails  to  this  day,  he  adds,  among 
the  Kalmucks  and  other  Tartars.  He  was  shown  several 
pieces  of  armour  and  other  curiosities  which  were  dug  out  of 
these  tombs,  particularly  a  small  equestrian  statue  of  brass  or 
bronze  of  no  mean  design  or  workmanship;  together  with 
figures  of  deer  cast  in  pure  gold,  which  were  divided  in  the 
middle,  and  pierced  by  small  holes,  as  if  intended  to  be  used 
as  ornaments  to  a  quiver,  or  to  the  furniture  of  a  horse. 

In  the  woods  of  this  part  of  Siberia  there  is  a  species  of  wild 
ass,  strikingly  resembling  the  African  zebra,  having  their  hair 
waved  white  and  brown,  like  that  of  a  tiger.  Bell  saw  several 
of  their  skins.  Numerous  wild  horses  of  a  fine  chesnut  colour 
were  likewise  found,  but  could  not,  he  says  be  tamed,  even  if 
taken  when  foals.  The  Kalmucks,  however,  continued  to 
make  some  use  of  them ;  for,  not  being  able  to  ride,  they 
killed  and  ate  them,  and  used  their  skins  as  couches  to  sleep 
upon. 

Proceeding  eastward  from  Tomsk  they  arrived  in  about  a 
fortnight  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Tongusta,  where  the  coun- 
try on  both  sides  being  covered  with  impenetrable  woods,  it 
was  necessary  to  make  their  way  along  the  frozen  stream, 
while  the  biting  winds  continued  to  whirl  and  drift  about  the 
31 


i 


358  JOHN   BELL. 

gnow  in  their  path.  Occasionally  single  houses  or  small  villa- 
ges were  found  upon  the  banks.  One  day,  during  their  pro- 
gress along  this  river,  they  met  a  prodigious  flock  of  hares,  all 
as  white  as  the  snow  on  which  they  walked,  slowly  descending 
the  stream  ;  and  Bell  was  informed  that  these  animals  are 
frequently  seen  travelling  south  in  much  greater  numbers. 

They  were  now  in  the  country  of  the  Tonguses,  a  people 
who  have  no  fixed  dwelhngs,  but  roam  at  pleasure  through  the 
woods,  erecting  where  they  make  any  stay  a  few  spars,  in- 
clining to  each  other  above,  and  covering  them  with  pieces  of 
birchen  bark  sewed  together,  with  a  small  hole  at  the -top. 
The  men, however,  are  brave,  and  the  women  virtuous.  They 
practise  tattooing.  Their  religion  consists  in  the  worship  of 
the  sun  and  moon.  Their  dress  is  of  fur.  Their  arms,  the 
bow  and  arrow,  the  lance,  and  a  species  of  hatchet.  In  winter 
they  travel  over  the  frozen  snow  with  shoes,  the  soles  of  which 
are  of  wood,  and  about  five  feet  in  length,  and  five  or  six 
inches  broad,  inclining  to  a  point  before  and  square  behind. 
The  feet  are  slipped  into  a  thong  fastened  in  the  middle  ;  and 
with  these  they  can  move  over  the  deepest  snow  without  sink- 
ing. But  as  these  are  suited  only  to  the  plains,  they  have  a 
different  kind  for  ascending  the  hills,  with  the  skins  of  seals 
glued  to  the  boards,  having  the  hair  inclining  backwards, 
which  prevents  the  sliding  of  the  slioes.  With  these  they 
climb  hills  with  the  greatest  facility,  and  having  reached  the 
summit,  dart  down  the  opposite  slope  with  astonishing  ra- 
pidity. 

Such  are  the  great  sable  hunters  of  Siberia,  who  feed  indif- 
ferently on  the  bear,  the  fox,  and  the  wolf.  The  sables,  says 
Bell,  are  not  caught  in  the  same  manner  as  other  animals. 
The  fur  is  so  tender,  that  the  least  mark  of  an  arrow,  or  ruffling 
of  the  hair,  spoils  the  sale  of  the  skin.  In  hunting  them  they 
only  use  a  little  dog  and  a  net.  When  a  hunter  discovers  the 
track  of  a  sable  upon  the  snow,  he  follows  it  sometimes  for 
several  days  unintermittingly,  until  the  poor  animal,  quite  tired, 
takes  refuge  in  some  tall  tree,  for  it  can  climb  like  a  cat.  The 
hunter  then  spreads  his  net  round  the  tree,  and  kindles  a  fire, 
when  the  sable,  unable  to  endure  the  smoke,  immediately  de- 
scends, and  is  caught  in  the  net.  These  hunters,  when  hard 
pressed  by  hunger,  have  recourse  to  a  practice  analogous  to 
that  of  many  South  Sea  islanders  under  similar  circumstances: 
taking  two  thin  pieces  of  board,  they  place  one  on  the  pit  of 
the  stomach,  the  other  on  the  back,  ynd  gradually  drawing 
together  the  extremities,  allay  in  some  degree  the  cravings  of 
appetite.  The  winters  here  are  long,  and  the  cold  so  intense, 
that  the  earth  never  thaws,  even  in  summer,  beyond  two  feet 


j6HN   BfiLL. 

and  a  half  below  the  surface.  When  they  dig  to  the  depth  of 
three  feet  for  the  purpose  of  burying  their  dead,  they  find  the 
earth  frozen ;  and  in  these  graves  the  bodies  remain  uncon- 
sumed,  and  will  do  so,  says  the  traveller,  to  the  day  of  judg- 
ment. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  the  weather,  as  they  began  to  ap- 
proach the  Baikal  lake,  changed  so  suddenly  from  winter  to 
spring  that  they  almost  imagined  themselves  dropped  imper- 
ceptibly into  another  chmate.  They  therefore  abandoned 
their  sledges,  which,  as  the  snow  was  gone,  were  now  become 
useless,  and  proceeded  on  horseback.  Next  day  they  arrived 
at  Irkutsk  on  the  river  Angara.  Here  they  remained  until  the 
15th  of  May,  waiting  for  the  melting  of  the  ice  on  the  lake ; 
and  amusing  themselves  in  the  meanwhile  with  hunting,  and 
observing  the  country  and  its  inhabitants. 

When  the  season  was  thought  to  be  sufficiently  far  advanced, 
they  proceeded  up  the  banks  of  the  river,  until  they  discovered 
the  lake  burstinor  out  between  two  high  rocks,  and  tumbling 
down  over  enormous  stones,  which  lie  quite  across  the  channel 
of  the  river,  which  is  here  a  mile  in  breadth.  The  subhmity 
of  the  scene,  which  is  magnificent  beyond  description,  is 
heightened  exceedingly  by  the  dashing  and  roaring  of  the 
waters,  which  impress  the  beholder  with  ideas  of  the  irresistible 
power  and  grandeur  of  nature,  the  privilege  to  contemplate 
which  elevates  and  enobles  him  in  his  own  estimation.  And 
this,  in  reality,  is  the  principal  source  of  the  pleasure  we  de- 
rive from  the  view  of  stupendous  mountains,  the  tempestuous 
ocean,  cataracts,  volcanoes,  or  conflagrations. 

They  now  embarked  on  the  Baikal,  which,  as  Gibbon  face- 
tiously observes,  disdains  the  modest  appellation  of  a  lake, 
and  on  receding  from  the  land  enjoyed  a  full  prospect  of  its 
western  shores,  rising  abruptly  into  rocky  pinnacles  capped 
with  snow,  and  towering  far  above  every  thing  around  them. 
These  stretched  away  immeasurably  towards  the  north,  until 
they  were  lost  in  the  distance.  On  the  south  the  view  was 
bounded  by  hills  of  gentler  elevation,  whose  tops,  for  the  most 
part,  were  covered  with  wood.  Their  passage  was  tedious, 
for  on  approaching  the  mouth  of  the  Sehnga  they  found  the 
whole  shore  skirted  by  long  reefs  of  floating  icebergs,  between 
which  they  forced  their  way  with  considerable  difficulty.  How- 
ever, they  at  length  entered  the  Selinga,  and  ascending  partly 
in  their  boats  and  partly  on  horseback  along  its  banks,  arrived 
safely  at  Selinguisky  on  the  29th  of  May. 

At  this  town,  which,  hke  the  ancient  Chalcedony  on  the 
Bosphorus,  may  be  termed  the  "  City  of  the  Bhnd,"  being 
built  upon  an  inconvenient  spot  in  the  neighbourhood  of  an 


360  JOHN   BELL. 

excellent  one,  they  were  to  remain  until  the  court  of  Pekin, 
which  had  been  informed  of  their  approach,  should  send  an 
officer  to  conduct  them  over  the  frontiers.  In  the  mean  time 
every  person  amused  himself  according  to  his  taste.  Our 
honest  and  intelligent  traveller,  as  he  is  very  properly  denomi- 
nated by  Gibbon,  whose  chief  pleasure  consisted  in  observing 
the  manners  of  mankind,  had  here  an  ample  field  before  him, 
in  a  variety  of  characters  affording  the  most  striking  moral 
contrasts,  from  the  Hindoo  Yoghee,  who  bought  live  fishes  on 
the  banks  of  a  stream  in  order  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  setting 
them  swimming  again,  to  the  fierce,  tough-nerved  Mongol,  who 
could  view  death,  whether  inflicted  on  man  or  beast,  without 
exhibiting  the  least  horror  or  emotion.  With  one  of  the  chiefs 
of  this  warlike  nation,  who,  by  temperance  and  exercise,  had 
contrived  to  reach  his  eightieth  year  with  much  of  the  vigour 
and  energy  of  youth  about  him,  they  had  a  splendid  hunting 
match,  which,  as  conducted  by  the  Tartars,  may  justly,  as  our 
great  historian  remarks,  be  considered  as  the  image  and  the 
school  of  war. 

The  Chinese,  who  are  as  dilatory  in  their  movements  as  the 
ancient  Spartans,  allowed  them  ample  time  to  amuse  them- 
sdycs,  for  it  ^as  not  until  the  24th  of  August  that  their  con- 
ductor arrived.  On  the  8th  of  September  they  departed,  and 
arriving  in  a  few  days  on  the  banks  of  the  Saratzyn,  the  small 
rivulet  which  divides  the  Russian  empire  from  Chinese  Mon- 
goha, 

But  these  between  a  silver  streamlet  glides, 
And  scarce  a  name  distinguisheth  the  brook, 
Though  rival  kingdoms  press  its  verdant  sides, 

they  crossed  over,  and  found  themselves  in  the  "Celestial  Em- 
pire !"  Previously,  however,  a  little  incident  occurred  perfect- 
ly characteristic  of  the  Chinese.  Their  conductor,  observing 
some  women  walking  in  the  fields,  and  fearing,  apparently, 
that  their  petticoats  would  set  all  Pekin  on  fire,  inquired  with 
alarm  to  whom  they  belonged,  and  whither  they  were  travelhng. 
"  To  China,"  replied  the  ambassador.  At  this  the  worship- 
per of  Fo's  terrors  were  increased:  he  rephed  that  they  had 
women  enough  in  Pekin  already,  and  that,  as  there  never  had 
been  a  European  woman  in  China,  he  would  not,  without  a 
special  order  from  the  emperor,  be  answerable  for  introducing 
the  first ;  but  that,  if  his  excellency  desired  it,  he  would  des- 
patch a  courier  to  learn  the  emperor's  pleasure.  As  this  would 
have  retarded  their  movements  another  six  weeks,  tlie  ambas- 
sador, who  had  not  the  wit  to  disguise  the  ladies  in  men's 
apparel,  sent  them  back  to  Selinguisky,  and  continued  his 
journey  without  them. 


JOHN  BELL.  361 

They  now  entered  upon  that  vast  table-land  which  was  found 
by  the  Jesuits  to  be  three  thousand  geometrical  paces  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  from  which  the  mountains  forming  its 
southern  boundary  serve  but  as  steps  by  wliich  the  traveller 
may  descend  to  the  low  plains  of  China.  The  small  undula- 
tions or  eminences  which  break  the  uniformity  of  these  vast 
steppes  are  covered  with  the  rhubarb  plant,  which  grows  there 
spontaneously,  and  is  propagated  more  rapidly  by  the  aid  of 
the  marmot,  which,  burrowing  in  prodigious  numbers  at  its 
roots,  loosens  the  mould,  and  prepares  it  for  the  reception  of 
the  seeds.  The  roots  are  dug  up  for  exportation  by  the  Mon- 
gols, who  carelessly  bore  holes  through  them,  and  hang  them 
about  their  tents  or  on  the  horns  of  their  sheep  to  dry. 

Afcer  passing  the  Tula,  no  river  again  occurred  north  of  the 
Great  Wall.  The  mode  of  travelhng  here  resembles,  in  some 
degree,  that  which  prevails  in  thetleserts  of  Arabia  and  Afiica, 
except  that  the  walls  are  more  frequent,  and  the  danger  from 
marauders  little  or  none.  Their  food,  after  the  first  few  days, 
consisted  of  mutton  only ;  but  as  this  was  of  an  excellent 
quality,  the  circumstance  was  not  considered  as  a  great  hard- 
ship. In  the  course  of  their  journey  they  traversed  a  large 
plain,  thickly  strewed  with  transparent  red  and  yellow  pebbles, 
which  glittered  beautifully  in  the  sun,  and  were  said  to  be  cor- 
nelians and  yellow  sapphires,  being  hard,  and  taking  a  fine 
polish.  The  few  Mongols  whom  they  found  wandering  with 
their  flocks  and  herds  over  the  waste,  appeared  more  content- 
ed and  happy  than  the  possessors  of  the  most  fertile  soil ;  and 
this  being  the  primitive,  the  freest,  and  perhaps  the  most  natu- 
ral condition  of  man,  the  cir/3umstance  ought  not  to  excite  our 
astonishment.  The  mere  art  of  locomotion  is  pleasant  to  man, 
and  in  pastoral  tribes,  accustomed  to  wandering  from  their 
infancy,  it  becomes  a  passion,  the  gratification  of  v/hich  is 
happiness. 

"  On  the  2d  of  November,  about  noon,"  says  Bell,  "  we 
could  perceive  the  famous  wall,  running  along  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  towards  the  north-east.  One  of  our  people  cried 
out  'land!'  as  if  we  had  been  all  this  while  at  sea.  It  was 
now,  as  nearly  as  I  can  compute,  about  forty  English  miles 
from  us,  and  appeared  white  at  this  distance."  The  nearer 
they  approached  the  mountains,  the  more  were  they  astonished 
at  the  grandeur  of  this  wall,  which,  as  Voltaire  very  justly  ob- 
serves, makes  no  inconsiderable  figure  even  upon  the  map  of 
the  world.  "The  appearance  of  it,"  says  our  traveller,  "run- 
ning from  one  high  rock  to  another,  with  square  towers  at  cer- 
tain intervals,  even  at  this  distance,  is  most  magnificent."  In 
two  days  they  arrived  at  the  foot  of  this  mighty  barrier,  and 
31* 


362  JOHX  BELL. 

entered  through  a  great  gate  into  China.  Here  a  thousand 
men  were  perpetually  on  guard,  by  the  officers  commanding 
whom  they  were  received  with  much  pohteness,  and  invited 
to  tea. 

"The  long,  or  endless  wall,  as  it  is  commonly  called,"  says 
our  traveller,  who  has  given  the  best  account  I  have  yet  met 
with  of  this  prodigious  undertaking,  "encompasses  all  the 
north  and  west  parts  of  China.  It  was  built  about  six  hun- 
dred years  ago  by  one  of  the  emperors,  to  prevent  the  frequent 
incursions  of  the  Mongols,  and  other  western  Tartars,  who 
made  a  practice  of  assembling  numerous  troops  of  horse,  and 
invading  the  country  in  different  places.  The  Chinese  fron- 
tiers were  too  extensive  to  be  guarded  against  such  bold  and 
numerous  enemies,  who,  after  plundering  and  destroying  a 
wealthy  country,  returned  to  their  own  loaded  with  spoils. 

"  The  Chinese,  finding  all  precautions  ineffectual  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  inroads  of  such  barbarians,  at  last  resolved  to  build 
this  famous  wall.  It  begins  in  the  province  of  Leotong,  at 
the  bottom  of  the  bay  of  Nankin,  and  proceeds  across  rivers 
and  over  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains  without  interrup- 
tion, keeping  nearly  along  the  circular  ridge  of  barren  rocks 
that  surround  the  country  to  the  north  and  west;  and  after 
running  southward  about  twelve  hundred  Enghsh  miles,  ends 
in  impassable  mountains  and  sandy  deserts. 

"  The  foundation  consists  of  large  blocks  of  square  stones 
laid  in  mortar  ;  but  the  rest  of  the  wall  is  built  of  brick.  The 
whole  is  so  strong  and  well  built  as  to  need  almost  no  repair, 
and  in  such  a  dry  climate  may  remain  in  this  condition  for 
many  ages.  Its  height  and  breadth  are  not  equal  in  every 
place ;  nor,  indeed,  is  it  necessary  they  should.  When  carried 
over  steep  rocks,  where  no  horse  can  pass,  it  is  about  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  high,  and  broad  in  proportion  ;  but  when  run- 
ning through  a  valley,  or  crossing  a  river,  there  you  see  a 
strong  wall,  about  thirty  feet  high,  with  square  towers  at  the 
distance  of  a  bowshot  from  one  another,  and  embrasures  at 
equal  distances.  The  top  of  the  wall  is  flat,  and  paved  with 
broad  freestones  j  and  where  it  rises  over  a  rock,  or  any  emi- 
nence, you  ascend  by  a  fine  easy  stone  stair.  The  bridges 
over  rivers  and  torrents  are  exceedingly  neat,  being  both  well 
contrived  and  executed.  They  have  two  stories  of  arches, 
one  above  another,  to  afford  sufficient  passage  for  the  waters 
on  sudden  rains  and  floods." 

Bell  was,  moreover,  informed  by  the  Chinese  that  this  wall 
was  completed  within  the  space  of  five  years,  every  sixth  man 
in  the  empire  having  been  compelled  to  work  at  it  or  find  a 
substitute.     But  if  the  date  of  its  erection  is  altogether  uncer* 


JOHN  BELL.  363 

tain,  we  may  very  well  be  permitted  to  indulge  our  skepticism 
respecting  such  circumstances  as  tend  to  increase  the  marvel- 
lousness  of  the  undertaking.  It  is  far  more  probable  that  it  is 
the  work  of  ages,  and  that  numerous  and  long  interruption  oc- 
curred in  the  prosecution  of  the  design.  With  respect  to  its 
utility,  I  likewise  dissent  altogether  from  the  opinion  of  our 
traveller,  who,  in  comparing  it  with  the  pyramids,  styles  the 
latter  "a  work  of  vanity."  Had  Bell  believed,  as  I  do,  that 
the  pyramids  were  temples,  he  would,  however,  have  been  the 
last  man  in  the  world  to  have  thus  characterized  them  ;  but 
with  respect  to  the  long  wall,  it  may  be  proved  to  have  been 
not  only  useless,  but  pernicious,  since  the  imaginary  security 
it  afforded  encouraged  tliose  unwarlike  habits  to  which  the 
Chinese  are  naturally  addicted ;  and  thus,  when  the  Tartars 
overleaped  this  contemptible  obstacle  to  valour,  and  challenged 
them  to  defend  their  empire  by  arms,  they  discovered  that 
soldiers  are  the  only  wall  which  a  wise  people  should  oppose 
to  its  enemies,  all  other  defences  being  found  upon  trial  to  be 
utterly  vain.  No  country,  no,  not  even  Hindostan  itself,  has 
been  more  frequently  conquered  than  China  ;  nor  has  any  re- 
gion of  the  earth  been  more  frequently  desolated  and  drenched 
with  blood  by  civil  wars  and  rebellions ;  and  if  ever  circum- 
stances should  render  it  necessary  for  England  to  extend  her 
conquests  in  Asia  beyond  the  Burrampooter  on  the  north-east, 
it  would  be  seen  with  what  ease  the  Hindoo  Sipahees,  who 
subdued  Tippoo  Sultan,  the  Rohillas,  Rajpoots,  Patans,  and 
Burmese,  would  rout  and  subdue  the  feeble  and  inefficient 
troops  of  China. 

But  to  proceed  with  our  traveller.  All  the  way  to  Pekin 
they  observed  terrible  marks  of  the  destructive  power  of  earth- 
quakes in  these  countries ;  many  of  the  towns  having  been 
half-destroyed  by  one  which  had  happened  the  preceding  year, 
when  great  numbers  of  people  were  buried  beneath  the  ruins. 
The  country  appeared  to  be  well  cultivated,  and  the  towns 
and  villages  numerous,  but  not  in  any  remarkable  degree. 
They  reached  Pekin  on  the  18th  of  November. 

Bell  had  now  reached  the  goal  of  his  wishes,  and  upon  the 
whole  was  not  disappointed.  Long  accustomed  to  the  sight 
of  savages  immersed  in  ignorance  and  barbarism,  he  found  the 
Chinese,  by  comparison,  highly  civilized.  They  drank  tea, 
cultivated  fine  fruits,  manufactured  excellent  silks,  paper,  and 
porcelain,  and  accumulated  considerable  wealth  ;  but,  before 
they  were  taught  by  the  Jesuits,  scarcely  understood  sufficient 
astronomy  to  enable  them  to  calculate  an  echpse,  were  ignor- 
ant of  the  art  of  founding  cannon,  of  building  chimneys,  of 
making  clocks  and  watches;  and,  what  was  infinitely  worse 


364  JOHN  BELL. 

than  all  this,  they  were  under  so  little  moral  restraint  that  men 
incapable  of  maintaining  a  family  married  several  wives  with 
the  execrable  design  of  exposing  or  murdering  their  offspring. 
The  existence  of  foundhng  hospitals  in  civilized  countries 
proves  that  there  everywhere  exist  individuals  to  whom  the 
offshoots  of  their  own  being  are  objects  of  no  solicitude;  an- 
cient nations,  too,  sometimes  exposed  weak  or  deformed  chil- 
dren ;  but  no  people,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discover, 
ever  arrived  at  that  pitch  of  depravity  which  distinguishes  the 
Chinese,  "  among  whom,"  says  Sir  George  Staunton,  "habit 
seems  to  have  familiarized  a  notion  that  life  only  becomes 
truly  precious,  and  inattention  to  it  criminal,  after  it  has  con- 
tinued long  enough  to  be  endowed  with  a  mind  and  sentiment; 
but  that  mere  dawning  existence  may  be  suffered  to  be  lost 
without  scruple,  though  it  cunnot  without  reluctance." 

In  the  fine  arts  the  Chinese  have  made  but  little  progress, 
having  no  knowledge  of  sculpture,  and  very  little  of  painting. 
Their  literature,  it  is  very  clear,  contains  none  of  those  splen- 
did creations  of  genius  which  we  might  expect  to  find  among 
a  people  partly  civilized  during  so  many  ages,  and  which  ac- 
tually exist  in  the  languages  of  Persia  and  Hindostan.  Their 
popular  religion  is  the  grossest  and  most  corrupt  form  of 
Buddhism ;  and  even  this,  as  well  as  their  philosophy  and 
arts,  such  as  they  are,  they  originally  borrowed  from  Hindos- 
tan, which  seems  in  antiquity  to  have  been  the  great  workshop 
where  all  the  fantastic  systems,  religious  and  philosophical, 
which  were  current  among  the  heathen  were  fabricated. 

Captain  Ismailoff  seems,  like  Lord  Amherst,  to  have  felt  a 
peculiar  antipathy  to  the  practice  of  bowing  nine  times  before 
the  Chinese  emperor;  but  at  length,  after  many  struggles 
with  their  prejudices,  consented  to  conform  to  ancient  usage. 
The  first  audience  was  granted  him  at  one  of  the  emperor's 
country  palaces,  where,  when  he  arrived,  though  the  morning 
was  cold  and  frosty,  he  found  all  the  ministers  of  state  and  offi- 
cers belonging  to  the  court  seated  cross-legged  upon  their  fur 
cushions  in  the  open  air, — an  exhibition  probably  intended  to 
serve  as  a  reproof  to  the  insolent  barbarian  who  could  object 
to  bow  nine  times  before  a  prince  at  whose  door  the  greatest 
men  in  the  Celestial  Empire  were  contented  to  sit  cross-legged 
in  the  frost !  Nothing  of^  that  magnificence  which  Marco  Polo 
found  at  the  court  of  Kublai  Khan  was  discoverable  in  that  of 
Kamhi,  whore,  on  the  contrary,  the  only  circumstances  truly 
remarkable  wore  the  extreme  plainness  of  every  thing  and  the 
affability  and  calm  good  sense  of  the  aged  monarch,  who,  in 
insisting  on  the  observance  of  ancient  forms  and  ceremonies, 
was  actuated,  it  was  clear,  by  no  motives  of  paltry  vanity. 


JOHN  BELL,  365 

Though  Gibbon,  with  all  his  disposition  to  skepticism, 
allowed  to  Pekin  a  population  of  two  millions,  it  would  appear 
from  Bell's  account,  who  says  he  rode  round  it  at  an  easy  trot 
in  four  hours,  to  be  inferior  to  London  in  size ;  and  no  one 
who  is  acquainted  with  the  form  of  Chinese  houses,  which  are 
never  more  than  one  story  high,  and  who  reflects  upon  the 
extent  of  the  imperial  gardens,  together  with  all  the  other  gar- 
dens included  within  the  walls,  will  doubt  for  a  moment  that  it 
is  vastly  less  populous.  Upon  the  accounts  of  the  Chinese 
themselves  no  reliance  whatever  can  be  placed.  They  are 
greater  proficients  in  lying  than  the  ancient  Cretans ;  and  on 
the  subject  of  population  have  deluded  European  travellers 
with  falDles  so  monstrous,  that  there  is  nothing  in  Gulliver 
more  repugnant  to  common  sense.  To  maintain  the  one-half 
of  the  population  to  which  their  empire  makes  pretensions 
would  demand  a  progress  in  civihzation  and  the  arts  of  life  of 
which  hitherto  they  have  not  even  dreamed ;  but  a  paper 
population  costs  nothing.  Three  hundred  and  thirty-three 
millions  are  as  easily  written  as  one  hundred  and  nineteen 
millions.  But  if  we  reflect  for  a  moment  on  the  vast  deserts, 
the  barren  mountains,  the  impenetrable  woods  which  the 
Jesuits,  when  scattered  and  terrified  into  their  senses  by  per- 
secution, found  in  almost  every  part  of  this  richly-cultivated 
country,  and  were  enabled  to  conceal  themselves  in  for  months, 
we  shall  perhaps  be  disposed  to  conclude,  that  in  proportion  to 
its  extent  China  is  less  populous  than  Hindostan,  which  yet 
does  not,  in  all  probability,  contain  one-fourth  of  the  popula- 
tion it  might  be  made  to  support  if  properly  cultivated. 

The  object  of  the  mission,  which  indeed  seems  to  have  been 
of  little  importance,  having  been  accomplished,  the  ambassa- 
dor prepared  to  depart.  The  aged  emperor,  however,  who 
appears  to  have  possessed  a  thoroughly  benevolent  and  pohshed 
mind,  was  desirous  of  presenting  them  before  they  took  their 
leave  with  the  splendid  spectacle  of  a  Mongol  hunt,  of  such  a 
one  at  least  as  could  be  represented  in  a  park  of  two  or  three 
days'  journey  in  extent.  On  the  21st  of  February,  therefore, 
the  day  appointed  for  the  hunt,  horses  were  brought  them  at 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Chinese  resolving  that  no  time 
should  be  lost.  They  reached  the  royal  park  about  daybreak, 
where,  in  a  summer-house  erected  in  the  forest,  they  found  the 
emperor,  who  had  risen  long  before  their  arrival.  Here  they 
breakfasted.  Before  the  south  front  of  the  summer-house 
there  was  a  large  canal,  with  several  fish-ponds  filled  with 
clear  water,  which  greatly  beautified  the  scene ;  and  all  around, 
at  convenient  distances,  stood  a  thousand  tents  in  which  the 
courtiers  had  slept. 


366  JOHN  BKLL. 

"The  signal  was  then  given,"  says  Bell,  "that  the  enoperof 
was  coming  ;  upon  which  all  the  great  men  drew  up  in  lines, 
from  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  to  the  road  leading  to  the  forest, 
all  on  foot,  dressed  in  their  hunting-habits,  the  same  with  those 
used  by  the  officers  and  cavalry  of  the  army  when  in  the  field, 
and  armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  We  had  a  proper  place 
assigned  us,  and  made  our  bows  to  his  majesty,  who  returned 
a  gracious  smde,  with  signs  to  follow  him.  He  was  seated 
cross-legged  in  an  open  machine  carried  by  four  men  with 
long  poles  rested  on  their  shoulders.  Before  him  lay  a  fowl- 
ing-piece, a  bow,  and  a  sheaf  of  arrows.  This  has  been  his 
hunting  equipage  for  some  years,  since  he  left  off  riding.  .  .  . 
As  soon  as  the  emperor  had  passed,  the  company  mounted 
and  followed  him  at  some  distance  till  we  came  into  the  open 
forest,  where  all  formed  into  a  semicircle,  in  the  centre  of 
which  was  the  emperor,  having  on  his  left-hand,  (the  place  of 
honour  in  China)  about  eight  or  ten  of  his  sons  and  grandsons, 
and  the  ambassador  on  his  right,  about  fifty  paces  distant. 
Close  by  him  were  the  master  of  the  chase  with  some  grey- 
hounds and  the  grand  falconer  with  his  hawks.  I  could  not 
but  admire  the  beauty  of  these  fine  birds.  Many  of  them  were 
as  white  as  doves,  having  one  or  two  black  feathers  in  their 
wings  or  tails.  They  are  brought  from  Siberia,  or  places  to 
the  north  of  the  river  Amoor. 

"Our  wings  being  extended,  there  were  many  hares  started, 
which  the  company  endeavoured  to  drive  towards  the  emperor, 
who  killed  many  of  them  with  arrows  as  they  passed ;  those 
he  missed  he  made  a  sign  to  some  of  the  princes  to  pursue, 
who  also  killed  several  of  them  with  arrows  ;  but  no  other 
person  was  permitted  to  draw  a  bow  or  stir  from  the  line. 

"From  the  open  field  we  continued  our  route  westward  to 
a  place  among  thickets  and  tall  reeds,  where  we  sprung  a 
number  of  pheasants,  partridges,  and  quails.  His  majesty 
then  laid  aside  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  carried  a  hawk  on  his 
hand,  which  he  flew  as  occasion  ofi'ered.  The  hawks  gener- 
ally raked  in  the  pheasants  while  flying ;  but  if  they  took  to  the 
reeds  or  bushes  they  soon  caught  them. 

"  After  proceeding  about  two  or  three  miles  farther  into  the 
forest  we  came  to  a  tall  wood,  where  we  found  several  sorts  of 
deer.  The  young  men  went  in  and  beat  the  woods,  while  the 
rest  of  the  company  remained  without.  We  saw  much  game 
pass  us,  but  nobody  drew  a  bow  until  the  emperor  had  killed 
a  stag,  which  he  did  very  dexterously  with  a  broad-headed 
arrow  ;  after  which  the  princes  had  leave  to  kill  several  bucks, 
among  wliich  was  one  of  that  species  that  bears  the  musk, 
called  kaherda  in  Siberia. 


JOHN  BELL.  36T 

**  We  had  now  been  six  hours  on  horseback,  and  I  reckon 
had  travelled  about  fifteen  English  miles,  but  no  end  of  the 
forest  yet  appeared.  We  turned  short  from  this  wood  south- 
ward, till  coming  to  some  marshes  overgrown  with  tall  reeds 
we  roused  a  great  many  wild  boars  ;  but  as  it  was  not  the  sea- 
son for  killing  them  they  all  escaped.  The  hunting  of  these 
fierce  animals  is  reckoned  the  most  dangerous  of  all  kinds  of 
sport  except  the  chase  of  lions  and  tigers.  Every  one  en- 
deavoured to  avoid  them,  and  several  of  them  ran  furiously 
through  the  thickest  troops  of  horse.  The  emperor  was  so 
cautious  as  to  have  a  company  of  men  armed  with  lances  to 
guard  his  machine. 

"We  continued  the  sport  till  about  four  o'clock,  when  we 
came  to  a  high  artificial  mount  of  a  square  figure,  raised  in 
the  middle  of  a  plain,  on  the  top  of  which  were  pitched  about 
ten  or  twelve  tents  for  the  imperial  family.  This  mount  had 
several  winding  paths  leading  to  the  top,  planted  on  each  side 
with  rows  of  trees  in  imitation  of  nature.  To  the  south  was  a 
large  basin  of  water  with  a  boat  upon  it,  from  whence,  I  sup- 
pose, the  earth  has  been  taken  that  formed  this  mount.  At 
some  distance  from  the  mount  tents  were  erected  for  the  peo- 
ple of  distinction  and  ofl^icers  of  the  court.  About  two  hun- 
dred yards  from  it  we  were  lodged  in  some  clean  huts  covered 
with  reedsy — [No  mark  that  Kamhi  held  the  czar's  ambassa- 
<Jor  in  very  high  estimation.] — "  The  emperor,  from  his  situa- 
tion, had  a  view  of  all  the  tents  and  a  great  way  farther  into 
the  forest.     The  whole  scene  made  a  very  pretty  appearance," 

When  they  liad  dined  and  been  interrogated  respecting  the 
degree  of  admiration  with  which  they  had  beheld  the  figats  of 
the  emperor  and  his  sons,  which  was  of  course  superlative, 
the  ambassador  was  informed  that  he  was  to  be  entertained 
with  a  tiger-hunt,  or  rather  "  baiting,"  as  our  traveller  terms 
it;  three  animals  of  that  species  having  been  kept  for  some 
time  in  a  cage  for  that  purpose.  "The  hill  where  the  empe- 
ror's tent  stood  was  surrounded  with  several  ranks  of  guards 
armed  with  long  spears.  A  guard  also  was  placed  before  the 
ambassador's  and  the  rest  of  the  tents,  to  secure  the  whole  en- 
campment from  the  fury  of  these  fierce  animals.  The  first 
was  let  out  by  a  person  mounted  on  a  fleet  horse,  who  opened 
the  door  of  the  coop  by  means  of  a  rope  tied  to  it.  The  tiger 
immediately  left  his  cage,  and  seemed  much  pleased  to  find 
himself  at  liberty.  The  horseman  rode  off*  at  full  speed,  while 
the  tiger  (poor  fellow!)  was  rolling  himself  upon  the  grass. 
At  last  he  rose,  growled,  and  walked  about.  The  emperor 
fired  twice  at  him  with  bullets,  but  the  distance  being  consid- 
erable missed  him,  though  the  pieces  were  well  pointed.     Upon 


368  JOHN  BELL. 

which  his  majesty  sent  to  the  ambassador  to  try  his  piece  upon 
him;  which  being  charged  with  a  single  ball,  he  walked  to- 
wards the  animal,  accompanied  by  ten  men  armed  with  spears, 
in  case  of  accidents,  till,  being  at  a  convenient  distance,  he 
took  his  aim  and  killed  him  on  the  spot." 

The  second  and  third  tigers  were  despatched  in  a  short 
time  ;  and  the  sportsmen,  pluming  themselves  upon  their 
magnificent  achievements,  sat  down  in  great  good-humour  to 
supper,  as  men  always  do  when  they  have  performed  any 
glorious  action.  The  skin  of  the  tiger  slain  by  the  ambassa- 
dor was  sent  him  by  the  emperor,  who  observed,  that  by  the 
laws  of  hunting  he  had  a  right  to  it.  The  sport  of  the  next 
day  differed  very  little  from  the  preceding.  They  continued, 
however,  advancing  through  the  forest  without  discovering  any 
end  to  it,  and  passed  the  night  in  a  temple  near  another  impe- 
rial summer-house.  The  extent  of  this  immense  park,  which 
was  all  enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  may  enable  us  to  form  some 
idea  of  the  quantity  of  useless  land  in  China  ;  for  besides  the 
number  of  similar  enclosures  belonging  to  the  imperial  family, 
we  may  be  sure  that,  as  far  as  possible,  all  the  rich  and  great 
imitate  the  example  of  the  sovereign. 

The  ambassador  now  received  his  audience  of  leave,  and, 
after  making  several  visits  of  ceremony,  and  receiving  the  cu- 
rious but  not  valuable  presents  intended  for  the  czar,  departed 
from  Pekin.  Their  route  from  the  capital  to  the  Great  Wall, 
and  thence  across  the  deserts  of  Mongolia  to  Selinguisky, 
though  not  precisely  the  same  as  that  by  which  they  had  come, 
afforded  but  few  new  objects,  and  was  rendered  interesting  by 
no  striking  incidents.  The  Baikal  Lake  being  still  frozen 
when  they  reached  it,  they  traversed  it  on  light  sledges  upon 
the  ice.  ThGy  then  embarked  upon  the  Angara,  and  descend- 
ed by  water  to  Yeniseisk.  Proceeding  thence  by  land,  they 
soon  arrived  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  Ket,  where  they  again 
took  to  their  boats  ;  and  sailing  down  this  melancholy  stream, 
bordered  on  both  sides  by  the  most  gloomy  forests,  immerged 
into  the  mighty  stream  of  the  Obe.  They  now  sailed  down 
this  river  to  its  confluence  with  the  Irtish,  another  noble 
stream,  against  the  current  of  which  they  made  their  way  with 
much  difficulty  to  Tobolsk.  Here  they  quitted  their  boats, 
and  continued  their  journey  on  sledges.  Winter  was  rapidly 
invading  the  country.  Snow,  cold  winds,  frost,  and  short  days 
conspired  to  render  their  movements  irksome;  but  they  still 
pushed  on  rapidly,  and  on  the  5th  of  January,  1722,  arrived 
at  Moscow,  where  they  found  the  czar  and  all  his  court,  who 
had  recently  removed  thither  from  Petersburg. 


JOHN  BELL. 


36^ 


Peter,  surrounded  by  his  courtiers,  the  general  officers,  and 
the  nobility  and  gentry  from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  was  making 
great  preparations  for  the  celebration  of  the  festivals  appointed 
to  be  solemnized  in  commemoration  of  the  peace  concluded  at 
Aland  in  1721,  between  Russia  and  Sweden,  after  a  war  of 
more  than  twenty  years,  when  our  traveller  arrived  ;  and  as 
he  appears  greatly  to  have  admired  the  policy  of  Peter  on 
most  occasions,  he  was  particularly  gratified  at  the  present  ex- 
hibition. He  observes  that  Peter,  even  in  his  amusements 
and  times  of  diversion,  made  use  of  all  possible  means  of  in- 
spiring his  people  with  a  love  of  what  was  useful ;  and  as  the 
Russians  had  a  peculiar  aversion  to  shipping,  his  principal 
aim  in  the  shows  exhibited  at  Moscow  was  to  dispel  that  pre- 
judice, by  impressing  upon  their  minds  that  it  was  owing  to  his 
naval  power  that  the  peace  had  been  obtained. 

"The  triumphant  entry,"  says  Bell,  "was  made  from  a 
village  about  seven  miles  from  Moscow,  called  Seswedsky. 
The  first  of  the  cavalcade  was  a  galley  finely  carved  and  gilt, 
in  which  the  rowers  plied  their  oars  as  on  the  water.  The 
galley  was  commanded  by  the  high-admiral  of  Russia.  Then 
came  a  frigate  of  sixteen  small  brass  guns,  with  three  masts, 
completely  rigged,  manned  with  twelve  or  fourteen  youths 
habited  like  Dutch  skippers,  in  black  velvet,  who  trimmed  the 
sails,  and  performed  all  the  manoeuvres  of  a  ship  at  sea.  Then 
came  most  richly-decorated  barges,  wherein  sat  the  empress 
and  the  ladies  of  the  court.  There  were  also  pilot-boats  heav- 
ing the  lead,  and  above  thirty  other  vessels,  pinnaces,  wherries, 
&c.,  each  filled  with  masqueraders  in  the  dresses  of  different 
nations.  It  was  in  the  month  of  February,  at  which  time  all 
the  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  and  all  the  rivers  frozen. 
All  these  machines  were  placed  on  sledges,  and  were  drawn 
by  horses  through  all  the  principal  streets  of  Moscow.  The 
ship  required  above  forty  horses  to  draw  it.  In  order  to  its 
passing  under  the  gates  the  topmasts  were  struck,  and,  when 
passed,  set  up  again  ;  besides  which,  the  gateway  was  dug  as 
low  as  was  necessary  for  admitting  it  to  pass." 

As  soon  as  these  festivals  were  concluded,  Peter,  who  had 
been  invited  into  Persia  with  an  army  by  the  shah,  who  re- 
quired his  aid  against  the  rebellious  Afghans,  prepared  to 
march  southward  ;  and  Bell,  who  was  thought  to  understand 
something  of  Persian  manners,  having  spent  some  time  in  the 
country,  was  engaged  by  the  czar's  chief  physician  to  accom- 
pany the  expedition.  Accordingly,  the  troops  having  been  em- 
barked on  the  Moskwa,  they  descended  by  water  to  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  and  made  for  the  shores  of  Daghestan,  where  they 
landed  and  encamped.  They  then  proceeded  along  the  sea- 
32 


370 


JOHN  BELL. 


shore  to  Derbend,  where  the  fleet  containing  the  provisions, 
stores,  &c.  for  the  army  was  wrecked  upon  the  beach.  This 
gave  Peter  a  plausible  excuse  for  returning  home  without 
affording  the  shah  the  desired  aid.  Indeed,  the  whole  expedi- 
tion appears  to  have  been  a  mere  piece  of  treachery  got  up  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  possession  of  Derbend ;  for,  "  the  em- 
peror determined,"  says  Bell,  "  to  leave  things  in  the  state  they 
were  in,  and  to  return  again  to  Astrakhan  by  the  same  way  we 
came,  leaving  a  garrison  at  Derbend  sufficient  to  secure  the 
advantage  he  had  gained.''^ 

We  now  lose  sight  of  our  traveller  for  fifteen  years,  the 
whole  of  which,  however,  he  spent  in  Russia.  In  1737  the 
war  with  Turkey,  which  had  begun  in  1734,  began  to  grow 
disagreeable  to  the  Russian  court,  the  Ottomites,  in  spite  of 
their  barbarism,  being  more  obstinate  in  the  field  than  their 
polished  enemies  of  the  north  had  anticipated.  Under  these 
circumstances,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  negotiate  a  peace; 
but  as  the  Turks  made  no  proposals,  and  as  in  time  of  war  no 
subject  of  Russia,  or  Germany,  the  ally  of  Russia,  was  admit- 
ted into  the  dominions  of  the  sultan,  Bell,  who  appears  to  have 
been  greatly  respected  both  for  his  character  and  abilities,  was 
prevailed  upon,  "  at  the  earnest  desires  of  Count  Osterman,  the 
chancellor  of  Russia,  and  of  Mr.  Rondeau,  his  Britanic  ma- 
jesty's minister  at  the  court  of  Russia,"  to  undertake  the  jour- 
ney. He  departed  from  Petersburg  on  the  6th  of  December, 
1737,  and  arrived  at  Constantinople  on  the  29th  of  the  next 
month.  With  respect  to  his  commission,  he  merely  observes 
that  he  punctually  conformed  to  the  terms  of  his  instructions. 
His  negotiations  did  not  detain  him  long.  He  left  Constanti- 
nople on  the  8th  of  April,  and  on  the  17th  of  May  arrived  at 
Petersburg.  Here  he  concludes  his  account  of  himself  and 
his  travels.  In  the  decline  of  his  life  he  returned  to  Scotland, 
where  he  resided  at  Antermony,  his  native  place  ;  and  it  was 
there  that,  surrounded  apparently  by  affluence,  and  enjoying 
the  most  ample  leisure,  he  wrote  his  excellent  an«l  interesting 
account  of  his  travels,  the  first  edition  of  which  appeared  in 
1762.     His  death  took  place  in  1780. 


tt'.«< 


MUNGO    PARK. 


This  enterprising  and  distinguished  traveller  vvas  born  on 
the  10th  of  September,  1771,  at  Fowlshields,  a  farm  occupied 
by  his  father,  on  the  banks  of  the  Yarrow,  near  Selkirk.  In 
common  with  the  greater  number  of  the  sons  of  Scottish  yeo- 
men, Mungo  Park,  notwithstanding  that  the  number  of  his 
brothers  and  sisters  amounted  to  no  less  than  thirteen,  receiv- 
ed a  respectable  education,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  was  bound 
apprentice  to  a  surgeon  at  Selkirk.  At  the  close  of  this  ap- 
prenticeship, in  1789,  Park  continued  his  medical  studies  at 
the  University  of  Edinburgh,  where,  though  nothing  remark- 
able is  recorded  of  him,  he  seems  to  have  applied  with  great 
assiduity  to  his  professional  studies.  His  summer  vacations, 
during  one  of  which  he  made  a  tour  to  the  highlands,  were  de- 
voted to  botany. 

Having  completed  his  education,  Park  removed  to  London 
in  search  of  professional  employment.  Here,  through  the 
kindness  of  Mr.  Dickson,  his  brother-in-law,  he  had  the  good 
fortune  to  become  known  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  to  whom  so 
many  other  distinguished  travellers  had  been  indebted ;  and 
through  whose  recommendation  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to 
the  Worcester  East  Indiaman.  In  this  capacity  he  made  a 
voyage  to  Bencoolen,  in  Sumatra,  the  only  fruits  of  which 
were  a  paper  containing  descriptions  of  eight  new  fishes  from 
Sumatra,  published  in  the  third  volume  of  the  LinrKBan 
Transactions. 

vShortly  after  his  return  from  this  voyage.  Park,  learning 
that  the  African  Association,  of  which  his  friend  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  was  a  very  active  and  zealous  member,  were  desirous 
of  engaging  a  person  to  replace  Major  Houghton,  who,  it  was 
feared,  had  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  climate,  or  perished  in 
some  contest  with  the  natives,  eagerly  offered  his  services, 
which  after  due  deliberation  were  accepted.     The  association, 


372  MUNGO  PARK.  , 

he  observes,  conducted  itself  with  great  HberaHty  towards  him. 
He  forthwith  prepared  himself  for  the  voyage,  and  on  the  22d 
of  May,  1795,  sailed  from  Portsmouth  in  the  brig  Endeavour. 
His  instructions,  he  says  were  very  plain  and  concise.  He 
was  directed,  on  his  arrival  in  Africa,  "  to  pass  on  to  the  river 
Niger,  either  by  the  way  of  Bambouk  or  by  such  other  route 
as  should  be  found  most  convenient ;  that  I  should  ascertain 
the  course,  and,  if  possible,  the  rise  and  termination  of  the 
river.  That  I  should  use  my  utmost  exertions  to  visit  the 
principal  towns  or  cities  in  its  neighbourhood,  particularly 
Timbuctoo  and  Houssa;  and  that  I  should  afterw^ard  be  at 
liberty  to  return  to  Europe,  either  by  the  way  of  the  Gambia, 
or  by  such  other  route  as  under  all  the  then  existing  circum- 
stances of  my  situation  and  prospects  should  appear  to  me  to 
be  most  advisable.'* 

On  the  21st  of  June,  after  an  agreeable  voyage  of  thirty 
days,  he  arrived  at  Jillifica,  a  town  on  the  northern  bank  of  the 
Gambia,  in  the  kingdom  of  Barra.  From  this  place  after  a 
stay  of  two  days  he  proceeded  up  the  Gambia,  in  the  waters 
of  which  were  found  prodigious  numbers  of  fish  of  unknown 
species,  together  with  alligators  and  hippopotami,  whose  teeth 
furnish  excellent  ivory.  Park,  having  quitted  the  Endeavour 
at  Jonkakonda,  proceeded  thence  by  land ;  and  reaching 
Pisania,  a  small  British  factory  in  the  King  of  Yam's  domin- 
ions, on  the  5th  of  July  took  up  his  residence  at  the  house  of 
Dr.  Laidley,  until  he  should  be  able  to  prosecute  his  journey 
into  the  interior. 

Our  traveller's  first  care  now  was  to  render  himself  master 
of  the  Mandingo  language,  which  in  this  part  of  Africa  is  in 
general  use;  and  to  collect  from  every  source  within  his  power 
information  respecting  the  countries  he  was  about  to  visit.  In 
the  language  his  progress  depended  on  his  own  application  ; 
but  he  soon  found  that  little  or  no  reliance  could  be  placed  on 
the  accounts  of  the  interior  furnislied  him  by  the  natives,  who 
on  the  most  material  points  were  frequently  in  direct  contra- 
diction with  each  other.  His  anxiety  to  examine  and  judge 
fpf"  himself  was  therefore  increased.  However,  besides  that 
the  raih  V  season,  which  had  now  commenced,  rendered  travel- 
ling impracticable,  another  equally  insuperable  bar  to  the 
speedy  prosecution  of  his  journey  quickly  presented  itself.  In 
observing  on  the  SUt  of  July  an  eclipse  of  the  moon,  he  im- 
prudently exposed  himself  to  the  night  dew,  and  next  day  he 
found  himself  attacked  by  fe\er  and  delirium,  which  were  the 
commencement  of  an  illness  that  with  a  very  trifling  intermis- 
sion confined  him  during  two  n^onths  within  doors.  "  The 
care  and  a^ention  of  Dr^  Laidley  contributed  greatly,"  says 


MUNGO   PARK.  373 

Park,  "to  alleviate  my  sufterings;  his  company  and  conversa- 
tion beguiled  the  tedious  hours  during  that  gloomy  season 
when  the  rain  falls  in  torrents ;  when  suffocating  heats  op- 
press by  day,  and  when  the  night  is  spent  by  the  terrified 
traveller  in  listening  to  the  croaking  of  frogs,  (of  which  the 
numbers  are  beyond  imagination,)  the  shrill  cry  of  the  jackal, 
and  the  deep  howling  of  the  hyena ;  a  dismal  concert,  inter- 
rupted only  by  the  roar  of  such  tremendous  thunder  as  no  per- 
son can  form  a  conception  of  but  those  who  have  heard  it." 

Having  been  disappointed  in  his  expectations  of  proceeding 
with  a  slave  caravan  towards  Bambarra,  Park  departed  from 
Pisania  on  the  2d  of  December,  1795.  He  had  been  provided 
with  a  negro  servant  named  Johnson,  who  had  been  many 
years  in  Great  Britain,  and  understood  both  the  English  and 
Mandingo  languages;  and  with  a  negro  boy,  named  Demba, 
the  property  of  Dr.  Laidley,  who,  as  the  highest  inducement 
of  good  behaviour,  promised  him  his  freedom  on  his  return. 
Besides  these,  Park  was  accompanied  by  four  other  persons, 
who,  though  independent  of  his  control,  were  made  to  under- 
stand that  their  safe  return  to  the  countries  on  the  Gambia 
would  depend  on  our  traveller's  preservation.  His  equipment 
was  by  no  means  magnificent:  a  horse  for  himself,  two  asses 
for  his  servants,  provisions  for  two  days,  a  small  assortment  of 
beads,  ambre,  and  tobacco,  a  few  changes  of  linen  and  other 
apparel,  an  umbrella,  a  pocket  sextant,  a  magnetic  compass,  a 
thermometer,  two  fowling-pieces,  two  pair  of  pistols,  and  some 
other  small  articles.  His  friends  at  Pisania  accompanied  him 
4iuring  the  first  two  days,  and  then,  dismissing  him  on  his 
way,  took  their  leave,  secretly  persuaded  they  should  never 
see  him  more. 

He  had  scarcely  lost  sight  of  his  European  friends,  and  rid- 
den off"  musing  and  somewhat  melancholy  into  the  wood,  when 
a  body  of  black  people  presented  themselves  in  a  clamorous 
manner  before  him,  demanding  custom-dues,  in  default  of 
which  they  threatened  to  carry  him  before  their  king.  To  es- 
cape from  this  honour,  which  might  have  proved  a  costly  one. 
Park  presented  them  with  a  little  tobacco,  upon  which  they 
were  of  course  contented,  and  he  was  allowed  to  proceed  On 
reaching  Medina,  the  capital  of  Woolh,  he  judged  it  prudent, 
or  perhaps  absolutely  necessary,  to  present  himself  at  the 
king's  levee,  when  the  venerable  benevolent  old  chief  not  only 
granted  him  permission  to  traverse  his  dominions,  but  assured 
him  he  would  offer  up  prayers  for  his  safety,  partly  to  secure 
which  he  furnished  him  with  a  trusty  guide. 

Having  safely  reached  the  frontiers  of  the  Woolli  dominions, 
Park  dismissed  his  guide  ;  and  being  about  to  enter  a  country 
33* 


374  MUNGO  PARK. 

interspersed  with  deserts,  in  which  water  is  frequently  not  to 
be  procured,  he  hired  three  negroes,  experienced  elephant- 
hunters,  who  were  at  once  to  serve  as  guides  and  water-bearers. 
While  he  was  preparing  to  depart,  however  one  of  these  ne- 
groes, who  had  all  received  a  part  of  their  pay  in  advance, 
made  his  escape ;  and  lest  the  remaining  two  should  be  dispos- 
ed to  follow  his  example,  he  immediately  gave  orders  to  fill 
their  calabashes,  or  gourds,  with  water,  and  struck  off  into  the 
wilderness,  just  as  the  sun  was  appearing  above  the  horizon. 
Through  this  desert  they  proceeded  until  they  reached  Tallika, 
the  frontier  town  of  Bondou  towards  Woolli,  where  Park  en- 
gaged a  kind  of  custom-house  officer  to  accompany  Iiim  for  a 
trifling  present  to  Fatteconda,  the  residence  of  the  king.  In 
his  company  our  traveller  accordingly  performed  the  journey 
to  that  city.  On  his  arrival  at  Fatteconda,  he  was  received  by 
the  black  chief  with  much  apparent  kindness,  though  Major 
Houghton,  he  had  heard,  in  his  passage  through  the  country, 
had  been  both  insulted  and  plundered  by  this  same  man. 
However,  he  soon  discovered  that  the  manifestation  of  a  hos- 
pitable disposition  observable  in  the  king's  manner  was  not 
deceptive.  It  is  true  he  was  so  completely  captivated  by  our 
traveller's  best  blue  coat  and  gilt  bottons,  that  he  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  beg  it;  but  he  endeavoured  in  some 
measure  to  remunerate  him  for  the  loss  by  a  present  of  five 
drachms  of  gold,  and  by  altogether  abstaining  from  examin- 
ing his  baggage,  or  exacting  uny  other  present  than  what  was 
voluntarily  bestowed. 

Mr.  Park,  desirous  of  preserving  this  coat,  had  deemed  it 
the  wisest  plan  to  wear  it  on  his  person,  fondly  hoping  that 
it  would  not  be  actually  stripped  off  his  back.  However, 
after  the  introductory  ceremonial,  the  king  began  a  warm 
panegyric  on  the  wealth  and  generosity  of  the  whites,  whence 
he  proceeded  to  the  praises  of  the  coat  and  its  yellow  buttons, 
concluding  with  expressing  the  delight  with  which  he  should 
wear  it  for  the  sake  of  his  guest.  He  did  not  add,  that  if 
these  hints  were  disregarded,  it  would  be  seized  by  force  ;  but 
our  traveller,  being  thoroughly  convinced  that  such  was  his 
intention,  pulled  off  the  coat,  of  which  he  humbly  requested 
his  majesty's  acceptance.  The  king  then  abstained  from 
farther  spoil,  and  introduced  him  as  a  curiosity  to  his  female 
circle.  The  ladies,  after  a  careful  survey,  approved  of  his  ex- 
ternal appearance,  with  the  exception  of  the  two  deformities  of 
a  white  skin  and  a  high  nose  ;  but  for  these  they  made  am- 
ple allowance,  being  blemishes  produced  by  the  false  taste  of 
his  mother,  who  had  bathed  him  in  milk  when  young,  and  by 
pinching  his  nose  elevated  it  into  its  present  absurd  height. 


MUNGO    PARK.  375 

Park  flattered  them  on  their  jet-black  skins  and  beautifully 
flattened  noses ;  but  was  modestly  warned  that  flattery,  or 
honey -mouth,  as  they  termed  it,  was  not  esteemed  in  Bondou. 
The  territories  of  these  petty  African  chiefs,  whom  we  com- 
placently denominate  kings,  are  exceedingly  limited  in  extent. 
Your  road    conducts  you  to-day  through   one  kingdom,  to- 
morrow through  another,  and  the  next  day  through  a  third ; 
which,  of  all  those  circumstances  that  obstruct  the  movements 
of  the  traveller  in  Africa,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  vexatious  and 
the  most  difficult  to   overcome ;    as  the  rapacity  of  the  first 
chiefs  who  lie  in  his  way  deprives  him  of  the  power  of  satisfy- 
ing the  equal  rapacity  of  the  remainder.     This  consideration 
alone  would  suffice  to  convince  us  that  if  ever  Africa  is  to  be 
properly  explored,  it  must  be  by  an  armed  force  sufficiently 
powerful  to   carry  terror  through  the   country,  and  not  by  a 
solitary  traveller,  who,  whatever  may  be  his  perseverance  or 
courage,  must  either  fall  in  the  attempt,  or  return  with  notions 
hastily  formed,  picked  up  at  random,  or  borrowed  from  the 
ignorant  credulous  natives.     The  perpetual  state  of  captivity 
in  which  Park  moved  is  a  strong  proof  of  this.     He  was  never, 
unless  when  far  removed  from  human  society  by  woods  or 
deserts,  completely  master  of  his  own  actions,  or  sufficiently 
respected  to  render  it  possible  for  him  to  contemplate  the  su- 
perior classes,  even  of  these  savages,  from  a  proper  level.     To 
judge  with  impartiality,  a  man  must  neither  be  under  the  in- 
fluence of  fear  nor  of  contempt,  of  anger  nor  of  gratitude<r 
He  must  feel  himself  perfectly  on  a  level  with  those  abcmt  liim^ 
To  proceed,  however,  with  Park : — "  In  the  afternoon,"^ 
says  he,  "my  fellow-travellers  informed  me,  that  as  this  was 
the  boundary  between  Bondou  and  Kajaaga,  and  dangerous 
for  travellers,  it  would  be  necessary  to  continue  our  journey  by 
night,  until  we  should  reach  a  more  hospitable  part  of  the 
country.     1  agreed  to  the  proposal,  tind  hired  two  people  for 
guides  through  the  woods,  and  as  scon  as  the  people  of  the 
village  were  gone  to  sleep,  (the  moon  shining  bright.)  we  set 
out.     The  stillness  of  the  air,  the  howling  of  the  wild  beasts, 
and  the  deep  sohtude  of  the  forest  made  the  scene  solemn  and 
impressive.     Not  a  word  was  uttered  by  any  of  us  but  in  a 
whisper;  all  were  attentive,  and  every  one  anxious  to  show  his 
sagacity  by  pointing  out  to  me  the  wolves  and  hyenas  as  they 
glided  like  shadows  from  one  thicket  to  another.     Towards 
morning  we  arrived  at  a  village   called  Rimmoo,  when  our 
guides  awakened  one  of  their  acquaintance,  and  we   stopped 
to  give  our  asses  some  corn,  and  roast  a  few  ground-nuts 
for  ourselves.     At  daylight  we  resumed  our  journey,  and  in 
the  afternoon  arrived  at  Joag  in  the  kingdom  of  Kajaaga." 


376  MUNGO  PARK. 

On  arriving  at  Joag,  the  frontier  town  of  the  kingdom  of 
Kajaaga,  our  traveller  (who  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  the 
house  of  the  dooty,  or  chief  man  of  the  town,  a  rigid  but  hos- 
pitable Mohammedan)  was  favoured  with  an  opportunity  of 
observing  the  genuine  character  of  the  negro.  "  The  same 
evening,"  says  he,  "  Madiboo,  the  bushreen  who  had  accom- 
panied me  from  Pisania,  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  father  and 
mother,  who  dwelt  at  a  neighbouring  town  called  Drarnanet. 
He  was  joined  by  my  other  attendant  the  blacksmith  ;  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  dark,  I  was  invited  to  see  tlie  sports  of  the  in- 
habitants, it  being  their  custom  on  the  arrival  of  strangers  to 
welcome  them  by  diversions  of  different  kinds.  I  found  a 
great  crowd  surrounding  a  party  who  were  dancing  by  the 
light  of  some  large  fires  to  the  music  of  four  drums,  which 
were  beat  with  great  exactness  and  uniformity.  The  dances, 
however,  consisted  more  in  wanton  gestures  than  in  muscular 
exertion  or  graceful  attitudes.  The  ladies  vied  with  each 
other  in  displaying  the  most  voluptuous  movements  imagin- 
able." 

At  Joag,  while  preparing  to  advance  on  his  journey,  he  was 
suddenly  honoured  with  a  visit  from  the  king's  son,  accompa- 
nied by  a  troop  of  horse,  who,  pretending  that  by  entering  his 
father's  dominions  he  had  forfeited  the  whole  of  his  property, 
insisted  upon  examining  his  merchandise,  of  which  he  seized 
upon  the  moiety.  Of  the  remnant  that  remained,  particularly 
a  little  amber  and  a  few  beads,  which  he  had  succeeded  in 
concealing,  he  was  now  so  fearful  of  producing  any  portion, 
even  for  the  purchase  of  food,  lest  he  should  once  more  awaken 
the  cupidity  of  the  authorities,  that  both  he  and  his  attendants 
determined  on  combating  hunger  for  the  day,  "and  wait  some 
opportunity  of  purchasing  or  begging  provisions."  In  this 
extremity,  while  he  was  sitting  down  chewing  straws,  a  female 
slave,  who  observed  him  in  passing  by,  was  moved  with  com- 
passion, and  presented  him  with  a  quantity  of  ground-nuts, 
which  was  a  very  seasonable  supply.  Scarcely  had  the  old 
woman  left  him,  before  he  received  information  that  the  ne- 
phew of  the  King  of  Kasson,  who  had  been  sent  by  his  uncle 
on  an  embassy  to  the  King  of  Kajaaga,  and  was  now  return- 
ing to  his  own  country,  was  about  to  pay  him  a  visit.  He 
came  accordingly,  and  upon  Park's  representing  to  him  his 
situation  and  distresses,  kindly  offered  to  be  his  guide  and  pro- 
tector as  far  as  Kasson.  With  him,  therefore,  our  traveller 
now  continued  his  route  to  the  banks  of  the  Senegal,  upon 
crossing  wliich,  his  royal  guide,  who,  like  other  guides,  re- 
quired a  present  for  his  services,  informed  him  they  were  in 
his  uncle's  dominions,  and  in  complete  safety. 


MUNGO  PARK.  377 

Safe  or  not  safe,  however,  Park  soon  found  that  the  stranger 
and  the  traveller  were  nowhere  beyond  the  reach  of  extortion* 
Half  of  the  little  property  which  had  escaped  the  fangs  of  the 
Kajaaga  people,  was  here  taken  from  him.  He  was  then 
permitted  to  depart.  Among  the  honest  negroes  with  whom 
he  had  set  out  from  Pisania,  on  the  Gambia,  there  was  a 
blacksmith  from  the  interior,  who,  having  amassed  some  little 
money  upon  the  coast,  was  now  returning  to  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  in  his  native  land.  Shortly  after  quitting 
Teesee,  the  last  place  where  our  traveller  had  submitted  to 
legal  robbery,  he  and  his  companions  came  within  sight  of  the 
blacksmith's  village.  The  news  of  his  return  had,  it  seems, 
preceded  him.  His  brother,  accompanied  by  a  singing-man, 
came  forth  to  welcome  the  wanderer  home,  and  brought  along 
with  him  a  horse,  that  the  blacksmith  "might  enter  his  native 
town  in  a  dignified  manner."  Park  and  his  companions  were 
desired  to  put  a  good  charge  of  powder  into  their  guns.  The 
singing-man  led  the  way  ;  the  two  brothers  followed ;  and  the 
cavalcade  was  quickly  joined  by  a  considerable  number  of  the 
inhabitants,  who,  by  extravagant  gestures  and  songs  of  triumph, 
testified  their  joy  at  the  return  of  their  townsman.  "  When 
we  arrived  at  the  blacksmith's  place  of  residence,  we  dismount- 
ed, and  fired  our  muskets.  The  meeting  between  him  and  hi* 
relations  was  \erj  tender  ;  for  these  rude  children  of  nature,, 
freed  from  restraint,  display  their  emotions  in  the  strongest 
and  most  expressive  manner.  Amid  these  transports,  the 
blacksmith's  aged  mother  was  led  forth,  leaning  upon  a  staffs 
Every  one  made  way  for  her  ;  and  she  stretched  out  her  hand 
to  bid  her  son  welcome.  Being  totally  blind,  she  stroked  his 
hands,  and  arms,  and  face  with  great  care,  and  seemed  highly 
delighted  that  her  latter  days  were  blessed  by  his  return,  and 
that  her  ears  once  more  heard  the  music  of  his  voice.  From 
this  interview,  I  was  convinced,  that  whatever  difference  there 
is  between  the  Negro  and  European  in  the  conformation  of  the 
nose,  and  the  colour  of  their  skin,  there  is  none  in  the  genuine 
sympathies  and  characteristic  feelings  of  our  common  nature^ 

During  the  tumult  of  these  congratulations,  I  had  seated 
myself  apart,  by  the  side  of  one  of  the  huts,  being  unwilhng  ta 
interrupt  the  flow  of  filial  and  parental  tenderness ;  and  the 
attention  of  the  company  was  so  entirely  taken  up  with  the 
blacksmith,  that  I  believe  none  of  his  friends  had  observed  me^ 
When  all  the  people  present  had  seated  themselves,  the  black- 
smith was  desired  by  his  father  to  give  some  account  of  his 
adventures  ;  and  silence  being  commanded  he  began ;  and 
afteif  repeatedly  thanking  God  for  the  success  that  had  attend- 
ed him,  related  every  material  occurrence  that  had  happened 


37S  MVNGO  PARIC. 

to  him  from  his  leaving  Kasson  to  his  arrival  at  the  Gambia  J 
his  employment  and  success  in  those  parts ;  and  the  danger^ 
he  had  escaped  in  returning  to  his  native  country.  In  the 
latter  part  of  his  narration,  he  had  frequent  occasion  to  men- 
tion me ;  and  after  many  strong  expressions  concerning  my 
kindness  to  him,  he  pointed  to  the  place  where  I  sat,  and  ex- 
claimed, Affille  ibi  siring  (see  him  sitting  there.)  In  a  mo- 
ment all  eyes  were  turned  upon  me.  I  appeared  like  a  being 
dropped  from  the  clouds,  every  one  was  surprised  that  they 
had  not  observed  me  before  ;  and  a  few  women  and  children 
expressed  great  uneasiness  at  being  so  near  a  man  of  such  an 
uncommon  appearance.  By  degrees,  however,  their  appre- 
hensions subsided,  and  when  the  blacksmith  assured  them  I 
was  perfectly  inoffensive,  some  of  them  ventured  so  far  as  to 
examine  the  texture  of  my  clothes  ;  but  many  of  them  were 
still  very  suspicious,  and  when  by  accident  I  happened  to 
move  myself,  or  look  at  the  young  children,  "their  mothers 
would  scamper  off  with  them  with  the  greatest  precipitation. 
In  a  few  hours,  however,  they  all  became  reconciled  to  me." 

With  these  honest  people  Park  remained  during  the  whole 
of  that  day  and  the  next,  and  then,  accompanied  by  the  wor- 
thy blacksmith,  who  declared  he  would  not  quit  him  during 
his  stay  in  that  part  of  the  country,  set  forward  towards  Koo- 
niakary.  On  his  arrival  at  this  city  he  obtained  an  audience 
of  the  king,  a  fine  old  man,  who,  for  his  conduct  both  in  peace 
and  war,  was  greatly  beloved  by  his  subjects.  His  behaviour 
towards  the  stranger  was  not  inconsistent  with  this  character. 
He  informed  him  with  apparent  regret,  that  the  direct  route  to 
Bambarra  was  about  to  be  closed  by  war,  but,  after  vainly  ad- 
vising his  guest  to  retrace  his  footsteps,  added,  that  there  yet 
remained  some  hopes  of  peace,  respecting  the  vahdity  of  which 
he  should  be  able  to  pronounce  an  opinion  in  the  course  of 
four  or  five  days.  In  the  meanwhile  he  invited  Park  to  remain 
in  the  neighbourhood. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1796,  the  king's  messenger  return- 
ed from  the  contiguous  kingdom  of  Kaarta,  bringing  intelli- 
gence that  the  Bambarra  army  had  not  yet  entered  the  coun- 
try, and  that  it  was  possible  the  traveller  might  be  enabled  to 
traverse  it  before  the  invasion  should  take  place.  Accordingly, 
being  provided  with  two  guides  by  the  king,  Park  took  leave 
of  his  friend  the  blacksmith,  and  set  forward  on  his  dangerous 
journey.  The  country,  at  all  times  thickly  peopled,  now 
swarmed  with  fugitives,  whom  the  fear  of  the  Bambarrans 
had  terrified  from  their  homes.  The  scenery  in  many  places 
was  romantically  wild.  "  On  coming  within  sight  of  the  moun- 
tains of  Foolado,  we  travelled,"  says  Park,  "  with  great  diffi- 


,  MUNGO  PARK.  379 

culty  down  a  stony  and  abrupt  precipice,  and  continued  our 
way  in  the  bed  of  a  dried  river-course,  where  the  trees  meet- 
ing over  our  heads,  made  the  place  dark  and  cool.  In  a  little 
time  we  reached  the  bottom  of  this  romantic  glen  ;  and  about 
ten  o'clock  emerged  from  between  two  rocky  hills,  and  found 
ourselves  on  the  level  and  sandy  plains  of  Kaarta.  At  noon 
we  arrived  at  a  korree,  or  watering-place,  where,  for  a  few 
strings  of  beads,  I  purchased  as  much  milk  and  corn-meal  as 
we  could  eat ;  and  indeed  provisions  are  here  so  cheap,  and 
the  shepherds  live  in  such  affluence,  that  they  seldom  ask  any 
return  for  what  refreshment  a  traveller  receives  from  them." 

From  this  place,  having  prevailed  upon  his  landlord,  a  Mo- 
hammedan negro,  to  accompany  him  as  a  guide  to  Remmoo, 
our  traveller  set  forward  on  the  11th  of  February.  He  ob- 
serves, "  We  had  no  sooner  got  into  a  dark  and  lonely  part  of 
the  first  wood,  than  he  made  a  sign  for  us  to  stop  ;  and  taking 
hold  of  a  hollow  piece  of  bamboo  that  hung  as  an  amulet 
round  his  neck,  whistled  very  loud  three  times.  I  confess  I 
was  somewhat  startled,  thinking  it  was  a  signal  for  some  of  his 
companions  to  come  and  attack  us  ;  but  he  assured  me  it  was 
done  merely  with  a  view  to  ascertain  what  success  we  were 
likely  to  meet  with  on  our  present  journey.  He  then  dis- 
mounted, laid  his  spear  across  the  road,  and  having  said  a 
number  of  short  prayers,  concluded  with  three  loud  whistles  ; 
after  which  he  listened  for  some  time,  as  if  in  expectation  of 
an  answer,  and  receiving  none,  told  us  we  might  proceed 
without  fear,  for  there  was  no  danger." 

Adventures  now  appeared  to  crowd  upon  our  traveller. 
The  country  through  which  their  road  lay  being  thickly 
sprinkled  with  wild  fruit-trees,  they  amused  themselves  as 
they  rode  slowly  along  with  picking  and  eating  the  fruit.  "In 
this  pursuit,"  says  Park,  "  I  had  wandered  a  little  from  my 
people,  and  being  uncertain  whether  they  were  before  or  be- 
hind me,  I  hastened  to  a  rising  ground  to  look  about  me.  As 
I  was  proceeding  towards  this  eminence,  two  negro  horsemen, 
armed  with  muskets,  came  galloping  from  among  the  bushes. 
On  seeing  them  I  made  a  full  stop  ;  the  horsemen  did  the 
same ;  and  all  three  of  us  seemed  equally  surprised  and  con- 
founded at  this  interview.  As  I  approached  them  their  fears 
increased,  and  one  of  them,  after  casting  on  me  a  look  of 
horror,  rode  off  at  full  speed  ;  the  other,  in  a  panic  of  fear, 
put  his  hand  over  his  eyes,  and  continued  muttering  prayers 
until  his  horse,  seemingly  without  his  rider's  knowledge,  con- 
veyed him  slowly  after  his  companion.  About  a  mile  to  the 
westward  they  fell  in  with  my  attendants,  to  whom  they  related 
a  frightful  story;  it  seems  their  fears  had  dressed  me  in  the 


380  MUNGO  PARK. 

flowing  robes  of  a  tremendous  spirit ;  and  one  of  them  affirm- 
ed, that  when  I  made  my  appearance,  a  cold  blast  of  wi»d 
came  pouring  down  upon  him  from  the  sky,  hke  so  much  cold 
water." 

Shortly  after  this  they  arrived  at  the  capital  of  Kaarla, 
where  he  was  an  object  of  such  extraordinary  curiosity  to  the 
populace,  the  majority  of  whom  had  never  before  seen  a  white 
man,  that  they  burst  forcibly  into  his  hut,  crowd  after  crowd. 
Those  who  had  beheld  the  monster  giving  way  to  those  who 
had  not,  until,  as  he  observes,  the  hut  was  filled  and  emptied 
thirteen  different  times.  Here  he  found  that  the  war  with 
Bambarra  had  actually  commenced;  that  all  communication 
between  the  countries  had  consequently  ceased  ;  and  that,  if 
it  was  his  determination  to  persevere,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
take  a  circuitous  route  through  the  Moorish  kingdom  of  Luda- 
mar.  The  people  of  Kaarta  were  Mohammedans  ;  but  there 
is  a  variety  in  church  discipline  even  among  these  inflexible 
fanatics;  for,  instead  of  the  fine  sonorous  voice  of  the  muezzin, 
by  which  the  fiiithful  are  elsewhere  summoned  to  their  devo- 
tions, the  hour  of  prayer  was  here  announced  by  the  beating 
of  drums,  and  blowing  through  large  elephant's  teeth,  hollowed 
out  in  such  a  manner  as  to  resemble  buglehorns.  The  sound 
of  these  horns  our  traveller  thought  melodious,  and  approach- 
ing nearer  to  the  human  voice  than  any  other  artificial  sound. 
Being  very  desirous  to  depart  from  the  seat  of  war,  Park  pre- 
sented his  horse-pistols  and  holsters  to  the  king;  and  on 
pressing  to  be  dismissed,  received  in  return  an  escort  of  eight 
horsemen  to  conduct  him  to  Jarra.  Three  of  the  king's  sons, 
with  two  hundred  horsemen,  kindly  undertook  to  accompany 
him  a  little  way  on  his  journey. 

On  his  arrival  at  Jarra,  in  the  kingdom  of  Ludamar,  he 
despatched  a  messenger  to  Ali,  who  was  then  encamped  near 
Benown,  soliciting  permision  to  pass  unmolested  through  his 
territories ;  and  having  waited  fourteen  days  for  his  reply,  a 
slave  at  length  arrived  from  the  chief,  affirming  that  he  had 
been  instructed  to  conduct  the  traveller  in  safety  as  far  as 
Goomba.  His  negro,  Johnson,  here  refused  to  follow  h'mi 
any  further;  and  signified  his  intention  of  pushing  back  with- 
out delay  to  Gambia;  upon  which  Park,  fearful  of  the  success 
of  his  enterprise,  intrusted  him  with  a  copy  of  his  journal,  re- 
serving another  for  himself,  directing  him  to  deliver  the  papers 
to  the  English  on  the  coast.  A  portion  of  his  baggage  and 
apparel  he  committed  to  the  care  of  a  slave-merchant  at  Jarra, 
who  was  known  to  Dr.  Laidley.  He  then  departed  with  his 
slave-boy,  accompanied  by  the  chief's  messenger.  On  the 
road  our  traveller  was  robbed  once  more  by  the  Moors,  who 


MUNGO  PARK.  381 

added  insult  to  violence  ;  and  when  he  was  nearly  perishing 
for  thirst,  beat  away  his  faithful  slave  from  the  wells  without 
permitting  him  to  draw  water. 

However,  after  much  fatigue  and  extraordinary  privations, 
they  arrived  in  Ali's  camp  at  Beriowm,  where  Park  was  imme- 
diately surrounded  by  crowds  of  fanatical  Moors,  attracted 
partly  by  curiosity,  partly  from  a  desire  to  vent  tlieir  fierce 
zeal  against  a  Christian.  "My  arrival,"  says  he,  "was  no 
sooner  observed  than  the  people,  who  drew  water  at  the  wells, 
threw  down  their  buckets ;  those  in  the  tents  mounted  their 
horses,  and  men,  women,  and  children  came  running  or  gal- 
loping towards  me.  I  soon  found  myself  surrounded  by  such 
a  crowd,  that  I  could  scarcely  move;  one  pulled  my  clothes, 
another  took  off  my  hat ;  a  third  stopped  me  to  examine  my 
waistcoat  buttons,  and  a  fourth  called  out  'La  illah  el  allah 
Mahamet  rasowl  allahi,'  and  signified,  in  a  threatening  man- 
ner, that  I  must  repeat  those  words.  We  reached  at  length 
the  king's  tent,  where  we  found  a  great  number  of  people, 
men,  women,  and  children,  assembled.  Ali  was  sitting  on  a 
black  leathern  cushion,  chpping  a  few  hairs  from  his  upper 
lip — a  female  attendant  holding  up  a  looking-glass  before  him. 
He  appeared  to  be  an  old  man  of  the  Arab  cast,  with  a  long 
white  beard,  and  he  had  a  sullen  and  indignant  aspect.  He 
surveyed  me  with  attention,  and  inquired  of  the  Moors  if  I 
could  speak  Arabic;  being  answered  in  the  negative,  he  ap- 
peared much  surprised,  and  continued  silent.  The  surround- 
ing attendants,  and  particularly  the  ladies,  were  abundantly 
more  inquisitive  ;  they  asked  a  thousand  questions,  inspected 
every  part  of  my  apparel,  searched  my  pockets,  and  obliged 
me  to  unbutton  my  waistcoat  and  display  the  whiteness  of  my 
skin  ;  they  even  counted  my  toes  and  fingers,  as  if  they  doubt- 
ed whether  I  was  in  truth  a  human  being." 

Ali  now,  with  the  base  idea  of  insulting  an  unprotected 
stranger,  ordered  a  wild  boar  to  be  brought  in,  which  he  signi- 
fied his  desire  that  Park  should  kill  and  eat.  This,  well  know- 
ing their  religious  prejudices,  he  of  course  refused  to  do  ;  upon 
which  the  boys  who  led  in  the  boar  were  commanded  to  let  it 
loose  upon  him,  the  Moors  supposing  that  there  exists  an  in- 
veterate feud  between  pigs<and  Christians,  and  that  it  would 
immediately  run  upon  and  gore  him.  The  boar,  however, 
was  more  magnanimous.  Scorning  to  attack  a  defenceless 
foreigner,  he  no  sooner  found  himself  at  liberty  than,  brandish- 
ing his  tusks  at  the  natives,  he  rushed  at  them  indiscriminate- 
ly, and  then,  to  complete  the  consternation,  took  shelter  under 
the  very  couch  upon  which  the  tyrant  was  sitting.  This  bold 
proceeding  of  the  unclean  beast  dissolved  the  assembly,  and 
33 


9&i  MUNGO  PARK. 

the  traveller  was  led  away  to  the  tent  of  a  slave,  in  front  of 
which,  not  being  permitted  to  enter,  he  received  a  little  food. 
Here  he  likewise  passed  the  night  lying  upon  the  sand,  sur- 
rounded by  the  curious  multitude.  Next  day,  a  hut,  con- 
structed with  corn-stalks,  was  given  him ;  but  the  abovemen- 
tioned  boar,  which  had  been  recaptured,  was  tied  to  a  stake  in 
the  corner  of  it,  as  his  fittest  companion. 

By  degrees,  however,  the  Moor»  began  to  conceive  that  the 
Christian  might  in  one  way  or  another  be  rendered  useful,  but 
could  think  of  no  better  employment  for  him  than  that  of  a 
barber.  In  this  capacity  he  made  his  first  attempt,  in  the 
royal  presence,  on  the  head  of  the  young  prince  of  Ludamar, 
This  dignified  oflSce  he  had  no  great  desire  to  monopolize,  and 
his  unskilfulness  in  performing  the  operation,  for  he  almost  at 
the  outset  made  an  incision  in  the  young  prince's  head,  quick- 
ly reduced  him  once  more  to  the  rank  of  a  common  mortal, 
Ali  seemed  by  no  means  desirous,  however,  of  dispensing 
altogether  with  his  services,  wishing  perhaps  to  preserve  him 
from  the  same  motives  which  induce  us  to  preserve  a  wild 
beast ;  and  therefore,  to  render  his  escape  the  more  impracti- 
cable, took  possession  of  the  whole  of  his  baggage,  including 
his  gold,  amber,  watch,  and  one  of  his  pocket  compasses  ;  the 
other  he  had  fortunately  buried  in  the  sand  composing  the  floor 
of  his  hut.  The  gold  and  amber  were  highly  gratifying  to 
Moorish  avarice,  but  the  pocket  compass  soon  became  an  ob- 
ject of  superstitious  curiosity.  "Ali  was  very  desirous  to  be 
informed,  why  that  small  piece  of  iron,  the  needle,  always 
pointed  to  the  Great  Desert,  and  I  found  myself  somewhat 
puzzled  to  answer  the  question.  To  have  pleaded  my  ignor- 
ance, would  have  created  a  suspicion  that  I  wished  to  conceal 
the  real  truth  from  him  ;  I  therefore  told  him  that  my  mother 
resided  far  beyond  the  sands  of  Sahara,  and  that  while  she  was 
alive,  the  piece  of  iron  would  always  point  that  way,  and  serve 
as  a  guide  to  conduct  me  to  her ;  and  that  if  she  was  dead,  it 
would  point  to  her  grave.  Ali  now  looked  at  the  compass 
with  redoubled  amazement ;  turned  it  round  and  round  re- 
peatedly, but  observing  that  it  always  pointed  the  same  way, 
he  took  it  up  with  great  caution,  and  returned  it  to  mo,  mani- 
festing that  he  thought  there  was  something  of  magic  in  it,  and 
that  he  was  afraid  of  keeping  so  dangerous  an  instrument  in 
his  possession." 

It  now  began  to  be  debated  between  Ah  and  his  advisers 
what  should  be  done  with  their  prisoner.  Their  decisions 
were  very  dissimilar.  Some  were  of  opinion  that  he  should 
be  put  to  death  ;  others  that  he  should  merely  lose  his  right 
hand  ;  while  a  third  party  thought  that  his  eyes  ought  to  be 


MUNGO  PARK.  383 

put  out.  AH  himself,  however,  determined  that  matters  should 
remain  as  they  were  until  his  queen  Fatima,  then  in  the  north, 
had  seen  him.  Meanwhile  all  these  reports  were  related  to 
our  traveller,  and  tended  not  a  little  to  distress  and  agitate  his 
mind.  His  demand  to  be  permitted  to  depart  was  formally 
refused.  The  accumulated  horrors  of  his  situation,  united 
with  the  want  of  food  and  sleep,  at  length  brought  on  a  fever, 
by  which  his  life  was  endangered.  But  his  persecution  from 
the  Moors  did  not  therefore  cease.  They  plucked  his  cloak 
from  him  ;  they  overwhelmed  him  with  insults  ;  they  tortured 
him  like  some  ferocious  animal,  for  their  amusement ;  and 
when,  to  escape  from  this  detestable  thraldom,  he  crawled 
away  to  a  short  distance  from  the  camp,  he  was  forced  back 
by  menaces  and  violence. 

At  length,  after  more  than  a  month's  detention  at  Benowm, 
he  was  commanded  to  follow  Ali  to  the  northern  encampment 
of  Bubaker,  on  the  skirts  of  the  Great  Desert,  and  on  the  way 
endured  the  extremity  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue.  Upon 
arriving  at  Bubaker,  the  residence  of  Fatima,  Park  was  in- 
troduced to  that  favourite  princess.  The  beauty  of  a  Moorish 
female  is  measured  entirely  by  her  circumference  ;  and  to  be- 
stow this  grace  on  their  daughters,  the  mothers  stuff  them 
with  enormous  quantities  of  milk  and  koiiskous,  the  swallow- 
ing of  which  is  enforced  even  with  blows,  till  they  attain  that 
acme  of  beauty  which  renders  them  a  load  for  a  camel.  The 
dimensions  by  which  Fatima  had  captivated  her  royal  lover 
were  very  enormous  ;  she  added  to  them  Arab  features  and 
long  black  hair.  This  queen  at  first  shrunk  back  with  horror 
at  seeing  before  her  that  monster,  a  Christian  ;  but  after  put- 
ting various  questions,  began  to  see  in  him  nothing  so  wholly 
diflerent  from  the  rest  of  mankind.  She  presented  to  him  a 
bowl  of  milk,  and  continued  to  show  him  the  only  kindness  he 
met  with  during  this  dreadful  captivity.  Upon  the  departure 
of  her  husband  for  Jarra,  she  not  only  obtained  him  permission 
to  join  the  party,  but  prevailed  upon  .the  tyrant  to  restore  him 
his  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle,  together  with  a  part  of  his  ap- 
parel. His  faithful  black  boy  Demba,  however,  was  taken 
from  him,  notwithstanding  his  animated  remonstrances  to  AH, 
who,  upon  his  pressing  the  point  mther  warmly,  only  replied, 
that  if  he  did  not  instantly  mount  his  horse  and  depart,  he 
should  share  the  fate  of  his  slave.  "There  is  something  in 
the  frown  of  a  tyrant,"  says  Park,  "which  rouses  the  most 
secret  emotions  of  the  heart;  I  could  not  suppress  my  feelings; 
and  for  once  entertained  an  indignant  wish  to  rid  the  world  of 
such  a  monster.  Poor  Demba  was  not  less  affected  than  my- 
self; he  had  formed  a  strong  attachment  towards  me,  and  had 


394  MUNGO  PARIC. 

a  cheerfulness  of  disposition  which  often  beguiled  the  tedious 
hours  of  captivity  ;  he  was  likewise  a  proficient  in  the  Bam- 
barra  tongue,  and  promised,  on  that  account,  to  be  of  great  use 
to  me  in  future.  But  it  was  in  vain  to  expect  any  thing  fa- 
vourable to  humanity  from  a  people  who  are  strangers  to  its 
dictates.  So  having  shaken  hands  with  this  unfortunate  boy, 
and  blended  my  tears  with  his,  assuring  him,  however,  I  would 
do  the  best  to  redeem  him,  I  saw  him  led  oiF  by  three  of  Ali's 
slaves  towards  the  camp  at  Bubaker." 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Jarra,  where  he  was  shortly  afterward 
transferred  by  Ali  to  tyrants  of  a  lower  grade,  his  condition, 
far  from  being  improved,  was  only  rendered  the  more  intoler- 
able. The  city  itself,  moreover,  was  in  a  state  of  the  utmost 
confusion.  Malcontents  from  Kaarta  havinj?  taken  refucfe 
here,  had  recently  made  an  incursion  into  their  native  coun- 
try, carried  off  a  large  quantity  of  plunder,  and  thus  drawn 
the  vengeance  of  their  king  against  the  city.  All  those  who 
had  reason  to  dread  his  resentment  were  now,  therefore,  pre- 
paring to  fly  into  Bambarra ;  and  Park,  whose  route  lay  in 
the  same  direction,  became  exceedingly  desirous  of  effecting 
his  escape  from  the  Moors,  that  he  might  seize  upon  this  fortu- 
nate occasion  of  fulfilling-  the  object  of  his  mission.  "Their 
departure,"  says  he,  speaking  of  the  black  fugitives,  "  was 
very  affecting :  the  women  and  children  crying,  the  men  sul- 
len and  dejected,  and  all  of  them  looking  back  with  regret  on 
their  native  town  ;  and  on  the  wells  and  rocks  beyond  which 
their  ambition  had  never  tempted  them  to  stray,  and  where 
they  had  laid  all  their  plans  of  future  happiness  ;  all  of  which 
they  were  now  forced  to  abandon,  and  to  seek  shelter  among 
strangers." 

Hoping  to  escape  in  this  confused  throng,  he  mounted  his 
horse;  and  taking  a  bag  of  corn  before  him,  rode  slowly  off 
along  with  the  townspeople.  On  their  arrival  at  Queira,  a 
village  at  no  great  distance  from  the  city.  Park  began  to  flatter 
himself  that  he  had  really  eluded  the  vigilance  of  his  persecu- 
tors; but  before  the  agreeable  idea  had  got  a  firm  footing  in 
his  mind,  he  saw  Ah's  chief  slave,  accompanied  by  four  Moors, 
arrive,  and  take  up  their  lodgings  with  the  dooty.  Johnson, 
our  traveller's  interpreter,  Suspecting  the  design  of  this  visit, 
sent  two  boys  to  overhear  their  conversation,  by  which  means 
he  learned  that  it  was  their  intention  to  carry  Park  back  to 
Bubaker.  Upon  this  he  at  once  came  to  the  desperate  resolu- 
tion to  effect  his  deliverance  that  very  night  from  his  pursuers, 
or  to  perish  in  the  attempt.  Johnson,  who  applauded  this  de- 
termination, but  wanted  the  courage  to  imitate  it,  was  never- 
theless exceedingly  well  disposed  to  aid  in  effecting  his  mas- 


MUNGO  PARK.  385 

ter's  escape.  He  therefore  undertook  to  keep  watch  upon  the 
movements  of  the  enemy,  vrhile  Park  vras  preparing  for  flight. 
About  midnight  he  got  all  his  apparel  in  readiness,  which 
consisted  of  two  shirts,  two  pair  of  trousers,  two  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs, an  upper  and  under  waistcoat,  a  hat,  a  pair  of  half- 
boots,  and  a  cloak.  Besides  these  things  he  had  not  in  his 
possession  a  single  bead,  or  any  other  article,  with  which  to 
purchase  food  for  himself,  or  provender  for  his  horse  : — "About 
daybreak,  .Johnson,  who  had  been  'listening  to  the  Moors  all 
night,  came,"  says  he,  "  and  whispered  to  me  that  they  were 
all  asleep.  The  awful  crisis  was  now  arrived  when  I  was 
again  either  to  taste  the  blessings  of  freedom,  or  languish  out 
my  days  in  captivity.  A  cold  sweat  moistened  my  forehead 
as  I  thought  of  the  dreadful  alternative,  and  reflected  that  one 
way  or  the  other,  my  fate  must  be  decided  in  the  course  of  the 
ensuing  day.  But  to  deliberate  was  to  lose  the  only  chance 
of  escaping.  So  taking  up  my  bundle,  I  stepped  gently  over 
the  negroes  who  were  sleeping  in  the  open  air  ;  and,  having 
mounted  my  horse,  I  bade  Johnson  farewell,  desiring  him  to 
take  particular  care  of  the  papers  I  had  intrusted  him  with,  and 
inform  my  friends  in  Gambia  that  he  had  left  me  in  good 
health  on  my  way  to  Bambarra.  I  proceeded  with  great  cau- 
tion, surveying  each  bush,  and  frequently  listening  and  look- 
ing behind  me  for  the  Moorish  horsemen,  until  I  was  about  a 
mile  from  the  town,  when  I  was  surprised  to  find  myself  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  a  korree,  belonging  to  the  Moors.  The 
shepherds  followed  me  for  about  a  mile,  hooting  and  throwing 
stones  after  me  ;  and  when  I  was  out  of  their  reach,  and  had 
begun  to  indulge  the  pleasing  hope  of  escaping,  I  was  again 
greatly  alarmed  to  hear  somebody  halloo  behind  me ;  and 
looking  back  I  saw  three  Moors  on  horseback,  coming  after 
me  at  full  speed,  whooping  and  brandishing  their  double-barrel 
guns  :  I  knew  it  was  in  vain  to  think  of  escaping,  and  there- 
fore turned  back  and  met  them  ;  when  two  of  them  caught 
hold  of  my  bridle,  one  on  each  side,  and  the  third,  presenting 
his  musket,  told  me  I  must  go  back  to  Ah." 

It  soon  appeared,  however,  that  these  gentlemen  were  mere- 
ly private  robbers,  who  were  fearful  that  their  master  had  not 
sufficiently  pillaged  the  stranger ;  for,  after  examining  his 
bundle,  and  plundering  him  of  his  cloak,  they  bade  him  be- 
gone, and  follow  them  no  further.  Too  happy  to  be  rid  of  the 
villains  at  any  rate,  he  immediately  struck  into  the  w^oods,  and 
continued  his  journey.  His  joy  at  thus  escaping  from  the 
Moors  was  quickly  damped  by  the  consideration  that  he  must 
very  soon  be  in  want  of  both  food  and  water,  neither  of  which 
could  he  procure  without  approaching  villages  or  wells,  where 
33* 


i-'^^ 


386  MUNGO  PARK. 

he  would  almost  inevitably  encounter  liis  old  enemies.  He* 
therefore  pushed  on  with  all  the  vigour  of  which  he  was  pos- 
sessed, in  the  hope  of  reaching  some  town  or  village  of  the 
kingdom  of  Bambarra.  But  he  already  began  to  experience 
the  tortures  of  thirst.  His  mouth  was  parched  and  inflamed; 
a  sudden  dimness,  accompanied  by  symptoms  of  fainting, 
would  frequently  come  over  his  eyes  ;  and  as  his  horse  also 
was  exceedingly  fatigued,  he  began  to  apprehend  that  he 
should  perish  of  thirst.  Some  shrubs,  the  leaves  of  which  he 
chewed  to  relieve  the  burning  pain  in  his  mouth  and  throat, 
were  all  found  to  be  bitter  and  of  no  service.  "A  little  before 
sunset,  having  reached  the  top  of  a  gentle  rising,"  says  Parl^, 
*'  I  climbed  a  high  tree,  from  the  topmost  branches  of  which  I 
cast  a  melancholy  look  over  the  barren  wilderness,  but  with- 
out discovering  the  most  distant  trace  of  a  human  dwelling. 
The  same  dismal  uniformity  of  shrubs  and  sand  every  where 
presented  itself,  and  the  horizon  was  level  and  uninterrupted 
as  that  of  the  sea. 

"  Descending  from  the  tree,  I  found  my  horse  devouring  the 
stubble  and  brushwood  with  great  avidity  ;  and  as  I  Mas  now 
too  faint  to  attempt  walking,  and  my  horse  too  much  fatigued 
to  carry  me,  I  thought  it  but  an  act  of  humanity,  and  perhaps 
the  last  I  should  ever  have  it  in  my  power  to  perform,  to  take 
off  his  bridle  and  let  him  shift  for  himself;  in  doing  which,  I 
was  affected  with  sickness  and  giddiness  ;  and,  falling  upon 
the  sand,  felt  as  if  the  hour  of  death  ,was  fast  approaching. 
Here  then  (thought  I,)  after  a  short  but  ineffectual  struggle, 
terminate  all  my  hopes  of  being  useful  in  my  day  and  genera- 
tion— here  must  the  short  span  of  my  life  come  to  an  end.  I 
cast,  as  I  beheved,  a  last  look  on  the  surrounding  scene,  and 
while  I  reflected  on  the  awful  change  that  was  about  to  take 
place,  this  world  and  its  enjoyments  seemed  to  vanish  from  my 
recollection.  Nature,  however,  at  length  resumed  its  func- 
tions;  and  on  recovering  my  senses  I  found  myself  stretched 
upon  the  sand,  with  the  bridle  still  in  my  hand,  and  the  sun  just 
sinking  behind  the  trees.  I  now  summoned  all  my  resolution, 
and  determined  to  make  another  effort  to  prolong  my  exist- 
ence :  and,  as  the  evening  Avas  somewhat  cool,  I  resolved  to 
travel  as  far  as  my  limbs  would  carry  me,  in  hopes  of  reaching 
(my  only  resource)  a  watering-place.  With  this  view  I  put 
the  bridle  upon  my  horse,  and  driving  him  before  me,  went 
slowly  along  for  about  an  hour,  when  I  perceived  some  light- 
ning from  tlie  north-east — a  most  delightful  sight,  for  it  prom- 
ised rain.  The  darkness  and  lightning  increased  very  rapidly ; 
and  in  less  than  an  hour  I  heard  the  wind  roaring  behind  the 
bushes.     I  had  already  opened  my  mouth  to  receive  the  re- 


MUNGO  PARK,  38t 

freshing  drops  which  I  expected :  but  I  was  in&tantly  covered 
with  a  cloud  of  sand,  driven  with  such  force  by  the  wind  as  to 
give  a  very  disagreeable  sensation  to  my  face  and  arms  ;  and 
I  was  obliged  to  mount  my  horse  and  stop  under  a  bu&h  to 
prevent  being  suffocated.  The  sand  continued  to  fly  for  near 
an  hour  in  amazing  quantities,  after  which  I  again  set  forward^ 
and  travelled  with  much  difficulty  until  ten  o'clock.  About 
this  time  I  was  agreeably  surprised  by  some  very  vivid  flashes 
of  lightning,  followed  by  a  few  heavy  drops  of  rain.  In  a  little 
time  the  sand  ceased  to  fly,  and  I  ahghted  and  spread  out  all 
my  clean  clothes  to  collect  the  rain,  which  at  length  I  saw 
would  certainly  fall.  For  more  than  an  hour  it  rained  plenti- 
fully, and  I  quenched  my  thirst  by  wringing  and  sucking  my 
clothes. 

"There  being  no  moon,  it  was  remarkably  dark  ;  so  that  I 
was  obliged  to  lead  my  horse,  and  direct  my  way  by  the  com- 
pass, which  the  lightning  enabled  me  to  observe.  In  this 
manner  I  travelled  with  tolerable  expedition  until  past  mid- 
night ;  when  the  lightning  became  more  distant,  and  I  wa& 
under  the  necessity  of  groping  along,  to  the  no  small  danger  of 
my  hands  and  eyes.  About  two  o'clock  my  horse  started  at 
something  ;  and,  looking  round,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  ta 
see  a  light  at  a  short  distance  among  the  trees,  and  supposing 
it  to  be  a  town,  I  grouped  along  the  sand  in  hopes  of  finding 
corn-stalks,  cotton,  or  other  appearances  of  cultivation,  but 
found  none.  As  I  approached,  1  perceived  anumberof  othei: 
lights  in  diflerent  places,  and  began  to  suspect  that  I  had  fallen 
upon  a  party  of  Moors.  However,  in  my  present  situation, 
I  was  resolved  to  see  who  they  were,  if  I  could  do  it  with  safe- 
ty. I  accordingly  led  my  horse  cautiously  towards  the  light, 
and  heard  by  the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  and  the  clamorous 
fbngues  of  the  herdsmen,  that  it  was  a  watering-place,  and 
most  likely  belonged  to  the  Moors.  Dehghtful  as  the  sound 
of  the  human  voice  was  to  me,  I  resolved  once  more  to  strike 
into  the  woods,  and  rather  run  the  risk  of  perishing  with  hun- 
ger, than  trust  myself  again  in  their  hands ;  but  being  still 
thirsty,  and  dteading  the  approach  of  the  burning  day,  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  search  for  the  wells,  which  I  expected  to 
find  at  no  great  distance.  In  this  pursuit  I  inadvertently  ap- 
proached so  near  one  of  the  tents  as  to  be  perceived  by  a  wo- 
wan,  who  immediately  screamed  out.  The  people  came 
running  to  her  assistance  from  some  of  the  neighbouring  tents, 
and  passed  so  very  near  me  that  I  thought  I  was  discovered, 
and  hastened  again  into  the  woods. 

"About  a  mile  from  this  place  I  heard  a  loud  and  confused 
noise,  somewhere  to  the  right  of  my  course,  and  in  a  short 


388  MUNGO  PARK. 

time  was  happy  to  find  it  was  the  croaking  of  frogs,  which 
was  heavenly  music  to  my  ears.  I  followed  the  sound,  and  at 
daybreak  arrived  at  some  shallow  muddy  pools,  so  full  of 
frogs  that  is  was  difficult  to  discern  the  water.  The  noise  they 
made  frightened  my  horse,  and  I  was  obliged  to  keep 
them  quiet  by  beating  the  water  with  a  branch  until  he  had 
drunk.  Having  here  quenched  my  thirst,  I  ascended  a  tree, 
and  the  morning  being  clear,  I  soon  perceived  the  smoke  of 
the  watering  place  which  I  had  passed  in  the  night,  and  ob- 
served another  pillar  of  smoke,  east-southeast,  distant  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles." 

Towards  this  column  of  smoke,  which,  as  he  was  informed, 
arose  from  a  Foulah  village,  he  now  directed  his  course  ;  but 
on  arriving  at  the  place,  was  inhospitably  driven  from  every 
x3oor,  except  that  of  an  old  woman,  who  kindly  received  hira 
into  her  dwelhng,  and  furnished  him  with  food  for  himself 
and  with  provender  for  his  horse.  Even  here,  however,  the 
influence  of  Ali  pursued  him  like  his  evil  genius.  The  peo- 
ple who  had  collected  round  him  while  he  was  eating,  began, 
as  he  clearly  discovered  from  their  expressions,  to  form  the 
design  of  carrying  him  back  once  more  to  Benowm  or  Euba- 
ker.  He  therefore  hastened  his  departure,  and  having  wan- 
dered among  the  woods  all  day,  passed  the  night  under  a  tree. 
In  this  way  he  continued  his  journey,  sometimes  meeting  with 
hospitality,  but  more  frequently  avoiding  the  dwelhngs  of  man, 
and  subsisting  upon  the  wild  produce  of  the  woods,  and  the 
water  of  a  few  pools,  to  Avhich  the  croaking  of  the  frogs  di- 
rected him. 

At  length  he  entered  the  kingdom  of  Bambarra,  where  he 
found  the  people  more  hospitable  in  proportion  as  they  were 
more  opulent  than  their  neighbours.  Cultivation  was  here 
carried  on  in  a  spirited  manner  and  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
"hunger,"  as  the  natives  expressed  it,  "was  never  known." 
The  country  itself  was  beautiful,  intersected  on  all  sides  by 
rivulets,  which,  after  a  rain-storm,  were  swelled  into  rapid 
streams.  Park's  horse  was  now  so  attenuated  by  fatigue  that 
it  appeared  like  a  mere  skeleton,  which  the  traveller,  fearing 
to  mount,  drove  before  him  as  if  to  scare  away  the  crows. 
The  Bambarrans,  whose  hospitable  disposition  was  accompa- 
nied by  but  little  delicacy,  were  infinitely  amused  at  this  droll 
spectacle.  Taking  him  for  a  Moor,  they  supposed  from  his 
appearance  that  he  must  be  one  of  those  religious  mendicants 
who,  having  performed  the  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  cities, 
thenceforward  consider  themselves  fully  entitled  to  subsist 
upon  the  labours  of  their  industrious  coreligionists.  "  'He 
has  been   at  Mecca,' said  one;  *you  may  see  that  by  his 


MUNGO  PARK.  389^ 

clothes.'  Another  asked  if  my  horse  was  sick  ;  a  third  wished 
to  purchase  it,  &c.  So  that  I  beheve  the  very  slaves  were 
ashamed  to  be  seen  in  my  company." 

However,  in  spite  of  all  this  laughter  and  ^^'idicule,  he  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way,  and  at  length  had  the  satisfaction  to  be  in- 
formed that  on  the  morrow  he  should  see  the  Niger,  denomi- 
nated Joliba,  or  the  "  Great  Water,"  by  the  natives.  Next 
morning,  the  21st  of  July,  after  passing  through  several  large 
villages,  he  saw  the  smoke  ascend  over  Sego,  the  capital  of 
Bambarra,  and  felt  elated  with  joy  at  the  thought  of  drawing 
near  so  important  an  object  of  his  mission.  "  As  we  ap- 
proached the  town,"  says  Park,  "  I  was  fortunate  enough  to 
overtake  the  fugitive  Kaartans,  to  whose  kindness  I  had  been 
so  much  indebted  in  my  journey  through  Bambarra.  They 
readily  agreed  to  introduce  me  to  the  king,  and  we  rode  to- 
gether through  some  marshy  ground,  where,  as  1  anxiously 
looked  around  for  the  river,  one  of  them  called  out  Geo  affilli 
(see  the  water);  and,  looking  forward,  I  saw  with  infinite 
pleasure  the  great  object  of  my  mission, — the  long  sought  for, 
majestic  Niger,  glittering  to  the  morning  sun,  as  broad  as  the 
Thames  at  Westminster,  and  flowing  slowly  to  the  eastward, 
I  hastened  to  the  brink,  and  having  drunk  of  the  water,  lifted 
up  my  fervent  thanks  in  prayer  to  the  Great  Ruler  of  all  things 
for  having  thus  far  crowned  my  endeavours  with  success." 

Sego,  the  capital  of  Bambarra,  consisted  of  four  distinct 
towns,  two  on  the  northern  and  two  on  the  southern  bank  of 
the  Niger.  The  king  at  this  period  resided  on  the  southern 
bank,  while  Park  arrived  on  the  opposite  side.  The  commu- 
nication between  the  different  quarters  of  the  city  was  kept  up 
by  means  of  large  canoes,  which  were  constantly  passing  and 
repassing;  notwithstanding  which,  so  great  was  the  pressure 
of  passengers,  that  Park  was  compelled  to  wait  upwards  of 
two  hours  before  he  could  obtain  even  a  chance  of  being  fer- 
ried over.  Meanwhile,  the  prospect  before  him  was  novel  and 
striking  in  the  highest  degree.  "  The  view  of  this  extensive 
city,"  he  observes,  "the  numerous  canoes  on  the  river,  the 
crowded  population,  and  the  cultivated  state  of  the  surround- 
ing country  formed  altogether  a  prospect  of  civilization  and 
magnificence  which  I  little  expected  to  find  in  the 'bosom  of 
Africa." 

While  he  was  thus  waiting  for  a  passage,  the  news  was  con- 
veyed to  Mansongthat  a  white  man  was  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  coming  to  see  him.  The  king,  who  seems  to  have  been 
alarmed  at  this  intelligence,  immediately  despatched  a  mes- 
senger, who  was  directed  to  inform  the  stranger  that  he  would 
not  be  admitted  into  the  royal  presence  until  the  purport  of  his 


390  MUNGO  PARK. 

mission  were  made  known ;  and  that,  in  the  mean  while,  he 
was  prohibited  from  passing  the  river.  He  was  likewise  told 
that  the  king  desired  him  to  seek  lodgings  in  one  of  the  villa- 
ges in  the  vicini%-  of  the  capital.  As  there  was  no  alternative, 
he  at  once  set  out  for  the  village,  where,  to  his  great  mortifica- 
tion, he  found  that  no  person  would  admit  him  into  his  house. 
'^  I  was  regarded  with  astonis-iment  and  fear,"  he  observes, 
"  and  was  obliged  to  sit  all  day  without  victuals  in  the  shade 
of  a  tree  ;  and  the  night  threatened  to  be  very  uncomfortable, 
for  the  wind  rose,  and  there  was  great  appearance  of  a  heavy 
rain;  and  the  wild  beasts  were  so  very  numerous  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, that  I  should  have  been  under  the  necessity  of 
climbing  up  a  tree,  and  resting  among  the  branches.  About 
sunset,  however,  as  I  was  preparing  to  pass  the  night  in  this 
manner,  and  had  turned  my  horse  loose  that  he  might  graze 
at  liberty,  a  woman  returning  from  the  labours  of  the  field 
stopped  to  observe  me,  and,  perceiving  that  I  was  weary  and 
dejected,  inquired  into  my  situation,  which  I  briefly  explained 
to  her;  whereupon,  with  looks  of  great  compassion,  she  took 
up  my  saddle  and  bridle,  and  told  me  to  follow  her.  Having 
conducted  me  into  her  hut,  she  hghted  up  a  lamp,  spread  a 
mat  upon  the  floor,  and  told  me  I  might  remain  there  for  the 
night.  Finding  that  I  was  very  hungry,  she  said  she  would 
procure  me  something  to  eat ;  she  accordingly  went  out,  and 
returned  in  a  short  time  with  a  very  fine  fish,  which,  having 
caused  to  be  half-broiled  upon  some  embers,  she  gave  me  for 
supper.  The  rites  of  hospitality  being  thus  performed  towards 
a  stranger  in  distress,  my  worthy  benefactress,  pointing  to  the 
mat,  and  telling  me  I  might  sleep  there  without  apprehension, 
called  to  the  female  part  of  her  family,  who  had  stood  gazing 
on  me  all  the  while  in  fixed  astonishment,  to  resume  their  task 
of  spinning  cotton,  in  which  they  continued  to  employ  them- 
selves great  part  of  the  night.  They  lightened  their  labour  by 
songs,  one  of  which  was  composed  extempore,  for  I  was  my- 
self the  subject  of  it :  it  was  sung  by  one  of  the  young  women, 
the  rest  joining  in  a  sort  of  chorus.  The  air  was  sweet  and 
plaintive,  and  the  words  literally  translated  were  these: — 'The 
winds  roared,  and  the  rains  fell ;  the  poor  white  man,  faint  and 
weary,  came  and  sat  under  our  tree ;  he  has  no  mother  to 
bring  him  milk,  no  wife  to  grind  his  corn.'  Chorus: — 'Let 
us  pity  the  white  man,  no  mother  has  he,'  &.c.  Trifling  as 
this  recital  may  appear  to  the  reader,  to  a  person  in  my  situa- 
tion the  circumstance  was  affecting  in  the  highest  degree.  I 
was  oppressed  by  such  unexpected  kindness  that  sleep  fled 
my  eyes.     In  the  morning  I  presented  my  compassionate  land- 


MUNGO   PARK. 

iady  with  two  of  the  four  brass  buttons  which  remained  on  my 
waistcoat,  the  only  recompense  I  could  make  her." 

Although  Mansong  refused  to  admit  our  traveller  into  his 
presence,  and  seemed  at  first  to  neglect  him,  it  soon  appeared 
that  his  conduct  did  not  arise  from  any  churlish  or  inhospitable 
feehngs  ;  for  while  he  persisted  in  his  refusal  to  see  him,  and 
signified  his  pleasure  that  he  should  forthwith  depart  from  the 
city,  he  sent  him  a  present  of  five  thousand  cowries  and  a 
guide  to  Sansanding.  Park  immediately  obeyed  the  royal 
command,  and  learned  from  the  conversation  of  his  guide  on 
the  way,  that  the  king's  motives  for  thus  dismissing  him  with- 
out an  audience  were  at  once  prudent  and  liberal,  since  he 
feared  that  by  the  least  show  of  favour  he  should  excite  the 
jealousy  and  envy  of  the  Moorish  inhabitants,  from  whose  in- 
veterate malice  he  might  be  unable  to  protect  him. 

With  this  guide  he  proceeded  to  Sansanding,  where  he  was 
hospitably  received  by  the  doot^,  and  would,  as  the  king's 
stranger,  have  enjoyed  much  quiet  and  consideration,  had  he 
not  had  the  misfortune  to  meet  with  some  of  his  old  enemies 
the  Moors,  who  insisted  on  accompaiiying  him  to  the  mosque, 
and  converting  him  into  a  Mohammedan  at  once.  However, 
the  dooty,  by  exerting  his  authority,  freed  him  from  these 
fanatics,  and  ordered  a  sheep  to  be  killed,  and  part  of  it  to  be 
dressed  for  his  supper.  "  About  midnight,  when  the  Moors 
had  left  me,"  says  Park,  "he  paid  me  a  visit,  and  with  much 
earnestness  desired  me  to  write  him  a  saphie.  '  If  a  Moor's 
saphie  is  good,'  said  this  hospitable  old  man,  '  a  white  man's 
must  needs  be  better.'  I  readily  furnished  him  with  one  pos- 
sessed of  all  the  virtues  I  could  concentrate,  for  it  contained 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  pen  with  which  it  was  written  was 
made  of  a  reed,  a  little  charcoal  and  gum-water  made  very 
tolerable  ink,  and  a  thin  board  answered  the  purpose  of 
paper." 

From  Sansanding  he  departed  early  in  the  morning,  before 
the  Moors  were  stirring.  The  road  now  lay  through  the 
woods,  and  the  guide,  who  understood  the  dangers  of  the  way, 
moved  forward  with  the  greatest  circumspection,  frequently 
stopping  and  looking  under  the  bushes.  Upon  observing  this, 
Park  inquired  the  reason,  and  was  told  that  lions  were  very 
plenty  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  very  often  attacked 
travellers  in  the  woods.  While  they  were  conversing  on  this 
subject.  Park  discovered  a  camelopard  at  a  little  distance, 
the  fore-legs  of  which,  from  a  hasty  glance,  appeared  much 
longer  than  the  hinder.  "  Shortly  after  this,"  says  he,  "  as 
we  were  crossing  a  large  open  plain  where  there  were  a  few 
scattered  bushes,  my  guide,  who  was  a  Uttle  way  before  me, 


393  MUNGO    PARK. 

wheeled  his  horse  round  in  a  moment,  calling  out  something 
in  theFouluh  language  which  I  did  not  understand.  I  inquired 
in  Mandingo  what  he  meant.  ^Wara  bili  bilV  (a  very  large 
lion) !  said  he,  and  made  signs  for  me  to  ride  away.  But  my 
horse  was  too  much  fatigued ;  so  we  rode  slowly  past  the  bush 
from  which  the  animal  had  given  us  the  alarm.  Not  seeing  any 
thing  myself,  however,  I  thought  my  guide  had  been  mistaken, 
when  the  Foulah  suddenly  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  exclaim- 
ing,'  Souhah  an  allulii'  (God  preserve  us)!  and  to  my  great 
surprise,  I  then  perceived  a  large  red  lion  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  bush,  with  his  head  couched  between  his  fore-paws. 
I  expected  he  would  instantly  spring  upon  me,  and  instinctive- 
ly pulled  my  feet  from  my  stirrups  to  throw  myself  on  the 
ground,  that  my  horse  might  become  the  victim  rather  than 
myself.  But  it  is  probable  that  the  lion  was  not  hungry  ;  for 
he  quietly  suffered  us  to  pass  though  we  were  fairly  within  his 
reach." 

About  sunset  they  arrived  at  Moodiboo, "  a  delightful  village 
on  the  banks  of  the  Niger,  commanding  a  view  of  the  river  for 
many  miles,  both  to  the  east  and  west.  The  small  green 
islands,  the  peaceful  retreat  of  some  industrious  Foulahs, 
whose  cattle  were  here  secure  from  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts, 
and  the  majestic  breadth  of  the  river,  which  is  here  much 
larger  than  at  Sego,  render  the  situation  one  of  the  most  en- 
chanting in  the  world."  Park  was  now  so  worn  out  with  fa- 
tigue and  suffering,  that  his  landlord,  fearing  he  might  die  in 
his  house,  hurried  him  away,  though  he  was  scarcely  able  to 
walk,  and  his  horse  still  less  able  to  carry  him.  In  fact,  they 
had  not  proceeded  far  before  the  poor  beast  fell  down,  and 
could  no  more  be  made  to  rise  ;  so  that,  taking  off  his  saddle 
and  bridle,  our  traveller  with  extreme  reluctance  abandoned 
him  to  his  fate,  and  began  to  toil  along  on  foot  after  his  guide. 
In  this  way  they  reached  Rea,  a  small  fishing  village  on  the 
Niger,  where  Park  embarked  in  a  fisherman's  canoe  which 
was  going  down  the  stream,  while  the  guide  returned  to  Sego. 

In  this  canoe  our  traveller  reached  Moorzan,  whence  he  was 
conveyed  across  the  river  to  Silla,  a  large  town  on  the  opposite 
shore.  It  was  with  great  difficulty -that  he  here  obtained  ad- 
mission into  the  strangers'  room  of  the  dooty's  house,  a  damp, 
uncomfortable  place,  where  he  had  a  severe  paroxysm  of  fever 
during  the  night.  Here  his  resolution  and  energy,  of  which 
no  traveller  ever  possessed  a  larger  share,  began  at  length  to 
fail.  No  hope  of  success  remained.  He  therefore,  with  ex- 
treme sorrow  and  anguish  of  mind,  determined  on  returning 
whence  he  had  come  ;  but  let  me  lay  before  the  reader  his 
own  simple  and  manly  account  of  the  matter,  which  cannot 


MUxVGO    PARK.  393 

fail  to  impress  even  the  most  insensible  with  veneration  for  a 
degree  of  courage  and  intrepidity  amounting  to  heroism. 
"  Worn  down  by  sickness,  exhausted  by  hunger  and  fatigue, 
half-naked,  and  without  any  article  of  value  by  which  I  might 
procure  provisions,  clothes,  or  lodging,  I  began,"  says  Park, 
"to  reflect  seriously  on  my  situation.  I  was  now  convinced 
by  painful  experience  that  the  obstacles  to  my  further  progress 
were  insurmountable.  The  tropical  rains  had  already  set  in 
with  all  their  violence ;  the  rice-grounds  and  swamps  were 
already  overflowed;  and  in  a  few  days  more,  travelling  of  every 
kind  except  by  water  would  be  completely  obstructed.  The 
cowries  which  remained  of  the  King  of  Bambarra's  present 
were  not  sufficient  to  hire  a  canoe  for  any  great  distance  ;  and 
I  had  but  little  hopes  of  subsisting  by  charity  in  a  country 
where  the  Moors  have  such  influence.  But,  above  all,  I  per- 
ceived I  was  advancing  more  and  more  within  the  power  of 
those  merciless  fanatics  ;  and  from  my  reception  both  at  Sego 
and  Sansanding,  I  was  apprehensive  that,  in  attempting  to 
reach  even  Jeune,  (unless  under  the  protection  of  some  man 
of  consequence  among  them,  which  I  had  no  means  of  obtain- 
ing,) I  should  sacrifice  my  life  to  no  purpose  ;  for  my  discove- 
ries would  perish  with  me.  The  prospect  either  way  was 
gloomy.  In  returning  to  the  Gambia,  a  journey  on  foot  of 
many  hundred  miles  presented  itself  to  my  contemplation, 
through  regions  and  countries  unknown.  Nevertheless,  this 
seemed  to  be  the  only  alternative ;  for  I  saw  inevitable  destruc- 
tion in  attempting  to  proceed  to  the  eastward.  With  this  con- 
viction on  my  mind,  I  hope  my  readers  will  acknowledge  I 
did  right  in  going  no  farther.  I  had  made  every  exertion  to 
execute  my  mission  in  its  fullest  extent  which  prudence  could 
justify.  Had  there  been  the  most  distant  prospect  of  a 
successful  termination,  neither  the  unavoidable  hardships  of 
the  journey  nor  the  dangers  of  a  second  captivity  should  have 
forced  me  to  desist.  This,  however,  necessity  compelled  me 
to  do." 

When  he  had  come  to  this  resolution,  he  thought  it  incum- 
bent upon  him  before  he  left  Silla  to  collect  whatever  informa- 
tion might  be  within  his  reach  respecting  the  further  course  of 
the  Niger,  and  the  situation  and  extent  of  the  various  king- 
doms in  its  vicinity.  Subsequent  travellers  have  solved  the 
problem,  the  honour  of  explaining  which  was  denied  to  Park. 
We  now  know  that  this  great  river,  after  having  flowed  to  a 
considerable  distance  eastward  of  Timbuctoo,  makes  a  bend 
or  elbow  like  the  Burrampooter,  and  after  pursuing  a  south- 
westerly course,  falls  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  coast  of 
Benin. 

34 


394'  MUNGO    PARK. 

On  the  30th  of  July  our  traveller  commenced  his  return 
westward,  by  the  same  route  through  which  he   had  reached 
Silla.     In  a  few  days  he  recovered  his  horse,  which  had  in 
some  measure  regained  its  strength,  though  it  was   still  too 
weak  to  be  ridden.     The  rainy  season  having  now  set  in,  the 
whole  of  the  plain  country  was   quickly  inundated  ;  so  that 
our  traveller  was  often  in  danger  of  losing  his  way  while  tra- 
versing savannahs  many  miles  in  extent,  knee-deep  in  water. 
In  several  places  he  waded  breast-deep  across  the   swamps, 
the  huts  of  the  villages  in  which  he   passed  the  night,  being 
undermined  or  softened  by  the  rain,  often  fell  in  ;  and  the 
noise  of  their  fall  sometimes  kept  him   awake,  expecting  that 
his  own  might  be  the  next.     His  situation  was  now  even  worse 
than  during  his  progress  eastward.     A  report  had  been  widely 
circulated  that  he  was  a  spy,  in  consequence  of  which  he  was 
in  some  places  civilly  refused   admittance  into  the  towns,  in 
others  repulsed  from  the  gates  with  violence  ;  so  that  he  now 
appeared  inevitably  doomed  to  perish  of  hunger.     However, 
when  the  fatal  hour  seemed  at  hand,  some  charitable  being 
always  appeared  with  a  poor  but  seasonable  supply,  such,  per- 
haps, as  a  little  raw  corn,  which  prolonged  his  life,  and  suppli- 
ed him  with  strength  to  achieve  his  memorable  journey.     "On 
the  evening  of  the  15th  of  August  I  arrived,"  says  Park,  "  at 
a  small  village  called   Song,  the   surly  inhabitants  of  which 
would  not  receive  me,  nor  so  much  as  permit  me  to  enter  the 
gate  ;  but  as  lions  were  very  numerous  in  this  neighbourhood, 
and  I  had  frequently  in  the  course  of  the  day  seen  the  impres- 
sion of  their  feet  upon  the  road,  I  resolved  to  stay  in  the  vicini- 
ty of  the  village.     Having  collected  some  grass  for  my  horse, 
I  accordingly  laid  down  under  a  tree  by  the  gate.     About  ten 
o'clock  I  heard  the  hollow  roar  of  a  lion  at  no  great  distance, 
and  attempted  to  open  the  gate ;  but  the   people  from  within 
told  me  that  no  person  must  attempt  to  enter  the  gate  without 
the  dooty's  permission.     I  begged  them  to  inform  the  dooty 
that  a  lion  was  approaching  the  village,  and  I  hoped  he  would 
allow  me  to  come  within  the  gate.     I  waited  for  an  answer  to 
this  message  with  great  anxiety ;  for  the  lion  kept  prowling 
round  the  village,  and  once  advanced  so  very  hear  me  that  I 
heard  him  rustling  among  the  grass,  and  climbed  the  tree  for 
safety.     About  midnight  the   dooty  with  some  of  his  people 
opened  the  gate  and  desired  me  to  come  in.     They  were  con- 
vinced, they  said,  I  was  not  a  Moor  ;  for  no  Moor  ever  waited 
any  time  at  the  gate  of  a  village  without  cursing  the  inhabi- 
tants." 

The  history  of  this  journey  now  becomes  nothing  more  than 
a  repetition  of  similar  sufferings.     Hunger,  fatigue,  and  de- 


MUNGO   PARK. 


pression  of  spirits  attack  the  traveller  by  turns.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, subdues  his  courage.  Obstacle  after  obstacle  yields  to 
bis  persevering  intrepidity,  and  he  pushes  forward  with  invin- 
cible ardour  towards  the  coast.  In  one  place,  at  the  request 
of  a  native  who  had  grown  opulent  by  industrious  application 
to  commerce,  he  wrote  charms  for  a  good  supper ;  and,  find- 
ing the  contrivance  productive,  continued  the  practice  next 
day  for  small  presents  of  various  kinds.  On  other  occasions, 
where  superstition  did  not  come  to  his  aid,  humanity  inter- 
posed, and  snatched  him  from  starvation.  At  Bammakoo  he 
was  hospitably  treated,  even  by  a  Moor,  who,  having  travelled 
to  Rio  Grande,  had  conversed  with  Christians,  and  conceived 
a  favourable  idea  of  their  character.  The  rains  had  now  in- 
creased the  Niger  to  a  vast  size,  and  rendered  impassable 
almost  every  road  ;  but  as  our  traveller's  finances  had  long 
been  exhausted,  he  found  himself  compelled  to  proceed,  the 
charity  of  the  natives  not  extending  so  far  as  to  the  maintain- 
ing of  a  stranger  for  several  months.  The  ordinary  roads 
being  obstructed  by  the  rains,  the  only  practicable  route,  wild, 
dreary,  and  desolate,  lay  over  steril  rocky  mountains,  over 
which,  it  was  feared,  a  horse  could  not  pass. 

Finding  that  a  singing-man  was  about  to  proceed  by  this 
road  to  Sibidooloo,  Park  placed  himself  under  his  guidance, 
and  quitted  Bammakoo.  He  had  not  proceeded  far,  however, 
before  his  companion,  finding  that  he  had  taken  the  wrong  path, 
escaped  among  the  rocks,  and  left  him  to  find  his  way  how  he 
might.  He  soon  arrived  at  a  village,  where  he  was  entertain- 
ed with  hospitality,  and  where  he  passed  the  night.  Next  day, 
as  he  was  quietly  pursuing  his  course,  a  troop  of  peasants  pre- 
sented themselves,  whom  he  at  first  took  for  elephant-hunters, 
but  who  very  shortly  proved  themselves  to  be  banditti.  Pre- 
tending to  arrest  him  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  the  Foulahs, 
they  commanded  him  to  follow  them,  until,  having  reached  a 
dark  lonely  part  of  a  wood,  one  of  them  exdaimed  in  the 
Mandingo  language,  "  This  place  will  do!"  and  immediately 
snatched  his  hat  from  his  head.  "  Though  I  was  by  no  means 
free  from  apprehension,"  says  Park,  "yet  I  was  resolved  to 
show  as  few  signs  of  fear  as  possible  ;  and  therefore  told  them, 
that  unless  my  hat  was  returned  to  me  I  should  proceed  no 
farther.  But  before  I  had  time  to  receive  an  answer,  another 
drew  a  knife,  and,  seizing  upon  a  metal  button  which  remain- 
ed upon  my  waistcoat,  cut  it  off",  and  put  it  into  his  pocket. 
Their  intentions  were  now  obvious;  and  I  thought  that  the 
easier  they  were  permitted  to  rob  me  of  every  thing,  the  less  I 
had  to  fear.  I  therefore  allowed  them  to  search  my  pockets 
without  resistance,  and  examine  every  part  of  my  apparel. 


396 


MUNGO    PARK. 


which  they  did  with  the  most  scrupulous  exactness.  But,  ob- 
serving that  I  had  one  waistcoat  under  another,  they  insisted 
that  I  should  cast  them  both  off;  and  at  last,  to  make  sure 
work,  stripped  me  quite  naked.  Even  my  half-boots,  though 
the  sole  of  one  of  them  was  tied  on  to  my  foot  with  a  broken 
bridle-rein,  were  minutely  inspected.  While  they  were  ex- 
amining the  plunder,  I  begged  them  with  great  earnestness  to 
return  my  .pocket-compass  ;  but  when  I  pointed  it  out  to  tliem, 
as  it  was  lying  on  the  ground,  one  of  the  banditti,  tliinking  I 
was  about  to  take  it  up,  cocked  his  musket,  and  swore  he  would 
lay  me  dead  upon  the  spot  if  I  presumed  to  put  my  hand  upon 
it.  And  after  this,  some  of  them  went  away  with  my  horse, 
and  the  remainder  stood  considering  whether  they  should  leave 
me  quite  naked,  or  allow  me  something  to  shelter  me  from  the 
sun.  Humanity  at  last  prevailed ;  they  returned  me  the  worst 
of  the  two  shirts  and  a  pair  of  trowsers;  and,  as  they  went 
away,  one  of  them  threw  back  my  hat,  in  the  crown  of  which 
I  kept  my  memorandums;  and  this  was  probably  the  reason 
why  they  did  not  wish  to  keep  it." 

This  was  the  most  terrible  misfortune  that  had  hitherto  be- 
fallen him,  and  at  first,  his  mind  appeared  to  sink  under  the 
united  influence  of  grief  and  terror.  For  a  while  he  sat  in 
sullen  dejection,  half-persuaded  that  he  had  no  alternative  but 
to  lie  down  and  perish.  Presently,  however,  thoughts  of  reli- 
gion, and  a  reliance  upon  Providence,  succeeding  this  extreme 
dejection,  his  mind  gradually  regained  its  fervent  tone: — • 

"I  was,  indeed,  a  stranger,"  he  thought,  "in  a  strange  land; 
yet  I  was  still  under  the  protecting  eye  of  that  Providence,  who 
has  condescended  to  call  himself  the  stranger's  friend.  At 
this  moment,  painful  as  my  reflections  were,  the  ex  raordinary 
beauty  of  a  small  moss  in  fructification,  irresistibly  caught  my 
eye.  I  mention  this  to  show  from  what  trifling  circumstances 
the  mind  will  sometimes  derive  consolation  ;  for  though  the 
whole  plant  was  not  larger  than  the  top  of  one  of  my  lingers, 
I  could  not  contemplate  the  delicate  conformation  of  its  roots, 
leaves,  and  capsula  without  admiration.  Can  that  Being 
(thought  I)  who  planted,  watered,  and  brought  to  perfection,  in 
this  obscure  part  of  the  world,  a  thing  which  appenrs  of  so 
small  importance,  look  with  unconcern  upon  tlio  situation  and 
sufferinjTs  of  creatures  formed  after  his  own  image  ?  ^urely 
not !  Reflections  like  these  would  not  allow  me  to  despair  ; 
I  started  up,  and,  disregarding  both  danger  and  fatiirue,  tra- 
velled forwards,  assured  that  relief  was  at  hand;  and  I  was 
not  disappointed." 

On  arriving  at  Sibidooloo,  Park  related  to  the  mansa,  or 
chief  of  the  town,  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen  him. 


MUNGO    PARK.  B&f 

This  humane  and  excellent  man,  having  heard  him  patiently 
to  an  end,  took  the  pipe  from  his  mouth,  and  tossing  up  the 
sleeve  of  his  coat  with  an  indignant  air,  "Sit  down,"  said  he, 
"you  shall  have  every  thing  restored  to  you ;  I  have  sworn  it." 
He  then  took  the^  necessary  measures  for  the  recovery  of  the 
traveller's  property,  and  invited  him  to  partake  of  his  hospita- 
ble fare  until  this  should  have  been  effected.  After  spending  a 
few  days  at  this  place,  without  hearing  any  news  of  his  horse 
or  other  property,  our  traveller  removed  to  a  distant  village, 
where  he  remained  until  the  whole  was  discovered  and  restor- 
ed to  him^  with  the  exception  of  his  pocket  compass,  which 
had  been  broken  to  pieces.  Having  nothing  else  to  bestow 
upon  his  hospitable  landlords,  he  gave  his  horse  to  one,  and  his 
saddle  and  bridle  to  the  other  :  and  then  taking  his  leave,  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  Ramaha.  At  this  town,  romantically  situa- 
ted at  the  foot  of  a  lofty  mountain,  he  found  a  slave-merchant, 
who,  intending  to  descend  to  the  coast  with  a  small  caravan 
in  the  beginning  of  the  dry  season,  offered  our  traveller  an 
asylum  until  he  should  set  out.  Conceiving  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  proceed  during  the  rains.  Park  accepted  his  kind 
proposal,  and  promised  in  return  to  give  him  the  price  of  a 
slave  upon  their  arrival  on  the  coast.  Here  a  fever,  which  had 
for  some  time  menaced  him,  manifested  itself  with  great  vio- 
lence, and  continued  to  torment  him  during  the  whole  season 
of  the  rains.  His  landlord,  meanwhile,  exerted  himself  to 
keep  up  his  hopes,  and  having  by  some  means  or  another  ob- 
tained possession  of  an  English  Common  Prayer  Book,  he 
communicated  the  use  of  it  to  Park,  who  was  thus  enabled  to 
beguile  the  gloomy  hours  of  his  solitude  and  sickness.  At 
length  the  rains  became  less  frequent,  and  the  fever  abated,  so 
that  he  could  move  out  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  in  the  fields. 

On  the  19ih  of  April,  Karfa,  the  slave-merchant,  having 
collected  his  slaves,  and  completed  all  necessary  preparations, 
set  out  towards  the  coast,  taking  our  traveller,  to  whom  his  be- 
haviour had  always  been  marked  by  the  greatest  kindness, 
along  with  him.  He  no  longer  encountered  those  difficulties 
and  vicissitudes  which  had  rendered  the  former  part  of  his 
journey  so  full  of  interest  and  adventure.  In  traversing  the 
high  countries  of  Manding,  Konkodoo,  and  Dindikoo,  the 
chief  object  which  attracted  his  attention  was  the  mode  of  ex- 
tracting gold.  This  precious  metal  did  not  occur  in  the  form 
of  ore,  or  in  large  masses,  but  its  grains  were  mingled  with  a 
species  of  dust  or  sand.  This  golden  earth  appears  to  be 
chiefly  washed  down  by  torrents  from  the  neighbouring  chain 
of  mountains;  but  it  is  collected  with  most  advantage  after 
the  ground  is  dry  and  the  harvest  removed.  Being  indicated 
34* 


393  MUN'GO  PARK. 

by  its  reddish  tinge,  it  is  put  into  large  baskets  called  calabash- 
es, and  agitated  with  a  rotatory  motion,  so  that  at  every  turn  a 
portion  of  light  sand  mixed  with  water  flies  over  the  brim. 
The  weightier  parts  then  remaining  are  mixed  with  pure 
water,  stirred  and  carefully  examined ;  and  it  is  considered 
satisfactory  if  three  or  four  grains  are  found  in  the  whole  bask- 
et. The  dust  is  preserved  in  quills  which  are  often  stuck  in 
the  hair  as  ornaments.  Their  road  led  them  across  a  vast  wil- 
derness, where  the  sufferings  of  every  member  of  the  caravan, 
and  more  particularly  of  the  slaves,  were  most  exquisite ;  but 
affliction  was  far  from  having  taught  them  commiseration,  for 
a  fine  young  female  slave,  fainting  from  fatigue,  had  no  soon- 
er signified  her  inability  to  go  on,  than  the  universal  cry  of  the 
caravan  was,  "cut  her  throat,  cut  her  throat."  By  the  inter- 
position of  Karfa  her  life  was  spared,  but  she  was  abandoned 
on  the  road,  where  she  was  no  doubt  soon  devoured  by  wild 
beasts.  At  length,  after  a  long,  toilsome  journey,  Karfa  suc- 
ceeded in  fulfilling  his  promise,  and  conducted  our  traveller 
safe  to  Pisania,  where  the  good  old  man  was  overwhelmed 
with  the  gratitude  of  his  guest.  Park  now  took  his  passage 
in  an  American  vessel,  and  on  arriving  in  the  West  Indies, 
quitted  this  ship  for  a  packet  bound  for  Falmouth,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  22d  of  December,  1797,  after  an  absence  of  two 
years  and  seven  months. 

Immediately  on  his  landing  he  hastened  to  London,  where 
he  arrived  before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  Christmas-day. 
It  being  too  early  an  hour  to  call  on  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Dickson,  he  strolled  about  for  some  time  in  the  neighbouring 
streets.  At  length,  finding  one  of  the  entrances  into  the  gar- 
dens of  the  British  Museum  accidentally  open,  he  went  in  and 
walked  about  there  for  some. time.  It  happened  that  Mr. 
Dickson,  who  had  the  care  of  those  gardens,  went  there  early 
that  morning  on  some  trifling  business.  What  must  have 
been  his  emotions  on  beholding,  at  that  extraordinary  time 
and  place,  the  vision,  as  it  must  at  first  have  appeared,  of  his 
long  lost  friend,  the  object  of  so  many  anxious  reflections,  and 
whom  he  had  long  numbered  with  the  dead. 

He  was  now  received  with  distinguished  honour  by  the  Afri- 
can Association,  and  the  various  literary  men  whom  he  met 
with  in  London.  In  the  mean  time  his  travels,  which  the  As- 
sociation permitted  him  to  publish  on  his  own  account,  were 
announced  ;  and  both  during  his  stay  in  London,  and  the 
visit  which  he  paid  to  his  friends  in  Scotland,  all  his  leisure 
hours  were  devoted  to  the  compiling  and  arranging  of  the  ma- 
terials for  the  work.  It  appeared  in  the  spring  of  1799,  and 
iiagimediately  acquired  that  degree  of  popularity  which  it  has 


MUNGO  PARK.  399 

ever  since  maintained.  In  the  composition  of  his  travels, 
however,  he  was  assisted  by  Bryan  Edwards,  author  of  a 
"History  of  the  West  Indies,"  an  advocate  of  the  slave-trade, 
in  deference  to  whom  Park  is  said  to  have  suppressed  his  own 
opinions,  which  had  a  contrary  tendency.  The  apology  oiFer-^ 
ed  for  this  mean  compliance  is,  thaf  Bryan  IMwards,  being 
secretary  to  the  African  Association,  had  it  in  his  power  great- 
ly to  influence  the  future  fortunes  of  our  traveller.  I  should 
prefer  supposing  that  his  arguments  produced  a  temporary 
conviction  upon  Park's  mind,  unless  some  more  convincing 
proof  than  has  yet  been  brought  forward  could  be  adduced  to 
substantiate  the  accusation  of  so  remarkable  a  deficiency  of 
moral  courage  in  a  man  in  whom,  on  all  other  occasions, 
courage  seemed  to  be  the  prevailing  virtue. 

However  this  may  be.  Park  again  returned  to  Scotland  soon 
after  the  publication  of  his  travels,  where,  on  the  2d  of  August, 
1799,  he  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  Mr.  Anderson,  of 
Selkirk,  with  whom  he  had  served  his  apprenticeship.  He 
now  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his  ambitious  feelings,  and  for 
more  than  two  years  resided  on  the  farm  at  Fowlshiels,  with 
his  mother  and  one  of  his  brothers.  He  then  removed  to  the 
town  of  Peebles,  where  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  seems,  in  a  short  time,  to  have  acquired  a  good  share 
of  the  business  of  the  place.  But  it  will  easily  be  imagined 
that  the  quiet  obscure  life  of  a  country  surgeon  could  possess 
no  charms  for  an  ardent  ambitious  mind  like  Park's.  He 
longed  to  be  performing  upon  some  more  stirring  scene.  In 
this  dreary  solitude,  therefore,  where  the  indulgence  of  day- 
dreams would  appear  to  have  been  his  principal  amusement, 
scheme  after  scheme  seems  to  have  presented  itself  to  his 
mind,  each  giving  way  in  its  turn  to  another  equally  impracti- 
cable. At  length  he  received,  througli  the  medium  of  Sir  Jo- 
seph Banks,  intelligence  that  the  African  Association  were 
once  more  about  to  send  a  mission  into  the  interior  of  Africa, 
for  the  purpose  of  penetrating  to  and  navigating  the  Niger ; 
and  that,  in  case  government  should  enter  into  the  plan,  he 
himself  would  certainly  be  recommended  as  the  person  proper 
to  be  employed  for  carrying  it  into  execution. 

Dilatoriness  is  too  frequently  the  characteristic  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  great  public  bodies.  The  first  idea  of  this  new 
mission  was  conceived  in  1801,  but  it  was  not  until  tlie  begin- 
ning of  1805  that  the  expedition  was  ultimately  determined 
on,  when  Park  received  from  Lord  Camden  his  appointment 
as  its  chief  conductor.  "For  the  better  enabling  you  to  exe- 
cute this  service,"  says  his  lordship,  "  his  majesty  has  granted 
you  the  brevet  commission  of  captain  in  Africa,  and  has  also 


400  MUNGO  PARK. 

granted  a  similar  commission  of  lieutenant  to  Mr.  Alexander 
Anderson,  whom  you  have  recommended  as  a  proper  person 
to  accompany  you.  Mr.  Scott  has  also  been  selected  to  attend 
you  as  drau^iitsman.  You  are  hereby  empowered  to  enlist 
with  you  lor  this  expedition  any  number  you  think  proper  of 
the  garrison  at  Goree,  not'exceeding  forty-tive,  which  the  com- 
mandant of  that  island  will  be  ordered  to  place  under  your 
command,  giving  tiiom  sucii  bounties  or  encouragement  as 
may  be  necessary  to  induce  them  cheerfully  to  join  with  you  in 
the  expedition." 

Five  thousand  pounds  were  at  the  same  time  placed  at 
Park's  disposal,  and  further  directions  given  him  respecting 
the  course  and  line  of  conduct  he  was  expected  to  pursue. 
With  these  instructions  Park  and  his  companions  proceeded 
to  Portsmouth,  where  they  were  joined  by  four  or  five  artificers, 
appointed  for  the  service  from  the  dock-yards.  They  sailed 
on  the  30th  of  January,  and  on  the  28th  of  April  arrived  at 
Pisania.  Here  they  made  preparations  for  entering  the  in- 
terior. The  party  consisted  of  forty  men,  two  lieutenants,  a 
draughtsman,  a  guide,  and  Park  himself.  Their  provisions 
and  merchandise  were  carried  by  asses,  and  they  had  horses 
for  themselves.  Thus  appointed,  they  left  Pisania  on  the  4th 
of  May.  It  was  very  quickly  discove/ed,  however,  that  their 
asses  were  unequal  to  the  task  imposed  upon  them;  some  lay 
down,  others  kicked  oft' their  burdens,  and  it  became  necessa- 
ry to  increase  the  number  of  these  vicious  animals. 

At  Bady,  a  town  in  the  interior  frontier  of  Woolh,  they  were 
led  into  a  quarrel  with  the  farauba,  or  chief  of  the  town,  re- 
specting the  amount  of  duties  to  be  paid  by  their  caravan,  in 
which,  though  the  conduct  of  the  African  was  rude  and  per- 
emptory, the  travellers  were  clearly  in  the  wrong.  A  few  days 
after  this  affiiir  the  caravan  had  an  adventure  with  a  new  spe- 
cies of  enemy.  On  the  24th  of  May  they  reached  a  place 
which  they  denominated  Bee's  Creek,  where  they  halted  with 
the  intention  of  encamping  there.  "  We  had  no  sooner  un- 
loaded the  asses  at  the  creek,"  says  Park,  "than  some  of 
Isaaco's  people,  being  in  search  of  honey,  unfortunately  dis- 
turbed a  large  swarm  of  bees  near  where  the  cofile  had  halted. 
The  bees  came  out  in  immense  numbers,  and  attacked  men 
and  beasts  at  the  same  time.  Luckily,  most  of  the  asses  were 
loose,  and  galloped  up  the  valley  ;  but  the  horses  and  people 
were  very  much  stung,  and  obliged  to  scamper  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  fire  which  had  been  kindled  for  cooking,  having 
been  deserted,  spread  and  set  fire  to  the  bamboos ;  and  our 
baggage  had  like  to  have  been  burnt.  In  fact,  for  half  an 
hour  the  bees  seemed  to  have  put  an  end  to  our  journey. 


MUNGO  PARK.  401 

"  In  the  evening,  when  the  bees  became  less  troublesome, 
and  we  could  venture  to  collect  our  cattle,  we  found  that  many 
of  them  were  very  much  stung  and  swelled  about  the  head. 
Three  asses  were  missing  ;  one  died  in  the  evening  and  one 
next  morning,  and  we  were  compelled  to  leave  one  at  Sibikil- 
hn;  in  all  six:  besides  which,  our  guide  lost  his  horse,  and 
many  of  the  people  were  very  much  stung  about  the  face  and 
hands." 

About  the  middle  of  June  the  rains  began  to  set  in,  accom- 
panied by  violent  tornadoes.  The  earth  was  quickly  covered 
with  water.  The  soldiers  were  affected  with  vomiting,  or  with 
an  irresistible  inclination  to  sleep.  Our  traveller  himself  was 
affected  in  a  similar  manner  during  the  storm,  and,  notwith- 
standing that  he  used  every  exertion  to  keep  away  heaviness, 
at  length  fell  asleep  on  the  damp  ground.  The  soldiers  did 
the  same  thing.  In  the  morning  twelve  of  them  were  sick. 
In  this  vicinity  he  saw  many  pits,  from  which  gold  was  obtain- 
ed in  large  quantities  by  Washing.  As  the  caravan  proceeded^ 
many  of  the  soldiers  growing  delirious,  or  too  weak  to  con- 
tinue the  march,  were  left  behind  to  the  care  of  the  natives  ; 
while  others  died  on  the  road,  or  were  drowned  in  the  rivers. 
Some,  still  more  unfortunate  if  possible,  were  lost  in  the  woods, 
where  they  were  no  doubt  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  Mean- 
while the  natives,  who  imagined  that  the  caravan  contained 
prodigious  wealth,  hung  upon  their  march,  plundered  them  at 
every  turn,  and  as  often  as  they  appeared  too  weak  to  resist, 
endeavoured  to  extort  presents  from  them. 

The  condition  of  the  men  now  became  desperate.  Day 
after  day  some  poor  wretch  was  abandoned  to  his  fate,  some 
in  one  way,  some  in  another.  I  give  one  example  which  may 
serve  for  tlie  whole.  "Three  miles  east  of  the  village  of 
Koombandi,"  says  Park,"  "William  Alston,  one  of  the  seamen 
whom  I  received  from  his  majesty's  ship  Squirrel,  became  so 
faint  that  he  fell  from  his  ass,  and  allowed  the  ass  to  run  away. 
Set  him  on  my  horse,  but  found  he  could  not  sit  without  hold- 
ing him.  Replaced  him  on  the  ass,  but  he  still  tumbled  off. 
Put  him  again  on  the  horse,  and  made  one  man  hold  him  up- 
right while  I  led  the  horse ;  but,  as  he  made  no  exertion  ta 
hold  himself  erect,  it  was  impossible  to  keep  him  on  the  horse, 
and  after  repeated  tumbles  he  begged  to  be  left  in  the  woods 
till  morning.  I  left  a  loaded  pistol  with  him,  and  put  some 
cartridges  into  the  crown  of  his  hat." 

In  crossing  the  Wondu  the  caravan  was  nearly  deprived  of 
its  guide  in  the  following  manner  :  "Our  guide,  Isaaco,  was 
very  active  in  pushing  the  asses  into  the  water,  and  shoving 
along  the  canoe ;  but  as  he  was  afraid  that  we  could  not  have 


402  BIUNGO  PARK. 

them  all  carried  over  in  the  course  of  the  day,  he  attempted  to 
drive  six  of  the  asses  across  the  river  farther  down,  where  the 
water  was  shallower.  When  he  had  reached  the  middle  of  the 
river,  a  crocodile  rose  close  to  him,  and  instantly  seizing  him 
by  the  left  thigh,  pulled  him  under  water.  With  wonderful 
presence  of  mind  he  felt  the  head  of  the  animal,  and  thrust  his 
finger  into  its  eye,  on  which  it  quitted  its  hold,  and  Isaaco  at- 
tempted to  reach  the  farther  shore,  calling  loudly  for  a  knife. 
But  the  crocodile  returned  and  seized  him  by  the  other  thigh, 
and  again  pulled  him  under  water  ;  he  had  recourse  to  the 
same  expedient,  and  thrust  his  fingers  into  its  eyes  with  such 
violence  that  it  again  quitted  him ;  when  it  arose,  flounced 
about  on  the  surface  of  the  water  as  if  stupid,  and  then  swam 
down  the  middle  of  the  river.  Isaaco  proceeded  to  the  other 
side,  bleeding  very  much." 

This  event  retarded  for  several  days  the  march  of  the  cara- 
van. Besides,  Park  himself  was  attacked  with  fever,  and  their 
provisions,  moreover,  were  now  reduced  to  so  low  an  ebb,  that 
upon  examination  it  was  found  that  no  mo^e  than  rice  for  two 
days  remained  in  their  possession.  This  deficiency  was,  there- 
fore, to  be  immediately  supplied.  Two  persons  were  sent 
away  with  an  ass  to  a  distant  village  for  rice,  and  in  the  mean 
time  our  traveller  devoted  his  attentions  to  the  wounds  of  the 
guide.  The  sailor  who  had  been  abandoned  in  the  woods 
here  rejoined  the  caravan  quite  naked,  having  been  robbed  of 
his  clothes  by  the  natives.  The  audacity  of  these  thieves  was 
extraordinary.  In  ascending  an  eminence  two  miles  from 
Maniakono,  Park  himself  was  robbed  in  a  very  characteristic 
manner: — "As  1  was  holding  my  musket  carelessly  in  my 
hand,  and  looking  round,"  says  he,  "two  of  Numma's  sons 
came  up  to  me ;  one  of  them  requested  me  to  give  him  some 
snuft';  at  this  instant  the  other  (called  Woosaba,)  coming  up 
behind  me,  snatched  the  musket  from  my  hand,  and  ran  off" 
with  it.  I  instantly  sprung  from  the  saddle  and  followed  him 
with  my  sword,  calling  to  Mr.  Anderson  to  ride  back,  and  tell 
some  of  the  people  to  look  after  my  horse.  Mr.  Anderson  got 
within  musket-shot  of  him;  but,  seeing  it  was  Numma's  son, 
had  some  doubts  about  shooting  him,  and  called  to  me  if  he 
should  fire.  Luckily  I  did  not  hear  him,  or  I  might  possibly 
have  recovered  my  musket  at  the  risk  of  a  long  palaver,  and 
perhaps  the  loss  of  half  our  baggage.  The  thief  accordingly 
made  his  escape  among  the  rocks ;  and  when  I  returned  to 
my  horse,  I  found  the  other  of  the  royal  descendants  had  stolen 
my  coat." 

Their  condition  was  now  exceedingl}^distressing.  Not  only 
the  soldiers  and  sailors,  but  Scott  and  Anderson  began  to  lag 


MUNGO  PARK.  40^ 

behind,  being  attacked  by  fever,  the  first  effect  of  which  in 
those  countries  is  to  deprive  tlie  sufferer  of  his  energies. 
Having  remained  for  some  time  by  the  wayside  with  his  dying 
friend,  he  placed  him,  when  his  strength  appeared  for  a  mo- 
ment to  return,  upon  his  horse,  and  pushed  forward  towards 
their  proposed  halting-place,  leading  the  horse  by  the  bridle. 
"We  had  not  proceeded  above  a  mile,"  says  Park,  "before 
we  heard  on  our  left  a  noise  very  much  like  the  barking  of  a 
large  mastiff,  but  ending  in  a  hiss  like  the  fuff*  of  a  cat.  I 
thought  it  must  be  some  large  monkey  ;  and  was  observing  to 
Mr.  Anderson,  'What  a  bouncing  fellow  that  must  be,'  when 
we  heard  another  bark  nearer  to  us,  and  presently  a  third  still 
nearer,  accompanied  with  a  growl.  I  now  suspected  some 
wild  beast  meant  to  attack  us,  but  could  not  conjecture  of 
what  species  it  was  likely  to  be.  We  had  not  proceeded  a 
hundred  yards  farther,  when,  coming  to  an  opening  in  the 
bushes,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  three  lions  coming 
towards  us.  They  were  not  so  red  as  the  lion  I  had  formerly 
seen  in  Bambarra,  but  of  a  dusky  colour,  like  that  of  an  ass. 
They  were  very  large,  and  came  bounding  over  the  long  grass, 
not  one  after  another,  but  all  abreast  of  each  other.  I  was 
afraid,  if  I  allowed  them  to  come  too  near  us,  and  my  piece 
should  miss  fire,  that  we  should  all  be  devoured  by  them.  I 
therefore  let  go  the  bridle,  and  walked  forwards  to  meet  them. 
As  soon  as  they  were  within  a  long  shot  of  me,  I  fired  at  the 
centre  one.  I  do  not  think  I  hit  him  ;  but  they  all  stopped, 
looked  at  each  other,  and  then  bounded  away  a  few  paces, 
when  one  of  them  stopped  and  looked  back  at  me.  I  was  too 
busy  in  loading  my  piece  to  observe  their  motions  as  they  went 
away,  and  was  very  happy  to  see  the  last  of  them  march  slow- 
ly off  among  the  bushes.  We  had  not  proceeded  above  half  a 
mile  farther  when  we  heard  another  bark  and  growl  close  to  us 
among  the  bushes.  This  was,  doubtless,  one  of  the  lions  be- 
fore seen ;  and  I  was  afraid  they  would  follow  us  till  dark, 
when  they  would  have  too  many  opportunities  of  springing  on 
us  unawares.     We  however  heard  no  more  of  them." 

At  length,  from  the  brow  of  a  hill.  Park  had  once  more  the 
satisfaction  of  beholding  the  Niger,  rolling  its  immense  stream 
along  the  plain.  But  he  was  in  no  mood  of  mind  to  triumph 
at  the  sight.  The  majority  of  his  companions  had  fallen  on 
the  way;  of  thirty-four  soldiers  and  four  carpenters  who  left 
the  Gambia,  only  six  soldiers  and  one  carpenter  reached  the 


*  Fuffh  an  expressive  Scotch  word,  applicable  in  its  original  sense  to  the 
explosive  noise  which  a  cat  makes  in  flying  at  a  dog. 


404  MUNGO  PARK. 

Niger.  With  this  miserable  remnant  of  his  original  force  he 
descended  the  hill,  and  pitched  his  tents  near  the  town  of 
Bambakoo.  Here  some  of  the  party  embarked  in  canoes  on 
the  Niger,  while  others  proceeded  by  land  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Sego,  which  they  reached  on  the  19th  of  September. 
Mansonff  was  still  king  of  Bambarra  ;  and  being  highly  grat- 
ified with  their  presents,  not  only  gave  them  permission  to 
build  a  boat  on  the  Niger  at  whatever  town  they  pleased,  but 
engaged  to  protect,  as  far  as  his  power  extended,  the  trade  of 
the  whites  in  the  interior.  Park  selected  Sansanding  as  the 
place  most  ehgible  for  building  the  boat,  and  removed  thither 
as  quickly  as  possible.  Here  immediately  on  his  arrival  he 
opened  a  shop,  exhibitinga  choice  assortment  of  European 
goods,  which  sold  so  well  among  the  natives  that  his  success 
excited  the  envy  ofthe  Jinnic  people,  the  Moors,  and  the  other 
merchants  of  the  place,  who  offered  Mansong  merchandise  to 
a  much  greater  value  than  the  presents  made  him  by  Park,  if 
he  would  either  kill  the  strangers  or  drive  them  out  of  the 
country.  Mansong,  however,  rejected  the  offer.  "  From  the 
8th  to  the  16th  nothing  of  consequence  occurred;  I  found  my 
shop  every  day  more  and  more  crowded  with  customers ;  and 
such  was  my  run  of  business,  that  I  was  sometimes  forced  to 
employ  three  tellers  at  once  to  count  my  cash.  I  turned  one 
market-day  twenty-five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-six 
pieces  of  money  (cowries.") 

Park  now  received  intelhgence  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Scott, 
who  had  been  left  behind  near  Bambakoo.  Mansong  very 
soon  convinced  the  traveller  that  he  understood  the  art  of  re- 
ceiving presents  much  better  than  that  of  returning  them  ;  for 
upon  being  requested  to  furnish  a  canoe  in  which  the  mission, 
now  reduced  to  a  very  small  number,  might  embark  on  the 
Niger,  he  sent  one  after  another  several  half-rotten  barks ;  two 
of  which  Park,  seeing  no  hope  of  getting  better,  was  at  length 
compelled  to  accept,  and  with  these  he  constructed  what  he 
termed  a  schooner.  Shortly  after  this  he  lost  his  friend  An- 
derson, upon  whose  death  "  I  felt  myself,"  says  he,  "as  if  left 
a  second  time  lonely  and  friendless  amid  the  wilds  of  Africa.'* 
Dreary  and  perilous  as  was  his  position,  however,  he  still  de- 
termined to  persevere.  His  companions  were  now  reduced  to 
four,  Lieutenant  Martyn  and  three  soldiers,  one  of  whom  was 
deranged  in  his  mind;  yet  with  this  wretched  remnant  of  a 
detachment  which,  it  must  be  confessed,  had  been  thus  thinned, 
or  rather  annihilated,  by  his  own  ill  management  and  want  of 
foresiglit,  he  purposed  following  the  course  of  the  Niger  to  its 
termination,  whether  that  should  prove  to  be  in  some  great  lake 


MUNGO  PARK.  405 

or  inland  sea,  or,  as  he  rather  believed,  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
And  this  voyage,  says  one  of  his  biographers,  one  of  the  most 
formidable  ever  attempted,  was  to  be  undertaken  in  a  crazy 
and  ill-appointed  vessel,  manned  by  a  few  negroes  and  a  few 
Europeans ! 

On  the  16th  of  November,  having  completed  all  the  neces- 
sary preparations  for  his  voyage,  our  traveller  put  the  finishing 
hand  to  his  journal ;  and  in  the  interval  between  that  and  his 
embarkation,  which  seems  to  have  taken  place  on  the  19th, 
wrote  several  letters  to  England.  These  letters,  together  with 
the  journal,  were  then  delivered  to  his  guide  Isaaco,  by  whom 
they  were  conveyed  to  the  Gambia,  from  whence  they  were 
transmitted  to  England  ;  after  which  nothing  certain  or  au- 
thentic can  be  said  to  have  been  heard  either  of  Park  or  the 
expedition.  In  1806,  however,  vague  accounts  of  the  death  of 
Park  and  his  companions  were  brought  to  the  British  settle- 
ments on  the  coast  by  the  native  traders  from  the  interior ; 
but  several  years  elapsed  without  any  further  intelligence  be- 
ing obtained.  At  length,  in  1810,  Colonel  Maxwell,  governor 
of  Senegal,  despatched  Park's  guide,  Isaaco,  into  the  interior, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  the 
reports  which  prevailed,  and,  should  they  prove  correct,  of 
collecting  information  respecting  the  place  and  manner  of  the 
catastrophe. 

After  an  absence  of  one  year  and  eight  months  Isaaco  re- 
turned to  Senegal,  and  delivered  to  the  governor  a  journal  of 
proceedings,  including  a  narrative  which  he  had  received  from 
Amadi  Fatouma,  the  guide  who  accompanied  Park  from  San- 
sanding  down  the  Niger.  The  particulars  of  Isaaco's  adven- 
tures it  is  altogether  unnecessary  to  describe.  He  found 
Amadi  Fatouma  at  Madina,  a  village  distant  a  few  hours  from 
Sansanding.  On  seeing  Isaaco,  and  hearing  the  name  of 
Park,  he  began  to  weep  ;  and  his  first  words  were,  "  They  are 
all  dead."  The  recollection  of  the  melancholy  transaction  ap- 
peared to  aff*ect  him  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  and  it  was 
with  the  utmost  reluctance  that  he  at  length  consented  to  re- 
call to  memory  an  event  which  he  seemed  peculiarly  desirous 
of  delivering  over  to  oblivion.  However,  upon  the  pressing 
entreaties  of  Isaaco,  he  narrated  circumstantially  what  had 
taken  place.  Upon  leaving  Sansanding,  there  were,  he  said, 
nine  persons  in  the  canoe ;  Park,  Martyn,  three  other  white 
men,  three  slaves,  and  himself  as  their  guide  and  interpreter. 
They  had  proceeded  but  a  very  little  way  down  the  river  be- 
fore they  were  pursued  and  attacked  by  the  Africans  in  ca- 
noes, particularly  in  passing  Timbuctoo,  where  a  great  number 
of  the  natives  were  killed.  Shortly  after  passing  Goronmo^ 
35 


106  MUNGO  PARK. 

they  lost  one  white  man  by  sickness.  They  were  now,  there- 
fore, reduced  to  eight ;  but  as  each  person  had  always  fifteen 
muskets  loaded  and  ready  for  action,  they  were  still  formida- 
ble to  their  enemies. 

As  Park  had  laid  in  a  considerable  quantity  of  provisions 
previous  to  his  leaving  Sansanding,  he  was  enabled  to  proceed 
for  several  days  without  stopping  at  any  place,  which  is  the 
only  circumstance  that  can  account  for  his  passing  in  safety 
through  the  country  of  so  many  hostile  nations.  At  length, 
however,  their  wants  compelled  them  to  have  some  communi- 
cation with  the  shore.  "  We  came,"  says  Amadi  Fatouma, 
"  near  a  small  island,  and  saw  some  of  the  natives ;  I  was 
sent  on  shore  to  buy  some  milk.  When  I  got  among  them,  I 
saw  two  canoes  go  on  board  to  sell  fresh  provisions,  such  as 
fowls,  rice,  &c.  One  of  the  natives  wanted  to  kdl  me,  and  at 
last  he  took  hold  of  me,  and  said  I  was  his  prisoner.  Mr.  Park , 
seeing  what  was  passing  on  shore,  suspected  the  truth.  He 
stopped  the  two  canoes  and  people  ;  telling  the  latter,  that  if 
they  should  kill  me,  or  keep  me  prisoner  on  shore,  he  would 
kill  them  all,  and  carry  their  canoes  away  with  him.  Those 
on  shore,  suspecting  Mr.  Park's  intentions,  sent  me  off  in 
another  canoe  on  board  ;  they  were  then  released :  after  which 
we  bought  some  provisions  from  them,  and  made  them  some 
presents.  A  short  time  after  our  departure  twenty  canoes 
came  after  us  from  the  same  place ;  on  coming  near,  they 
hailed,  and  said,  'Amadi  Fatouma,  how  can  you  pass  through 
our  country  without  giving  us  any  thing  V  I  mentioned  what 
they  had  said  to  Mr.  Park,  and  he  gave  them  a  few  grains  of 
amber  and  some  trinkets,  and  they  went  back  peaceably.  On 
coming  to  a  narrow  part  of  the  river,  we  saw  on  the  shore  a 
great  many  men  sitting  down  ;  coming  nearer  to  them  they 
stood  up;  we  presented  our  muskets  to  them,  which  made 
them  run  off  into  the  interior.  A  little  farther  on  we  came  to 
a  very  difficult  passage.  The  rocks  had  barred  the  river,  but 
three  passages  were  still  open  between  them.  On  coming 
near  one  of  them,  we  discovered  the  same  people  again,  stand- 
ing on  the  top  of  a  large  rock;  which  caused  great  uneasiness 
to  us,  especially  to  me,  and  I  seriously  promised  never  to  pass 
there  again  without  making  considerable  charitable  donations 
to  the  poor.  We  returned,  and  went  to  a  pass  of  less  danger, 
where  we  passed  unmolested. 

"We  came-to  before  Carmassee,  and  gave  the  chief  one 
piece  of  baft.  We  went  on,  and  anchored  before  Gourman. 
Mr.  Park  sent  me  on  shore  with  forty  thousand  cowries  to  buy 
provisions.  I  went  and  bought  rice,  onions,  fowls,  milk,  &c., 
and  departed  late  in  the  evening.     The  chief  of  the  village 


MUNGO  PARK.  4()7 

sent  a  canoe  after  us,  to  let  us  know  of  a  large  army  encamp- 
ed on  the  top  of  a  very  high  mountain,  waiting  for  us ;  and 
that  we  had  better  return,  or  be  on  our  guard.  We  immedi- 
ately came  to  an  anchor,  and  spent  there  the  rest  of  the  day 
and  all  the  night.  We  started  in  the  morning;  on  passing  the 
above  mentioned  mountain  we  saw  the  array,  composed  of 
Moors  with  horses  and  camels,  but  without  any  firearms.  As 
they  said  nothing  to  us  we  passed  on  quietly,  and  entered  the 
country  of  Ilaoussa,  and  came  to  an  anchor.  Mr.  Park  said 
to  rae,  *  Now,  Amadi,  you  are  at  the  end  of  your  journey  :  I 
engaged  you  to  conduct  me  here  ;  you  are  going  to  leave  me  ; 
but  before  you  go  you  must  give  me  the  names  of  the  necessa- 
ries of  life,  &.C.,  in  the  language  of  the  countries  through  which 
1  am  going  to  pass ;'  to  which  1  agreed,  and  we  spent  two 
days  together  about  it  without  landing.  During  our  voyage  I 
was  the  only  one  who  had  landed.  We  departed,  and  arrived 
at  Yaour.  I  was  sent  on  shore  the  next  morning  with  a  musket 
and  a  sabre  to  carry  to  the  chief  of  the  village  ;  also  with  three 
pieces  of  white  baft  for  distribution.  I  went  and  gave  the 
chief  his  present :  I  also  gave  one  to  Alhagi,  one  to  Alhagibi- 
ron,  and  the  other  to  a  person  whose  name  I  forget ;  all  Mar- 
abous. The  chief  gave  us  a  bullock,  a  sheep,  three  jars  of 
honey,  and  four  men's  loads  of  rice.  Mr.  Park  gave  me  seven 
thousand  cowries,  and  ordered  me  to  buy  provisions,  which  I 
did ;  he  told  me  to  go  to  the  chief,  and  give  him  five  silver 
rings,  some  powder  and  flints  and  tell  him  that  these  presents 
were  given  to  the  king  by  the  white  men,  who  were  taking 
leave  of  him  before  they  went  away.  After  the  chief  had  re- 
ceived these  things,  he  inquired  if  the  white  men  intended  to 
come  back.  Mr.  Park,  being  informed  of  this  inquiry,  replied 
that  he  could  not  return  any  more.*  Mr,  Park  had  paid  me 
for  my  voyage  before  we  left  Sansanding :  I  said  to  him,  *I 
agreed  to  carry  you  into  the  kingdom  of  Haoussa ;  we  are 
now  in  Haoussa.  I  have  fulfilled  my  engagement  with  you  ; 
I  am  therefore  going  to  leave  you  here  and  return.'" 

On  the  next  day  Park  departed,  leaving  the  guide  at  the 
village  of  Yaour,  where  he  vv^as  put  in  irons  by  order  of  the 
king,  from  a  supposition  that  he  had  aided  the  white  men  in 
defrauding  him  of  the  customary  presents,  which  the  chief  of 
Yaour  had  in  fact  received,  but  retained  for  himself.  "The 
next  morning,  early,"  continues  the  guide,  "the  king  sent  an 
armv  to  a  viliaoe  called  Boussa,  near  the  river-side.     There 


*  These  v/ords  occasioned  his  deatli;  for  the  certainty  of  Mr.  Park  not  re-* 
turning  induced  the  chief  to  withhold  the  presents  from  the  kin^. 


408  MUNGO  PARK.  * 

is  before  this  village  a  rock  across  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
river.  One  part  of  the  rock  is  very  high  ;  there  is  a  large 
opening  in  that  rock  in  the  form  of  a  door,  which  is  the  only 
passage  for  the  water  to  pass  through  ;  the  tide  current  is  here 
very  strong.  This  army  went  and  took  possession  of  the  top 
of  this  opening.  Mr.  Park  came  there  after  the  army  had 
posted  itself;  he  nevertheless  attempted  to  pass.  The  people 
began  to  attack  him,  throwing  lances,  pikes,  arrows,  and 
stones.  Mr.  Park  defended  himself  for  a  long  time  ;  two  of 
his  slaves  at  the  stern  of  the  canoe  were  killed  ;  they  threw 
every  thing  they  had  in  the  canoe  into  the  river,  and  keptfiring; 
but  being  overpowered  by  numbers,  and  fatigued,  and  unable 
to  keep  up  the  canoe  against  the  current,  and  no  probability  of 
escaping,  Mr.  Park  took  hold  of  one  of  the  white  men  and 
jumped  into  the  water;  Martyn  did  the  same,  and  they  were 
drowned  in  the  stream  in  attempting  to  escape.  The  only 
slave  remaining  in  the  boat,  seeing  the  natives  persist  in  throw- 
ing weapons  at  the  canoe  without  ceasing,  stood  up  and  said 
to  them,  '  Stop  throwing  now,  you  see  nothing  in  the  canoe, 
and  nobody  but  myself;  therefore  cease.  Take  me  and  the 
canoe,  but  don't  kill  me.'  They  took  possession  of  the  canoe 
and  the  man,  and  carried  them  to  the  king. 

*'I  was  kept  in  irons  three  months  ;  the  king  released  me, 
and  gave  me  a  slave  (woman.)  I  immediately  went  to  the 
slave  taken  in  the  canoe,  who  told  me  in  what  manner  Mr. 
Park  and  all  of  them  had  died,  and  what  I  have  related  above. 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  sure  nothing  had  been  found  in  the 
canoe  after  its  capture  ;  he  said  nothing  remained  in  the  canoe 
but  himself  and  a  sword-belt.  I  asked  him  where  the  sword- 
belt  was  ;  he  said  the  king  took  it,  and  had  made  a  girth  for 
his  horse  with  it." 

Such  is  the  narrative  of  Amadi  Fatouma  ;  and  the  inform- 
ation since  obtained  in  the  country  by  Captain  Clapperton  cor- 
roborates almost  every  important  circumstance  which  it  de- 
scribes. It  appears,  however,  that  certain  books  (whether 
printed  or  manuscript  does  not  appear)  were  found  in  Park's 
canoe,  some  of  which  were  still  in  the  possession  of  the  chief  of 
Yaour  when  Clapperton  made  his  inquiries  ;  but  the  wily 
African,  who  no  doubt  expected  a  valuable  present  for  these 
relics,  refused  to  deliver  them  to  our  traveller's  messenger, 
and  Clapperton  himself,  for  some  reason  or  another  not  stated, 
neglected  to  visit  this  chief  in  person.  It  should  be  remarked, 
that  the  Africans  who  were  questioned  by  Clapperton  seemed 
all  exceedingly  desirous  of  exculpating  their  countrymen,  per- 
haps their  own  friends  and  relations,  from  the  charge  of  having 


MUNGO  PARK. 


409 


3o* 


410  MUNGO    PARK. 

murdered  Park  and  his  companions ;  according  to  one  narra- 
tor, the  canoe  was  caught  between  two  rocks,  where  the  river, 
being  obstructed  in  its  course,  rushed  through  its  narrow  chan- 
nel with  prodigious  rapidity.  Here  the  travellers,  in  attempt- 
ing to  disembark,  were  drowned  in  the  sight  of  an  immense 
multitude  who  had  assembled  to  see  them  pass,  and  were  too 
timid  to  attack  or  assist  them.  On  another  occasion,  howev- 
er, the  same  person  confessed  that  his  countrymen  did  indeed 
discharge  their  arrows  at  the  travellers,  but  not  until  they  had 
been  fired  upon  from  the  canoe.  Butthesheriff  of  Bokhary, 
whose  letter  was  found  among  the  MSS.  of  Clapperton,  asserts 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Boussa  went  out  against  the  white  men 
in  great  numbers,  and  attacked  them  during  three  successive 
days  ;  after  which  Park  and  Martyn,  who  from  this  account 
would  appear  to  have  been  the  only  European  survivors,  threw 
their  papers  and  baggage  into  the  water,  and  leaping  in  after 
them  were  drowned  in  the  stream.  It  would  answer  no  use- 
ful purpose  to  push  these  inquiries  any  further  at  present,  as 
we  in  reality  possess  no  sufficient  materials  for  coming  to  any 
definite  conclusion.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Mungo  Park 
perished  on  the  Niger,  near  Boussa,  or  that  the  Africans  were 
the  cause,  mediate  or  immediate,  of  his  death.  His  character 
will  be  best  understood  by  a  careful  examination  of  his  life ; 
but  it  may  be  useful  to  remark,  in  conclusion,  that,  although 
his  natural  prudence  seems  partly  to  have  forsaken  him  during 
his  second  journey,  few  men  have  possessed  in  a  higher  degree 
the  virtues  of  a  traveller — intrepidity,  enthusiasm,  persever- 
ance, veracity,  prudence  ;  his  manners,  likewise,  though  some- 
what too  stiff  and  reserved,  must  upon  the  whole  have  been 
agreeable,  since  he  was  able  both  in  civilized  and  savage 
countries  to  gain  and  preserve  many  friends ;  among  whom 
by  far  the  most  distinguished  was  Sir  Walter  Scott,  with  whom, 
during  the  interval  between  his  two  journeys,  he  lived  on 
terms  of  the  greatest  intimacy. 


DIXON    DENHAM, 


Colonel  Dixon  Denham,  well  known  by  his  expedition 
into  Central  Africa,  was  born  at  London,  in  1786,  and  after 
finishing  his  studies  at  school,  was  placed  with  a  solictor,  but 
in  1811,  entered  the  army  as  a  volunteer,  and  served  in  the 
peninsular  campaigns.  After  the  general  peace,  he  was  re- 
duced to  half-pay  on  the  peace  estabhshment,  and,  in  1819, 
was  admitted  into  the  senior  department  of  the  Royal  Mihtary 
College  at  Farnham.  His  courage,  address,  firmness,  perse- 
verance, and  moderation,  his  bold,  frank,  energetic  disposi- 
tion, and  his  conciliating  manners,  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  the 
enterprize  which  in  company  with  Captain  Clapperton,  he  un- 
dertook in  the  years  1823-4.  We  allude  to  the  enterprize  of 
exploring  Central  Africa. 


HUGH    CLAPPERTON 


Captain  Hugh  Clapperton,  the  African  traveller,  was 
born  in  Annan,  in  Dumfries-shire,  in  1788.  After  some  ele- 
mentary instruction  in  practical  mathematics,  he  was  bound 
apprentice,  at  the  age  of  13,  to  the  owner  of  a  vessel  trading 
between  Liverpool  and  North  America,  in  which  he  made 
several  voyages.  He  was  then  impressed  into  his  Brittannic 
majesty's  service,  was  soon  after  made  a  midshipman,  served 
on  the  American  lakes  in  1815,  and,  in  1816  received  the 
commission  of  lieutenant.  Having  retired  to  Scotland,  he 
became  acquainted  with  Dr.  Oudney,  who  was  about  to  em- 
bark for  Africa,  and  requested  permission  to  accompany  him. 
Lieutenant  (since  Colonel)  Denham  having  volunteered  his 
services,  and  it  being  intended  that  researches  should  be  made, 
to  the  east  and  west,  from  Bornou,  where  Dr.  Oudney  was  to 
reside  as  British  consul,  his  name  was  added  to  the  expedition 
by  lord  Bathursr. 


J 


DENHAM  AND  OLAPPERTON.  413 

Nothing  could  shake  the  determination  of  the  British  go- 
vernment to  obtain,  by  some  means  or  other,  a  competent 
degree  of  information  respecting  the  unknown  countries  of 
Africa.  The  great  favour  and  influence  enjoyed  at  the  court 
of  Tripoli  was  still  regarded  as  a  favourable  circumstance.  It 
was  chiefly  due  to  the  prudence  and  ability  of  Mr.  Warring- 
ton, without  whose  advice  scarcely  any  thing  of  importance 
was  transacted.  The  bashaw  was  therefore  disposed  to  renew 
his  protection  to  any  mission  which  Britain  might  send.  Nor 
could  the  protection  of  any  sovereign  have  been  more  effi- 
cient ;  for  the  influence  of  this  petty  prince  and  the  terror  of 
his  name  are  almost  unbounded  in  the  greatest  kingdoms  of 
Central  Africa.  One  weapon,  the  gun,  in  the  hands  of  his 
troops,  gives  him  all  this  superiority  ;  for  the  remoter  nations, 
from  the  Nile  to  the  Atlantic,  scarcely  know  any  other  arms 
besides  the  spear,  the  bow,  and  the  javelin.  A  musket  among 
those  tribes  is  an  object  of  almost  supernatural  dread ;  indi- 
viduals have  been  seen  kneeling  down  before  it,  speaking  to 
it  in  whispers,  and  addressing  to  it  earnest  supplications. 
With  troops  thus  armed,  the  bashaw  of  Tripoli  is  esteemed  in 
North  Africa  the  most  potent  monarch  on  earth ;  and  it  is  a 
matter  of  surprise  among  the  natives  that  he  has  not  ere  now 
compelled  all  Europe  to  embrace  the  Mohammedan  faith.  He 
could  therefore  assure  the  English,  that  for  any  but  physical 
obstacles,  they  might  travel  as  safely  from  Tripoli  to  Bornou, 
as  from  Edinburgh  to  London. 

Under  the  confidence  inspired  by  these  circumstances,  the 
British  government  prepared  an  expedition,  and  without  diffi- 
culty procured  a  band  of  adventurers,  who  undertook  to  brave 
all  its  perils.  Major  Denham,  Lieutenant  Clapperton,  and 
Dr.  Oudney,  were  appointed  to  this  service.  Without  delay 
they  proceeded  to  Tripoli,  where  they  arrived  on  the  18th  of 
November,  1821.  They  were  immediately  introduced  to  the 
bashaw,  whom  they  found  sitting  cross-legged  on  a  carpet,  at- 
tended by  armed  negroes.  After  treating  them  to  sherbet  and 
coffee,  he  invited  them  to  a  hawking  party,  where  he  appeared 
mounted  on  a  milk-white  Arabian  steed  superbly  caparisoned, 
having  a  saddle  of  crimson  velvet  richly  studded  with  gold 
nails,  and  with  embroidered  trappings.  He  was  preceded  by 
six  chaoushes,  or  officers,  in  white  silk  robes ;  while  two  fa- 
vourite negro  slaves,  in  glittering  vest,  light  burnouse,  and 
white  turban,  supported  him  on  each  side.  The  hunt  began 
on  the  borders  of  the  Desert,  where  parties  of  six  or  eight 
Arabs  dashed  forwards  quick  as  lightning,  fired  suddenly,  and 
rushed  back  with  loud  cries.     The  skill  with  which  they  ma- 


414  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

noeuvred  their  steeds,  whirling  the  long-  musket  OFer  their  heads 
as  they  rode  at  full  gallop,  appeared  quite  surprising. 

Although  the  English  were  personally  well  treated  at  Tri- 
poli, they  could  not  shut  their  eyes  to  the  reigning  barbarism. 
The  sheik,  Belgassum  Khalifa,  a  fine  old  Arab,  understood  to 
be  high  in  the  favour  of  the  bashaw,  had  been  one  evening  at 
an  elegant  entertainment  in  the  palace,  when  on  reaching  his 
own  door,  a-  pistol-shot  wounded  him  in  the  arm,  and  on  his 
entering  the  passage  another  penetrated  his  body.  He  stag- 
gered into  the  house,  denouncing  his  own  nephew  as  the 
author  of  the  assassination.  The  murderers  rushed  in,  and 
completed  their  crime  by  stabbing  him  seven  times  with  their 
daggers,  while  his  wife  received  two  wounds  in  endeavouring 
to  save  him.  The  three  actors  in  this  tragedy  instantly  fled 
for  protection  to  the  British  consulate ;  but  Mr.  Warrington 
sent  notice  to  the  bashaw,  "that  the  murderers  of  Khalifa 
would  find  no  protection  under  the  flag  of  England."  That 
chief,  however,  either  privy  to  the  crime,  or  disposed  to  wink 
at  its  commission,  expressed  his  regret  that  the  guilty  persons 
had  found  shelter  in  the  consulate ;  but  added,  that  he  could 
not  think  of  violating  such  a  sanctuary.  Repeated  assurance 
was  given  that  he  might  send  any  force,  or  use  any  means,  to 
drag  them  from  beneath  a  banner  that  never  was  disgraced  by 
giving  protection  to  assassins.  The  bashaw  at  length,  ashamed 
of  his  apathy,  sent  sixteen  stout  fellows,  by  whom  the  ruffians 
were  seized ;  and  in  less  than  an  hour  the  murderers  were 
seen  hanging  from  the  castle-walls. 

The  mission,  fortified  with  recommendations  to  the  sultan 
of  Fezzan,  now  entered  upon  their  long  and  dreary  pilgrimage 
to  Mourzouk,  where  they  arrived  on  the  8th  of  April,  1822. 
This  prince  received  them  with  courtesy  and  affiibility,  but 
gave  himself  very  little  trouble  in  making  provision  for  the 
continuance  of  their  journey.  He  even  intimated  his  inten- 
tion of  visiting  Tripoh,  and  the  necessity  of  their  remaining 
till  his  return.  This  arrangement  was  most  disheartening ; 
nor  did  they  know  what  reliance  to  place  in  the  sincerity  of 
Boo  Khalloom,  a  great  merchant,  who  invited  them  to  accom- 
pany an  expedition  which  he  was  preparing  for  Soudan.  The 
sultan  and  he  soon  after  departed,  each  with  large  presents 
for  the  bashaw,  to  intrigue  against  one  another  at  the  court  of 
Tripoli.  After  this  there  was  scarcely  a  camel  left  in  Fezzan, 
or  any  other  means  of  prosecuting  discovery.  Major  Denham 
then  saw  no  alternative  but  that  he  himself  should  hasten 
back  to  Tripoli,  and  remonstrate  with  the  bashaw  on  the  appa- 
rent violation  of  his  promise.     After  a  tedious  Journey  of 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  415 

twenty  days,  with  only  three  attendants,  he  arrived,  and  wait- 
ed on  the  barbarian,  who  received  him  with  his  usual  courtesy; 
but,  not  giving  that  full  satisfaction  which  was  expected,  the 
Major  lost  no  time  in  setting  sail  for  England,  to  lodge  a  com- 
plaint with  his  own  court.  This  step  was  painfully  felt  by  the 
bashaw,  who  sent  vessel  after  vessel,  one  of  which  at  last  over- 
took Major  Denham  while  performing  quarantine  at  Marseilles, 
and  announced  that  arrangements  were  actually  made  with 
Boo  Rhalloom  for  escorting  him  to  the  capital  of  Bornou. 
Accordingly,  on  the  Major's  return  to  Tripoli,  he  found  the 
Arab  chief  already  on  the  borders  of  the  Desert. 

This  trader,  who  was  now  to  be  a  guide  to  the  English  into 
the  immense  regions  of  the  south,  was  a  personage  of  a  very 
different  character  from  what  we  in  this  country  can  form  any 
idea  of.  The  African  caravan-merchant  has  nothing  in  com- 
mon with  that  respectable  class  of  men  who,  seated  in  count- 
ing houses  at  London  or  Amsterdam,  direct  the  movement  of 
their  ships  over  the  ocean,  and  count  the  silent  accumulation 
of  their  profits.  He,  on  the  contrary,  must  accompany  his 
merchandise  from  one  extremity  to  the  other  of  a  great  conti- 
nent, and  across  its  immense  deserts,  the  scene  of  much  suffer' 
ing,  and  frequently  of  death  itself.  Nor  is  it  from  a  parched 
wilderness  and  a  burning  climate  that  he  has  most  to  appre- 
hend. His  path  is  every  where  beset  by  bands  whose  trade  is 
plunder,  and  who  find  amusement  in  assassination.  He  must 
therefore  have  his  property  guarded  by  armed  men,  ready  to 
defend  with  their  blood  what  his  money  has  purchased.  These 
followers,  being  in  continual  service,  and  exposed  to  frequent 
fighting,  become  practised  soldiers,  and  are  more  than  a  match 
for  the  roving  barbarians  who  infest  the  Sahara.  Even  the 
greatest  princes  view  these  merchant-chiefs  with  fear  and 
jealousy  ;  and  though  they  contrive  to  draw  considerable  ad- 
V£^ntage  from  their  trade,  scarcely  consider  the  kingdom  as 
their  own  while  their  troops  are  within  its  boundaries.  The 
merchants,  unhappily,  do  not  confine  themselves  to  self- 
defence  ;  but,  seeing  robbery  practised  on  every  side  against 
themselves,  begin  to  retaliate,  and  soon  find  it  cheaper,  and, 
according  to  African  ideas,  not  less  honourable,  to  replenish 
their  stores  by  plunder  than  by  purchase.  Slaves,  the  staple 
of  their  trade,  are  generally  obtained  by  the  most  atrocious 
violence,  in  expeditions  called  ghrazzies  or  felateas^  underta- 
ken solely  for  that  guilty  purpose ;  but,  by  engaging  in  such 
enterprises  themselves,  the  merchants  enjoy  the  benefit,  since 
they  reckon  it  such,  of  paying  in  blood  instead  of  money. 
Provided  tliey  can  escape  the  dangers  and  casualties  to  which 
they  are  exposed,  their  profits  are  immense,  the  value  of  raer- 


416  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

chandise  being  somewhat  more  than  tripled  by  its  conveyance 
across  the  Desert.  Thus  a  few  successful  journeys  enable  a 
man  to  acquire  a  fortune  almost  princely,  and  a  high  degree  of 
influence  in  the  Barbary  States.  In  short,  the  merchant,  the 
warrior,  the  prince,  the  thief,  are  united  in  this  extraordinary 
character ;  and  he  is  prepared,  according  to  circumstances,  to 
act  in  one  or  in  all  bf  these  capacities.  Yet  Boo  Khalloom 
might  be  reckoned  a  good  specimen  of  this  evil  race.  He 
possessed  an  enlarged  and  liberal  mind,  and  was  honourable, 
and  even  humane,  so  far  as  a  slave-merchant  could  retain  these 
qualities ;  he  was  dragged,  too,  with  reluctance  into  the  most 
odious  parts  of  his  vocation, — while  at  home  his  generosity 
was  such  as  to  make  him  almost  idohzed. 

Under  the  guidance  of  this  remarkable  personage  Major 
Denham  set  forth,  with  almost  the  full  assurance  of  reaching 
those  depths  of  Africa  from  which  no  European  had  ever  yet 
returned.  Little  occurred  to  diversify  the  usual  monotony  of 
a  desert  route,  till  they  arrived  at  Sockna,  where  Boo  Khal- 
loom, who  was  fond  of  display,  determined  to  make  his  en- 
trance with  almost  kingly  pomp.  He  rode  a  white  Tunisian 
horse,  with  gilded  saddle  and  trappings  of  scarlet  cloth  border- 
ed with  gold  ;  his  dress  consisted  of  various  caftans  and  robes 
of  the  richest  silks,  adorned  with  gold  buttons,  lace,  and  em- 
broidery :  the  burnouse,  a  present  from  the  bashaw,  had  cost 
four  hundred  dollars.  The  citizens  meeting  the  party  with 
shouts  and  guns,  and  the  females  with  singing  and  dancing, 
formed  a  species  of  triumphal  procession.  Several  days  were 
spent  at  Sockna,  Boo  Khalloom  being  ill,  and  wishing  to  try 
the  effect  of  various  charms  and  superstitious  remedies.  The 
EngUsh,  meantime,  witnessed  a  great  marriage  ceremony,  the 
chief  pomp  of  which  consisted  in  placing  the  bride  in  a  basket 
on  the  back  of  a  camel  and  leading  her  round  the  town,  while 
numerous  horsemen  galloped  up  and  discharged  their  muskets 
quite  close  to  her  head  ;  the  honour  of  which  compliment  was 
understood  to  compensate  for  the  fear  which  it  could  not  fail  to 
occasion. 

In  journeying  onwards  to  Mourzouk  the  travellers  passed 
along  the  naked  sides  of  the  Gebel  Assoud,  which  the  Major 
crossed  now  for  the  third  time ;  but  no  familiarity  could  relieve 
the  sense  of  dreariness  and  misery  which  its  aspect  occasioned. 
A  rainy  day  came  as  a  blessing  to  the  whole  party,  especially 
to  the  poor  slaves,  on  whom  Boo  Khalloom  had  only  in  special 
kindness  bestowed  one  draught  of  water  in  the  day  to  cool 
their  burning  thirst.  On  the  30th  of  October  the  caravan 
made  its  entry  into  Mourzouk  with  similar  pomp  as  into  Sock- 
na, amid  the  shouts  of  the  inhabitants,  whom  the  chief,  by  his 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  417 

liberality,  had  inspired  with  the  warmest  attachment.  The 
Major,  however,  was  much  disheartened  by  not  seeing  any  of 
his  countrymen  amid  the  joyous  crowd ;  and  his  fears  were 
confirmed  by  finding  Dr.  Oudney  just  recovering  from  a  severe 
attack  in  the  chest,  and  Mr.  Clapperton  in  bed  the  fifteenth 
day  with  ague, — facts  which,  combined  with  the  unfortunate 
result  of  the  last  expedition,  and  the  sickly  look  of  the  natives 
themselves,  indicated  some  peculiarly  baneful  influence,  with- 
out any  visible  cause,  in  the  climate  of  Mourzouk. 

Invalids  so  severely  afflicted  were  not  very  fit  to  begin  a  long 
and  laborious  journey  ;  but  their  ardour  was  extreme,  and 
imagining  that  a  change  of  air  would  be  beneficial,  they  con- 
trived, even  before  Boo  Khalloom  was  ready  to  set  out,  to 
move  forward  to  Gatrone,  leaving  Major  Denham  behind  at 
Mourzouk.  On  the  29th  of  November  the  whole  caravan 
broke  up  from  that  city,  and  began  their  journey  through  the 
Desert.  They  were  escorted  by  nearly  every  inhabitant  who 
could  muster  a  horse.  The  expedition,  besides  the  English, 
comprised  two  hundred  and  ten  Arabs,  ranged  in  tens  and 
twenties,  under  different  chiefs.  The  most  numerous  were  the 
M'Garha,  who,  to  the  amount  of  seventy,  came  from  the  barren 
shore  of  the  Syrtes.  These  barbarians  enlivened  the  route  by 
their  traditionary  tales,  their  songs,  their  extemporary  poems, 
in  which  all  the  incidents  of  the  journey  itself  were  narrated  ; 
in  short,  by  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  wit  and  vivacity.  Their 
pride,  their  revenge,  their  robberies,  did  not  come  into  view  in 
their  intercourse  with  the  English,  who,  being  received  into 
their  camp,  having  eaten  of  their  bread  and  salt,  and  being 
bound  in  the  cord  of  friendship,  were  entitled  to  all  the  rights 
of  hospitahty,  and  would  have  been  protected  even  at  the 
hazard  of  life. 

The  caravan  arrived  in  due  time  at  Traghan,  a  small  town 
containing  a  fine  carpet-manufactory,  and  ruled  by  a  mara- 
bout, who  used  the  sanctity  of  his  character  to  maintain  order 
and  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  place.  Passing  that  station 
they  were  soon  in  the  heart  of  the  Desert,  where  they  spent 
whole  days  without  seeing  a  living  thing,  even  a  bird  or  an  in- 
sect, that  did  not  belong  to  the  caravan  itself.  After  painful 
marches  under  the  direct  action  of  the  solar  rays,  they  were 
delighted  by  the  stillness  and  beauty  of  the  night.  The  moon 
and  stars  shone  with  peculiar  brilliancy  ;  cool  breezes  suc- 
ceeded to  the  burning  heat  of  the  day  ;  and  on  removing  a 
few  inches  of  the  loose  hot  soil,  a  soft  and  refreshing  bed  was 
obtained.  Even  the  ripple  of  the  blowing  sand  sounded  like  a 
gentle  and  murmuring  stream.  Every  noise  was  rendered 
doubly  impressive  by  the  deep  stillness,  as  well  as  by  an  echo 
36 


418  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

from  the  surface  of  the  surrounding  waste.  The  road  derived 
a  very  peculiar  aspect  from  the  quantity  of  salt  with  which  the 
soil  was  impregnated ;  the  clods  were  often  cracked  so  as  to 
resemble  a  ploughed  field  ;  and  from  the  sides  of  cavities  were 
hanging  beautiful  crystals  of  that  mineral  like  the  finest  frost- 
work. ,  Sometimes  the  ground  for  several  miles  was  glazed 
over,  resembhng  a  sheet  of  ice  ;  but  though  the  surface  was 
very  hard,  the  interior  was  brittle,  and  the  salt  fell  away  in 
flakes. 

The  travellers  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the  melancholy 
aspect  of  the  Desert  was  heightened  by  a  succession  of  objects 
which  could  not  be  viewed  without  the  deepest  horror.  The 
ground  was  strewed  with  the  skeletons  of  former  travellers, 
who  had  perished  in  the  attempt  to  cross  this  extensive  wilder- 
ness. These  at  first  appeared  singly,  but  afterwards  increased 
till  they  amounted  to  fifty  or  sixty  in  a  day.  At  Meshroo  a 
hundred  were  seen  together;  and  near  the  wells  at  El  Hammar 
they  were  found  lying  in  countless  multitudes.  One  forenoon, 
as  Major  Denham  was  dozing  on  horseback,  he  was  awaken- 
ed by  the  sound  of  something  crashing  under  his  horse's  feet, 
and  on  looking  down,  saw  the  animal  trampling  on  two  per- 
fect human  skeletons.  A  movement  of  one  of  the  feet  had 
separated  the  scull  from  the  trunk,  and  driven  it  forward  like 
a  ball.  In  some  of  these  remains  portions  of  the  flesh  and 
hair  were  left,  and  even  the  features  were  still  distinguishable. 
Two  female  skeletons  lay  closely  twined  together,  having  evi- 
dently been  faithful  friends,  who  had  died  in  each  other's 
arms.  The  Arabs  gave  little  proof  of  their  boasted  sensibihty 
in  the  utter  indiflerence  with  which  they  viewed  these  dismal 
objects,  driving  about  the  limbs  with  their  firelocks,  passing 
coarse  jests  upon  the  dead,  and  deriding  the  sympathy  mani- 
fested by  their  English  companions.  They  told  them  these 
were  only  blacks,  "damn  their  fathers," — the  barbarous  pre- 
judices arising  from  difference  of  religion  and  lineage  having 
thus  extinguished  in  their  breasts  every  touch  of  human  sym- 
pathy. Major  Denham  appears  in  one  place  to  countenance 
the  popular  belief  that  these  bodies  were  the  remains  of  cara- 
vans buried  beneath  tempests  of  moving  sand  ;  but  none  of  his 
facts  support  this  conclusion,  or  contradict  the  opinion  of 
Browne,  that  such  victims  have  in  most  instances  perished 
from  other  causes.  They  were  lying  open  and  exposed,  with- 
out even  a  covering  of  dust;  and  the  catastrophe  of  the  largest 
group  was  too  well  known,  having  been  a  body  of  slaves,  the 
chief  booty  obtained  by  the  sultan  of  Fezzan  during  his  last 
expedition  into  Soudan.  The  troop  had  left  Bornou  without 
an  adequate  supply  of  provisions,  which  failed  entirely  before 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTOX.  41^ 

they  approached  Mourzouk.  That  want,  or  perhaps  fatigue, 
was  the  real  cause  of  this  destruction  was  manifest  from  the 
fact  that  the  sufferers  were  all  negroes,  while  their  Arab  mas- 
ters had  taken  care  to  reserve  for  themselves  the  means  of 
reaching  home. 

In  this  route  the  travellers  had  on  one  side  the  Tibboos,  on 
the  other  the  Tuaricks,  two  native  tribes,  probably  of  great  an- 
tiquity, and  having  no  alliance  with  the  Arab  race,  now  so 
widely  spread  over  the  continent.  The  Tibboos  were  on  the 
left,  and  it  was  through  their  villages  that  the  caravan  passed. 
These  people  hve  partly  on  the  milk  of  their  camels,  which 
pick  up  a  scanty  subsistence  on  the  few  verdant  spots  that  rise 
amid  the  Desert,  partly  by  carrying  on  a  small  trade  between 
Mourzouk  and  Bornou,  in  which  they  are  so  busily  employed 
that  many  do  not  spend  at  home  more  than  four  months  in  the 
year.  They  are  black,  though  without  the  negro  features  ; 
the  men  ugly,  but  the  young  females  possessed  of  some  beau- 
ty, not  wholly  obscured  by  the  embelhshments  of  coral  stuck 
in  the  nose,  and  of  oil  streaming  over  the  face.  They  are  be- 
sides a  gay,  good-humoured,  thoughtless  race,  with  all  the 
African  passion  for  the  song  and  the  dance  ;  which  last  they 
practise  gracefully,  and  with  movements  somewhat  analogous 
to  the  Grecian.  This  cheerfulness  appears  wonderful,  con- 
sidering the  dreadful  calamity  with  which  they  are  threatened 
every  day.  Once  a  year,  or  oftener,  an  inroad  is  made  by 
their  fierce  neighbours,  the  Tuaricks,  who  spare  neither  age 
nor  sex,  and  sweep  away  all  that  comes  within  their  reach. 
The  cowardly  Tibboos  dare  not  even  look  them  in  the  face  ; 
they  can  only  mount  to  the  top  of  certain  steep  rocks  with  flat 
summits  and  perpendicular  sides,  near  one  of  which  every 
village  is  built.  They  carry  up  with  them  every  thing  that  can 
be  removed,  and  this  rude  defence  avails  against  still  ruder  as- 
sailants. The  savage  Tuaricks,  again,  were  observed  by 
CJlapperton  and  Oudney  in  a  journey  to  the  westward  from 
Mourzouk,  and  were  found  in  their  private  character  to  be 
frank,  honest,  and  hospitable.  The  females  are  neither  im- 
mured nor  oppressed,  as  is  usual  among  rude  and  Mohamme- 
dan tribes,  but  meet  with  notice  and  respect;  indeed,  the 
domestic  habits  of  this  nation  have  much  resemblance  to  the 
European.  They  are  a  completely  wandering  race  of  shep- 
herds and  robbers,  holding  in  contempt  all  who  live  in  houses 
and  cultivate  the  ground  ;  yet  they  are,  perhaps,  the  only  na- 
tive Africans  who  have  letters  and  an  alphabet,  which  they  in- 
scribe, not  on  books  and  parchments  indeed,  but  on  the  dark 
rocks  that  checker  the  surface  of  their  territory ;  and  in  places 


420  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

where  they  have  long  resided  every  stone  is  seen  covered  with 
their  writings. 

Bilma,  the  capital  of  the  Tibboos,  was  found  a  mean  town 
with  walls  of  earth,  but  surrounded  by  numerous  lakes  con- 
taining the  purest  salt,  the  most  valuable  of  all  articles  for  the 
commerce  of  Soudan.  The  inhabitants,  however,  though 
deeply  mortified,  durst  not  prevent  the  powerful  Tuaricks 
from  lading  their  caravans  with  it,  and  underselling  them  in 
all  the  markets.  About  a  mile  beyond  Bilma  was  a  fine 
spring,  spreading  around,  and  forming  a  little  circle  of  the 
richest  verdure.  This  was  the  last  vegetable  life  that  the  dis- 
coverers were  to  see  during  a  long  march  of  thirteen  days.  In 
these  wilds,  where  the  constant  drift  causes  hills  to  rise  or  dis- 
appear in  the  course  of  a  night,  all  traces  of  a  road  are  soon 
obliterated,  and  the  eye  of  the  traveller  is  guided  only  by  dark 
rocks  which  at  certain  intervals  raise  their  heads  amid  the 
sterile  waste.  Sometimes  the  sand  is  formed  into  hills  with 
perpendicular  sides,  from  twenty  to  sixty  feet  high.  These 
the  camels  are  made  to  slide  down ;  in  which  operation  they 
can  only  be  kept  steady  by  the  driver  hanging  with  all  his 
weight  on  the  tail,  otherwise  they  would  tumble  forward,  and 
throw  the  load  over  their  heads.  "  Tremendously  dreary  are 
these  marches  ;  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  billows  of  sand 
bound  the  prospect."  Whenever  the  wind  was  high,  volumes 
of  this  substance  darkened  the  air,  through  which  it  was 
sometimes  impossible  to  attempt  a  passage. 

After  a  fortnight  spent  in  the  Desert,  the  expedition  saw 
symptoms  of  a  return  to  the  region  of  life.  There  appeared 
scattered  spots  of  thin  herbage ;  little  valleys  watered  by 
springs  were  filled  with  the  shrub  called  suag,  on  which  grew 
delicate  berries ;  small  herds  of  gazelles  fed  in  these  retreats ; 
even  the  droves  of  hyenas  indicated  the  revival  of  animal  na- 
ture. As  the  travellers  advanced,  the  country  improved  ;  at 
every  mile  the  valleys  became  more  gay  and  verdant ;  and  the 
creeping  vines  of  the  colocynth  in  full  bloom,  with  the  red 
flowers  of  the  Jcossom,  converted  many  of  these  spots  into  a  little 
Arcadia.  The  freshness  of  the  air,  with  the  melody  of  the 
hundred  songsters  that  were  perched  among  the  creeping 
plants,  whose  flowers  difl'used  an  aromatic  odour,  formed  the 
most  dehghtful  contrast  to  the  desolate  region  through  which 
they  had  passed.  Here  again  were  found  Tibboos,  of  the  tribe 
called  Gunda,  a  more  alert  and  active  people  than  the  former ; 
the  men  still  uglier,  the  girls  still  handsomer  and  more  delicate- 
ly formed.  This  sept  have  about  five  thousand  camels,  on 
whose  milk  alone  they  support  themselves  for  half  the  year, 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  421 

and  tlieir  horses  for  the  wliole  year;  the  little  crop  of gussub 
and  millet  being  too  precious  for  these  animals,  which  drink 
camel's  milk,  sweet  or  sour,  and  by  this  strange  diet  are  kept 
in  the  highest  health  and  condition.  The  chief,  Mina  Tahr, 
or  the  Black  Bird,  waited  upon  the  party,  and  was  presented 
by  Boo  Rhalloom  with  a  coarse  scarlet  burnouse  and  a  tawdry 
silk  caftan  :  these  paltry  dresses,  being  the  finest  that  had  ever 
invested  the  person  of  this  chieftain,  threw  him  into  ecstasies 
of  delight,  which  he  continued  for  hours  to  testify  by  joyful 
shouts  and  high  leaps  into  the  air.  Major  Denham's  watch 
singularly  delighted  him  ;  but  solely,  as  soon  appeared,  from 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  own  person  in  the  bright  metallic 
case ;  so  that  a  very  small  mirror  was  deemed  still  more 
precious. 

In  this  approach  to  the  territory  of  Soudan  the  English  be- 
gan to  witness  the  exercise  of  mutual  plunder  between  the 
caravan  and  the  natives.  Every  animal  which  straggled  from 
the  main  body  was  instantly  carried  off;  even  a  dog  had  been 
eaten  up,  and  only  the  bones  left.  A  herald,  handsomely 
equipped,  who  had  been  sent  forward  to  the  sultan  of  Bornou, 
was  found  stripped,  and  tied  naked  to  a  tree.  On  the  other 
hand,  no  sooner  did  the  caravan  come  in  view  of  any  village 
than  the  inhabitants  were  descried  on  the  plain  beyond  in  full 
flight  with  all  their  effects.  The  Arabs  pursued,  in  indigna- 
tion only,  as  they  pretended,  at  not  being  allowed  to  purchase 
what  they  wanted ;  but  the  conduct  of  the  poor  natives  was 
evidently  the  result  of  long  experience ;  and  Major  Denham 
saw  executed  on  one  party  the  most  rapid  process  of  plunder 
he  ever  witnessed.  In  a  few  seconds  the  camels  were  eased  of 
their  loads,  and  the  poor  women  and  girls  stripped  to  the  skin. 
Boo  Khalloom,  on  this  and  other  occasions,  interposed,  and 
insisted  on  restitution ;  but  whether  he  would  equally  have 
done  so  without  the  urgent  remonstrances  of  the  English  ap- 
pears to  be  doubtful. 

The  expedition,  now  advancing  rapidly,  entered  Kanem, 
the  most  northern  province  of  Bornou,  and  soon  arrived  at 
Lari,  a  town  of  two  thousand  inhabitants,  composed  of  clusters 
of  rush-huts,  conical  at  top,  and  looking  like  well-thatched 
corn-stacks.  This  place  formed  a  remarkable  stage  in  their 
progress ;  for,  from  the  rising  ground  in  front  of  it  was  seen 
stretching  out  the  boundless  expanse  of  the  great  interior  sea  of 
Africa,  the  lake  Tchad,  "  glowing  with  the  golden  rays  of  the 
sun."  Major  Denham,  who  saw  here  the  key  to  his  grand 
scheme  of  discovery,  hastened  down  to  the  shores  of  this 
mighty  water.  These  were  darkened  with  the  varied  and 
beautiful  plumage  of  ducks,  geese,  pelicans,  and  cranes  four  or 
36* 


422  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

five  feet  high,  immense  spoonbills  of  snowy  whiteness,  yellow- 
legged  plovers,  with  numerous  unknown  waterfowl,  sporting 
around,  and  quietly  feeding  at  half  pistol-shot.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  that  Major  Denham  should  have  felt  reluctant  to 
invade  the  profound  tranquillity  of  these  feathered  tribes,  and 
betray  the  confidence  with  which  they  received  him.  At  last, 
overcoming  his  scruples,  he  took  up  his  gun,  and  soon  filled  a 
large  basket.  It  was  evident  here,  that  remarkable  changes  in 
the  bed  of  the  Tchad  had  recently  taken  place;  for,  though 
this  was  not  the  rainy  season,  long  stalks  of  the  grain  called 
gussub  were  growing  amid  the  waters  on  ground  formerly  dry. 

The  caravan  now  marched  along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and 
arrived  in  two  days  at  Woodie,  a  large  town,  the  first  which 
was  found  thoroughly  negro.  The  inhabitants  lived  in  slug- 
gish plenty,  on  the  produce  of  a  fertile  country,  without  any 
attempt  to  obtain  either  elegancies  or  luxuries.  It  was  resolv- 
ed that  the  caravan  should  pause  here,  till  a  messenger  could 
be  sent  forward  to  obtain  for  them  invitation,  or  permission,  to 
present  themselves  before  the  sheik  of  Bornou.  The  political 
state  of  that  country  was  at  this  time  somewhat  singular. 
Twenty  years  before  it  had  been  overrun  and  completely  con- 
quered, with  the  most  dreadful  devastation,  by  the  Fellatas,  a 
western  people,  to  whose  empire  Bornou  seemed  to  have  been 
finally  annexed.  There  still  remained,  however,  a  spirit  in  the 
people  which  spurned  at  a  foreign  yoke.  The  present  sheik, 
a  native  of  Ranem,  of  humble  birth,  but  of  superior  talents 
and  energy,  rallied  round  him  a  band  of  bold  spearmen,  and, 
animating  them  by  a  pretended  vision  of  the  prophet,  hoisted 
the  green  flag,  and  attacked  the  invaders.  His  success  was 
such,  that  in  ten  months  the  Fellatas  were  completely  driven 
out  of  Bornou,  which  they  had  never  since  re-entered,  though 
desultory  hostilities  were  still  waged  between  the  two  nations. 
This  leader,  idolized  by  the  army  who  had  conquered  under 
him,  was  now  the  real  master  of  the  country,  yet  the  reverence 
of  the  nation  for  their  ancient  line  of  kings  was  too  deep  to 
allow  the  legitimate  heir  to  be  wholly  superseded.  He  was 
drawn  forth  from  obscurity,  received  the  title  of  sultan,  and 
was  established  in  empty  pomp  at  the  city  of  Birnie ;  while 
the  successful  soldier,  under  an  humbler  name,  retained  in  his 
own  hands  all  the  real  power  of  the  kingdom. 

After  five  days  an  invitation  arrived  from  the  sheik  to  visit 
him  at  Kouka,  for  which  city  the  travellers  immediately  de- 
parted. In  their  way  they  passed  the  Yeou,  the  first  river  of 
any  description  which  had  crossed  their  path  in  this  long 
journey,  exciting  considerable  interest  from  being  for  a  mo- 
ment supposed  to  be  the  Niger  flowing  from  Timbuctoo.   The 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  423 

Stream  was  fifty  yards  broad,  and  proceeded  with  some  rapid- 
ity eastward  into  the  Tchad :  in  the  wet  season  its  breadth 
became  twice  as  great.  On  the  bank,  for  the  convenience  of 
passengers,  lay  two  large  canoes,  rudely  put  together,  con- 
structed of  planks  fastened  by  cords,  and  having  the  openings 
stuffed  with  straw.  The  men  and  goods  were  ferried  over  on 
these  rafts,  while  the  horses  and  camels,  having  their  heads 
fastened  to  them,  swam  across. 

In  approaching  Kouka,  Major  Denham  experienced  con- 
siderable emotion,  in  consequence  of  the  contradictory  reports 
which  he  heard  respecting  the  array  and  aspect  of  this  great 
central  court  of  Africa.  Some  told  him  that  the  sheik  was 
surrounded  by  a  mere  handful  of  half-armed,  half-naked  ne- 
groes, fit  only  for  plunder  ;  while,  according  to  others,  he  was 
at  the  head  of  a  numerous  cavalry,  highly  equipped  and  well- 
disciplined.  The  Major  pressed  eagerly  forward  before  the 
main  body,  and,  emerging  from  the  forest,  had  his  curiosity 
gratified  by  seeing  a  body  of  several  thousand  horse  drawn  up 
in  line,  and  extending  on  each  side  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  He  now  awaited  the  coming  up  of  the  Arabs  ;  at  sight 
of  whom  the  Bornou  troops,  who  had  previously  stood  im- 
moveable, raised  a  mighty  shout  or  yell,  which  rent  the  air, 
followed  by  a  sound  equally  loud  of  rude  martial  music. 
Then,  forming  detached  parties,  they  galloped  up  full  speed 
to  the  strangers,  never  pausing  till  they  almost  touched  the 
horses'  heads,  when  they  suddenly  wheeled  round  and  return- 
ed, exclaiming,  "Blessing!  blessing  !  sons  of  your  country  ! 
sons  of  your  country!"  They  had  soon  completely  surround- 
ed the  party,  and  wedged  them  in  so  close,  waving  their 
spears  over  their  heads,  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  strangers 
to  move.  Boo  Khalloom  had  nearly  lost  all  patience  at  this 
vehement  and  incommodious  welcome  ;  but  at  length  Barca 
Gana,  the  commander-in-chief,  made  his  appearance,  restored 
order,  and  caused  a  way  to  be  opened,  by  which  the  caravan, 
though  somewhat  slowly,  at  length  made  its  way  to  the  city. 

But,  after  their  arrival  at  Kouka,  symptoms  of  jealousy  ap- 
peared, and  only  twelve  of  the  principal  persons,  the  English 
included,  were  allowed  to  enter.  They  were  led  through  a 
wide  street  lined  with  spearmen,  to  the  door  of  the  sheik's 
residence.  Here  the  principal  courtiers  came  out  in  succes- 
sion, and  welcomed  the  party  with  cries  of  "  Barca !  Barca!" 
but  as  no  one  invited  them  to  go  in,  the  wrath  of  Boo  Khal- 
loom, who  held  himself  scarcely  inferior  to  the  sheik,  was 
kindled,  and  he  declared  that,  unless  immediately  admitted,  he 
would  return  to  his  tent.  A  chief  merely  waved  his  hand  as 
a  signal  for  patience  ;  but  at  last  Barca  Gana  appeared,  and 


424  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

invited  the  Arab  leader  to  enter  alone.  Another  half-hour 
elapsed  ere  the  gates  were  again  opened,  and  the  four  Enghsh- 
men  were  called.  They  found,  on  the  present,  as  well  as  on 
other  occasions,  the  etiquette  of  this  barbarian  court  extremely 
rigid,  and  enforced  too  in  a  manner  the  most  rough  and  un- 
ceremonious. They  were  allowed  to  walk  only  one  by  one, 
and,  when  thought  to  be  going  too  fast,  the  guards  grasped 
them  by  the  leg  so  abruptly  that  they  could  with  difficulty  avoid 
falling  flat  forward ;  and  when  it  was  time  to  stop,  instead  of 
their  being  told  so,  spears  were  crossed  before  them,  and  the 
palm  of  the  hand  applied  to  their  breast.  At  the  close  of  all 
this  ceremony,  they  found  the  sheik  quietly  seated  on  a  car- 
pet, plainly  dressed,  in  a  small  dark  room,  ornamented  solely 
with  guns  and  pistols,  which  he  had  received  in  presents  from 
crowned  heads,  and  esteemed  the  most  rare  and  precious  of 
decorations.  He  appeared  about  forty,  or  forty-five  years  of 
age,  and  his  countenance  was  pleasing  and  expressive.  He 
inquired  their  object  in  visiting  Bornou ;  when,  being  informed 
that  they  had  come  merely  to  see  the  country,  and  to  give  an 
account  of  its  appearance,  produce,  and  people,  he  engaged  to 
forward  their  views,  and  even  to  gratify  their  wishes  to  the 
utmost  of  his  power.  Such  motives,  however,  afterward 
proved  entirely  incomprehensible  to  his  illiterate  mind. 

Major  Denham  next  day  waited  again  on  the  sheik  and 
delivered  his  presents.  A  double-barrelled  gun  and  two  pis- 
tols, with  powder-flask,  and  shot-cases,  were  examined  by  the 
chief  with  the  most  minute  attention  ;  the  other  gifts,  consist- 
ing of  fine  cloths,  spices,  and  porcelain,  were  no  sooner  pro- , 
duced  than  the  slaves  carried  them  ofl*.  The  African  was  par- 
ticularly gratified  on  being  told  that  the  king  of  England  had 
heard  of  him,  and  said,  turning  to  his  captains,  "  This  must 
be  in  consequence  of  our  having  defeated  the  Begharmis;" 
upon  which  Bagah  Furby,  a  grim  old  soldier,  who  had  made 
a  figure  in  that  war,  came  forward  and  asked,  "  Did  he  ever 
hear  of  me?"  Major  Denham  scrupled  not  to  answer,  "  Cer- 
tainly;" when  the  whole  party  instantly  called  out,  "Oh!  the 
king  of  England  must  be  a  great  man." 

The  Major,  in  the  course  of  his  residence  at  Kouka,  had 
frequent  opportunities  of  visiting  the  sheik.  One  day  he  re- 
ceived a  message  that  he  must  come  instantly  and  exhibit  a 
musical  box  playing  tunes  by  itself,  which  the  other  understood 
to  be  in  his  possession.  This  great  warrior,  who  had  never 
before  shown  any  interest  unless  about  grave  concerns,  was 
quite  enchanted  on  hearing  its  performance,  and  raised  shouts 
of  delight  and  astonishment.  He  examined  minutely  the 
difiV;rent  parts  of  the  mechanism,  declaring  he  would  willingly 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  425 

give  a  thousand  dollars  in  exchange  for  it.  The  Major,  un- 
able to  misunderstand  so  broad  a  hint,  presented  the  box  to 
his  highness.  The  display  of  sky-rockets  also  caused  the  ut- 
most amazement  and  joy,  and  was  even  employed  to  strike 
the  enemies  of  the  sheik  with  superstitious  awe.  Finding 
that  our  traveller  could  speak  Arabic,  and  give  much  informa- 
tion not  attainable  from  any  other  quarter,  Barca  Gana  be- 
came fond  of  his  conversation,  and  invited  him  to  pay  frequent 
visits. 

It  remained  that  Major  Denham  should  be  introduced  to  the 
sultan  in  his  royal  residence  at  Birnie,  where  all  the  state  and 
pomp  of  the  kingdom,  with  none  of  its  real  power,  were  con- 
centrated. On  the  2d  of  March,  the  English  accompanied 
Boo  Khalloom  to  that  city,  and,  on  their  arrival  there,  the  fol- 
lowing morning  was  fixed  for  the  interview.  Fashion,  even 
in  the  most  refined  European  courts,  does  not  always  follow 
the  absolute  guidance  of  reason  or  taste,  and  her  magic  power 
is  often  displayed  in  converting  deformities  into  beauties  ;  but 
there  is  certainly  no  court  of  which  the  taste  is  so  absurd, 
grotesque,  or  monstrous,  as  that  to  which  Major  Denham  was 
now  introduced.  An  enormous  protruding  belly  and  a  huge 
misshapen  head,  are  the  two  features  without  which  it  is  vain 
to  aspire  to  the  rank  of  a  courtier  or  of  a  fine  gentleman.  This 
form,  valued  probably  as  a  type  of  abundance  and  luxury,  is 
esteemed  so  essential,  that,  where  nature  has  not  bestowed, 
and  the  most  excessive  feeding  and  cramming  cannot  produce 
it,  wadding  is  employed,  and  a  false  belly  produced,  which,  in 
riding,  appears  to  hang  over  the  pummel  of  the  saddle.  Tur- 
bans also  are  wrapped  round  the  head,  in  fold  after  fold,  til! 
it  appears  swelled  on  one  side  to  the  most  unnatural  dimen- 
sions, and  only  one-half  of  the  face  remains  visible.  The  fac- 
titious bulk  of  the  lords  of  Bornou  is  still  farther  augmented  by 
drawing  round  them,  even  in  this  burning  climate,  ten  or 
twelve  successive  robes  of  cotton  or  silk,  while  the  whole  is 
covered  over  with  numberless  charms  enclosed  in  green  leather 
cases.  Yet  under  all  these  encumbrances  they  do  sometimes 
mount  and  take  the  field  ;  but  the  idea  of  such  unwieldy  hogs- 
heads being  of  any  avail  in  the  day  of  battle  appeared  alto- 
gether ridiculous, — and  it  proved  accordingly,  that,  on  such 
high  occasions,  they  merely  exhibited  themselves  as  orna- 
ments, without  making  even  a  show  of  encountering  the 
enemy. 

With  about  three  hundred  of  this  puissant  chivalry  before 
and  around  him,  the  sultan  was  himself  seated  near  the  garden- 
door  in  a  sort  of  cane  basket  covered  with  silk,  and  his  face 
entirely  shaded  beneath  a  turban  of  more  than  the  usual  mag- 


426  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

nitude.  The  presents  were  silently  deposited ;  nothing  passed ; 
and  the  courtiers,  tottering  beneath  the  weight  of  their  turbans^ 
and  their  bellies,  could  not  display  that  punctilious  activity 
which  had  been  so  annoying  at  the  palace  of  the  sheik.  This 
was  all  that  was  ever  seen  of  the  sultan  of  Bornou.  The  par- 
ty then  set  out  for  Kouka,  passing,  on  their  way,  through  An- 
gornou,  the  largest  city  in  the  kingdom,  containing  at  least  ^ 
30,000  inhabitants. 

Bornou,  taken  altogether,  forms  an  extensive  plain,  stretch- 
ing two  hundred  miles  along  the  western  shore  of  the  immense 
lake  already  mentioned,  and  nearly  the  same  distance  inland. 
This  sea  periodically  changes  its  bed  in  an  extraordinary 
manner.  During  the  rains,  when  its  tributary  rivers  pour  in 
thrice  the  usual  quantity  of  water,  it  inundates  an  extensive 
tract  of  country,  from  which  it  retires  in  the  dry  season.  This 
space,  then  overgrown  with  dense  underwood,  and  with  grass 
double  the  height  of  a  man,  contains  a  motly  assemblage  of 
wild  beasts, — lions,  panthers,  hyenas,  elephants,  and  serpents 
of  extraordinary  form  and  bulk.  These  monsters,  while  un- 
disturbed in  thi^  mighty  den,  remain  tranquil,  or  war  only 
with  each  other ;  but  when  the  lake  swells,  and  its  waters 
rush  in,  they  of  necessity  seek  refuge  among  the  abodes  of 
men,  to  whom  they  prove  the  most  dreadful  scourge.  Not 
only  the  cattle,  but  the  slaves  tending  the  grain,  often  fall  vic- 
tims ;  they  even  rush  in  large  bodies  into  the  towns.  The 
rest  of  the  country,  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  this  annual  in- 
undation, is  in  many  places  very  fertile  ;  and  cultivation  is  so 
limited  that  land  may  always  be  had  in  any  quantity  by  him 
who  has  slaves  to  employ  upon  it.  This  service  is  performed 
by  female  captives  from  Musgow,  who,  aiding  their  native  ugli- 
ness by  the  insertion  of  a  large  piece  of  silver  into  the  upper- 
lip,  which  throws  it  entirely  out  of  shape,  are  coveted  in  no 
other  view  than  for  the  quantity  of  hard  work  which  they  can 
execute.  The  processes  of  agriculture  are  extremely  simple. 
Their  only  fine  manufacture  is  that  of  tobes,  or  vestments  of 
cotton  skilfully  woven  and  beautifully  died,  but  still  not  equal 
to  those  of  Soudan.  In  every  other  handicraft  they  are  very 
inexpert, — even  in  works  of  iron,  which  are  of  the  greatest  use 
to  a  martial  people. 

The  Bornouese  have,  however,  an  ingenious  mode  of  fish- 
ing with  a  very  simple  apparatus.  They  take  two  large  gourds, 
and  fasten  them  at  each  end  to  a  stem  of  bamboo.  The  fish- 
erman seats  himself  upon  this  machine,  floats  with  the  current, 
and  throws  his  net.  On  drawing  it  up,  he  lays  it  before  him, 
stuns  the  fish  with  a  species  of  mace,  and  piles  them  into  the 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  427 

gourds.     They  are  afterwards  dried,  and  conveyed  over  the 
country  to  a  considerable  distance. 

The  Bornouese  are  complete  negroes  both  in  form  and 
feature ;  they  are  ugly,  simple,  and  good-natured,  but  desti- 
tute of  all  intellectual  culture.  Only  a  few  of  the  great  Jigkis, 
or  doctors,  of  whom  the  sheik  was  one,  can  read  the  Koran. 

A  "  great  writer,"  indeed,  is  held  in  still  higher  estimation 
than  with  us ;  but  his  compositions  consist  only  of  words 
written  on  scraps  of  paper,  to  be  enclosed  in  cases,  and  worn 
as  amulets.  They  are  then  supposed  to  defend  their  possessor 
against  every  danger,  to  act  as  charms  to  destroy  his  enemies, 
and  to  be  the  main  instrument  in  the  cure  of  all  diseases.  For 
this  last  purpose  they  are  aided  only  by  a  few  simple  apphca- 
tions;  yet  the  Bornou  practice  is  said  to  be  very  successful, 
either  through  the  power  of  imagination,  or  owing  to  their 
excellent  constitutions.  In  the  absence  of  all  refined  plea- 
sures, various  rude  sports  are  pursued  with  eagerness,  and 
almost  with  fury.  The  most  favourite  is  wrestling,  which  the 
chiefs  do  not  practise  in  person,  but  train  their  slaves  to  ex- 
hibit in  it  as  our  jockeys  do  game-cocks,  taking  the  same  pride 
in  their  prowess  and  victory.  Nations  are  often  pitched 
against  each  other,  the  Musgowy  and  the  Begharmi  being  the 
most  powerful.  Many  of  them  are  extremely  handsome  and 
of  gigantic  size,  and  hence  the  contests  between  them  are  truly 
terrible.  Their  masters  loudly  cheer  them  on,  offering  high 
premiums  for  victory,  and  sometimes  threatening  instant  death 
in  case  of  defeat.  They  place  their  trust,  not  in  science,  but 
in  main  strength  and  rapid  movements.  Occasionally  the 
wrestler,  eluding  his  adversary's  vigilance,  seizes  him  by  the 
thigh,  lifts  him  up  into  the  air,  and  dashes  him  against  the 
ground.  When  the  match  is  decided,  the  victor  is  greeted  with 
loud  plaudits  by  the  spectators,  some  of  whom  even  testify 
their  admiration  by  throwing  to  him  presents  of  fine  cloth. 
He  then  kneels  before  his  master,  who  not  unfrcquently  be- 
stowed upon  him  a  robe  worth  thirty  or  forty  dollars,  taken 
perhaps  from  his  own  person.  Death  or  maiming,  however,  is 
no  unfrequent  result  of  these  encounters.  The  ladies,  even 
of  rank,  engage  in  another  very  odd  species  of  contest.  Plac- 
ing themselves  back  to  back,  they  cause  particular  parts  to 
strike  together  with  the  most  violent  collision,  when  she  who 
maintains  her  equihbrium,  while  the  other  lies  stretched  on  the 
ground,  is  proclaimed  victor  with  loud  cheers.  In  this  conflict 
the  girdle  of  beads  worn  by  the  more  opulent  females  very 
frequently  burst,  when  these  ornaments  are  seen  flying  about 
in  every  direction.  To  these  elegant  recreations  is  added 
gaming,  always  the  rage  of  uncultivated  minds.     Their  fa- 


428  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

vourite  game  is  one  rudely  played  with  beans,  by  means  of 
holes  made  in  the  sand. 

Boo  Khalloom,  having  despatched  his  affairs  in  Bornou, 
wished  to  turn  his  journey  to  some  farther  account,  and  pro- 
posed an  expedition  into  the  more  wealthy  and  commercial 
region  of  Houssa  or  Soudan ;  but  the  eager  wishes  of  his  fol- 
lowers pointed  to  a  different  object.  They  called  upon  him  to 
lead  them  into  the  mountains  of  Mandara  in  the  south,  to  at- 
tack a  village  of  the  kerdies,  or  unbelievers,  and  carry  off  the 
people  as  slaves  to  Fezzan.  He  long  stood  out  against  this 
nefarious  proposal;  but  the  sheik, who  also  ha<l  his  own  views, 
took  part  against  him;  even  his  own  brother  joined  the  mal- 
contents, and  at  length  there  appeared  no  other  mode  in  which 
he  could  return  with  equal  credit  and  profit.  Influenced  by 
these  inducements,  he  suffered  his  better  judgment  to  be  over- 
powered, and  determined  to  conduct  his  troop  upon  this  peril- 
ous and  guilty  excursion.  Major  Denham,  allowing  his  zeal 
for  discovery  to  overcome  other  considerations,  contrived,  not- 
withstanding the  prohibition  of  the  sheik,  to  be  one  of  the  par- 
ty. They  were  accompanied  by  Barca  Gana,  the  principal 
general,  a  negro  of  huge  strength  and  great  courage,  along 
with  other  warriors,  and  a  large  body  of  Bornou  cavalry. 
These  last  are  a  fine  military  body  in  point  of  external  appear- 
ance. Their  persons  are  covered  with  iron  plate  and  mail, 
and  they  manage,  with  surprising  dexterity,  their  little  active 
steeds,  which  are  also  supplied  with  defensive  armour.  They 
have  one  fault  only,  but  that  a  serious  one, — they  cannot  stand 
the  shock  of  an  enemy.  While  the  contest  continues  doubtful, 
they  hover  round  as  spectators,  ready,  should  the  tide  turn 
against  them,  to  spur  on  their  coursers  to  a  rapid  flight ;  but 
if  they  see  their  friends  victorious,  and  the  enemy  turning  their 
backs,  they  come  forward  and  display  no  small  vigour  in  pur- 
suit and  plunder. 

The  road  that  led  to  Mandara  formed  a  continued  ascent 
through  a  fertile  country  which  contained  some  populous 
towns.  The  path  being  quite  overgrown  with  thick  and  prick- 
ly underwood,  twelve  pioneers  went  forward  with  long  poles, 
opening  a  track,  pushing  back  the  branches,  and  giving  warn- 
ing to  beware  of  holes.  These  operations  they  accompanied 
with  loud  praises  of  Barca  Gana,  calling  out, — "  Who  is  in 
battle  hke  the  rolling  of  thunder?  Barca  Gana.  In  battle, 
who  spreads  terror  around  him  like  the  buffalo  in  his  rage? 
Barca  Gana."  Even  the  chiefs  on  this  expedition  carried  no 
provisions  except  a  paste  of  rice,  flour,  and  honey,  with  which 
they  contented  themselves,  unless  when  sheep  could  be  pro- 
cured ;  in  which  case  half  the  animal,  roasted  over  a  frame- 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  4"29 

work  of  wood,  was  placed  on  the  table,  and  the  sharpest  dag- 
ger present  was  employed  in  cutting  it  into  large  pieces,  to  be 
eaten  without  bread  or  salt.  At  length  they  approached  Mora, 
the  capital  of  Mandara.  This  was  another  kingdom  which 
the  energy  of  its  present  sultan  had  rescued  from  the  yoke  of 
the  Fellata  empire  ;  and  the  strong  position  of  its  capital,  en- 
closed by  lofty  ridges  of  hills,  had  enabled  it  to  defy  repeated 
attacks.  It  consists  of  a  fine  plain,  bordered  on  the  south  by 
an  immense  and  almost  interminable  range  of  mountains. 
The  eminences  directly  in  front  were  not  quite  so  lofty  as  the 
hills  of  Cumberland,  but  bold,  rocky  and  precipitous,  and  dis- 
tant summits  appeared  towering  much  higher,  and  shooting  up 
a  line  of  sharp  pinnacles  resembling  the  needles  of  Mont 
Blanc.  It  was  reported,  that  two  months  were  required  to 
cross  their  greatest  breadth  and  reach  the  other  side,  where 
they  rose  ten  times  higher,  and  were  called  large  moon  moun- 
tains. They  there  overlooked  the  plain  of  Adamowa,  through 
which  the  Quorra  (or  Niger)  was  said  to  flow  from  the  west- 
ward. The  hills  immediately  in  view  were  thickly  clustered 
with  villages  perched  on  their  sides,  and  even  on  their  tops, 
and  were  distinctly  seen  from  the  plain  of  Mandara.  They 
were  occupied  by  half-savage  tribes,  whom  the  ferocious  bigo- 
try of  the  nations  occupying  the  low  country  branded  as  pa- 
gans, and  whom  they  claimed  a  right  to  plunder,  seize,  and 
drive  in  crowds  for  sale  to  the  markets  of  Fezzan  and  Bornou. 
"  The  fires,  which  were  visible  in  the  different  nests  of  these 
unfortunate  beings,  threw  a  glare  upon  the  bold  rocks  and 
blunt  promontories  of  granite  by  which  they  were  surrounded, 
and  produced  a  picturesque  and  somewhat  awful  appearance." 
A  baleful  joy  gleamed  in  the  visage  of  the  Arabs  as  they  eyed 
these  abodes  of  their  future  victims,  whom  they  already  fanci- 
ed themselves  driving  in  bands  across  the  Desert.  A  kerdy 
village  to  plunder  was  all  their  cry,  and  Boo  Khalloom  doubt- 
ed not  that  he  would  be  able  to  gratify  their  wishes.  Their 
common  fear  of  the  Fellatas  had  united  the  sultan  of  Man- 
dara in  close  alliance  with  the  sheik,  to  whom  he  had  lately 
married  his  daughter ;  and  the  nuptials  had  been  celebrated 
by  a  great  slave-hunt  among  the  mountains,  when,  after  a 
dreadful  struggle,  three  thousand  captives,  by  their  tears  and 
bondage,  furnished  out  the  materials  of  a  magnificent  mar- 
riage-festival. 

The  expedition  obtained  a  reception  quite  as  favourable  as 
had  been  expected.  In  approaching  the  capital  they  were  met 
by  the  sultan  with  five  hundred  Mandara  horse,  who,  charging 
full  speed,  wheeled  round  them  with  the  same  threatening 
movements  which  had  been  exhibited  at  Bornou.  The  horses 
37 


430  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

were  of  a  superior  breed,  most  skillfully  managed,  and  covered 
with  cloths  of  various  colours,  as  well  as  with  the  skins  of  the 
leopard  and  tiger-cat.  This  cavalry  made  of  course  a  very 
brilhant  appearance ;  but  the  Major  did  not  yet  know  that 
their  valour  was  exactly  on  a  level  with  that  of  their  Bornou 
allies.  The  party  were  then  escorted  to  the  capital,  amid  the 
music  of  long  pipes  like  clarionets,  and  of  two  immense  trum- 
pets. They  were  introduced  next  day.  The  mode  of  ap- 
proaching the  royal  residence  is  to  gallop  up  to  the  gate  with  a 
furious  speed,  which  often  causes  fatal  accidents;  and  on  this 
occasion  a  man  was  ridden  down  and  killed  on  the  spot.  The 
sultan  was  found  in  a  dark-blue  tent,  sitting  on  a  mud-bench, 
surrounded  by  about  two  hundred  attendants,  handsomely 
arayed  in  silk  and  cotton  robes.  He  was  an  intelligent  little 
man,  about  fifty  years  old,  with  a  beard  dyed  sky-blue.  Cour- 
teous salutations  were  exchanged  ;  during  which  he  steadily 
eyed  Major  Denham,  concerning  whom  he  at  last  enquired  ; 
'and  the  traveller  was  advantageously  introduced  as  belonging 
to  a  powerful  distant  nation,  allies  of  the  bashaw  of  Tripoli. 
At  last,  however,  came  the  fatal  question, — "  Is  he  Moslem  1 — 
La!  la! — no!  no! — What!  has  the  great  bashaw  Caffre- 
friends?"  Every  eye  was  instantly  averted;  the  sun  of  Major 
Denham's  favour  was  set ;  and  he  was  never  more  allowed  to 
enter  the  palace. 

The  bigotry  of  this  court  seems  to  have  surpassed  even  the 
usual  bitterness  of  the  African  tribes,  and  our  traveller  had  to 
undergo  a  regular  persecution,  carried  on  especially  by  Ma- 
lem  Chadily,  the  leading  fighi  or  doctor  of  the  court.  As 
Major  Denham  was  showing  to  the  admiring  chiefs  the  mode 
of  writing  with  a  pencil,  and  effacing  it  with  Indian  rubber, 
Malem  wrote  some  words  of  the  Koran  with  such  force  that 
the  rubber  could  not  wholly  remove  the  traces  of  them.  He 
then  exclaimed  with  triumph,  "  They  are  the  words  of  God, 
delivered  to  his  prophet;  I  defy  you  to  erase  them."  The 
Major  was  then  called  upon  to  acknowledge  this  great  mir- 
acle; and,  as  his  countenance  still  expressed  increduhty,  he 
was  viewed  with  looks  of  such  mingled  contempt  and  indig- 
nation as  induced  him  to  retire.  Malem,  however,  again 
assailed  him  with  the  assurance  that  this  was  only  one  of  the 
many  miracles  which  he  could  show  as  wrought  by  the  Ko- 
ran; imploring  him  to  turn,  and  paradise  would  be  his,  other- 
wise nothing  could  save  him  from  eternal  fire.  *'Oh!"  said 
he,  "  while  sitting  in  the  third  heaven  I  shall  see  you  fn  tlic 
midst  of  the  flames,  crying  out  to  your  friend  Barca  Gana 
and  myself  for  a  drop  of  water ;  but  the  gulf  will  be  between 
us  :"  his  tears  then  flowed  profusely.     The  Major,  taking  the 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  431 

general  aside,  entreated  to  be  relieved  from  this  incessant  per- 
secution ;  but  Gana  assured  him  that  the  fighi  was  a  great  and 
holy  man,  to  whom  he  ought  to  listen.  He  then  held  out  not 
only  paradise,  but  honours,  slaves,  and  wives  of  the  first  fami- 
lies, as  gifts  to  be  lavished  on  him  by  the  sheik  if  he  would 
renounce  his  unbelief.  Major  Denham  asked  the  commander, 
what  would  be  thought  of  himself  if  he  should  go  to  England 
and  turn  Christian  1  "  God  forbid  !"  exclaimed  he  ;  "  but 
how  can  you  compare  our  faiths  ;  mine  would  lead  you  to 
paradise,  while  yours  would  bring  me  to  hell.  Not  a  word 
more."  Nothing  appears  to  have  annoyed  the  stranger  more 
than  to  be  told  that  he  was  of  the  same  faith  with  the  kerdies 
or  savages^  little  distinction  being  made  between  any  who  de- 
nied the  Koran.  After  a  long  discussion  of  this  question,  he 
thought  the  validity  of  his  reasoning  would  be  admitted,  when 
he  could  point  to  a  party  of  those  wretches  devouring  a  dead 
horse,  and  appealed  to  Boo  Khalloom  if  he  had  ever  seen  the 
English  do  the  same  ;  but  to  this,  which  was  not  after  all  a 
very  deep  theological  argument,  the  Arab  replied, — "  I  know 
they  eat  the  flesh  of  swine,  and,  God  knows,  that  is  worse." 
"  Grant  me  patience,"  exclaimed  I  to  myself, — "  this  is  almost 
too  much  to  bear  and  to  remain  silent." 

The  unfortunate  kerdies,  from  the  moment  that  they  saw 
Arab  tents  in  the  valley  of  Mandara,  knew  the  dreadful  ca- 
lamity which  awaited  them.  To  avert  it,  and  to  propitiate  the 
sultan,  numerous  parties  came  down  with  presents  of  honey, 
asses,  and  slaves.  Finally  appeared  the  Musgow,  a  more 
distant  and  savage  race,  mounted  on  small  fiery  steeds,  covered 
only  with  the  skin  of  a  goat  or  leopard,  and  with  necklaces 
made  of  the  teeth  of  their  enemies.  They  threw  themselves 
at  the  feet  of  the  sultan,  casting  sand  on  their  heads,  and 
uttering  the  most  piteous  cries.  The  monarch,  apparently 
moved  by  these  gifts  and  entreaties,  began  to  intimate  to  Boo 
Khalloom  his  hopes  that  these  savages  might  by  gentle  means 
be  reclaimed  and  led  to  embrace  the  true  faith.  These  hopes 
w^ere  held  by  the  latter  in  the  utmost  derision ;  and  he  private- 
ly assured  Major  Denham  that  nothing  would  more  annoy  this 
devout  Mussulman  than  to  see  them  fulfilled,  whereby  he  must 
have  forfeited  all  right  to  drive  these  unhappy  creatures  in 
crowds  to  the  markets  of  Soudan  and  Bornou.  In  fact,  both 
the  sultan  and  the  sheik  had  a  much  deeper  aim.  Every  effort 
was  used  to  induce  Boo  Khalloom  to  engage  in  the  attack  of 
some  strong  Fellata  post,  by  which  the  country  was  hemmed 
in  ;  and  as  the  two  monarchs  viewed  the  Arabs  with  extreme 
jealousy,  it  was  strongly  suspected  that  their  defeat  would  not 
haye  been  regarded  as  a  pubhc  calamity.     The  royal  councils 


432 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


were  secret  and  profound,  and  it  was  not  known  what  influ- 
ences worked  upon  Boo  Khalloom.  On  this  occasion  unfor- 
tunately he  was  mastered  by  liis  evil  ^enius,  and  consented  to 
the  proposed  attack;  but  as  he  came  out  and  ordered  his  troops 
to  prepare  for  marching,  his  countenance  bore  such  marks  of 
trouble  that  the  Major  asked  if  all  went  well  1  to  which  he 
hurriedly  answered,  "  Please  God."  The  Arabs,  however, 
who  at  all  events  expected  plunder,  proceeded  with  alacrity. 

The  expedition  set  out  next  morning,  and,  after  passing 
through  a  beautiful  plain,  began  to  penetrate  the  mighty  chain 
of  mountains  which  form  the  southern  border  of  the  kingdom. 
Alpine  heights,  rising  around  them  in  rugged  magnificence 
and  gigantic  grandeur,  presented  a  scenery  whiclT  our  travel- 
ler had  never  seen  surpassed.  The  passes  of  Hairey  and 
of  Horza,  amid  a  superb  amphitheatre  of  hills,  closely  shut  in 
by  overhanging  cliffs,  more  tlian  two  thousand  feet  high,  were 
truly  striking.  Here,  for  the  first  time  in  Africa,  did  nature 
appear  to  the  Enghsh  to  revel  in  the  production  of  vegetable 
life.  The  trees  were  covered  with  luxuriant  and  bright  green 
foliage ;  and  their  trunks  were  hidden  by  a  crowd  of  parasitical 
plants,  whose  aromatic  blossoms  perfumed  the  air.  There 
was  also  an  abundance  of  animal  life  of  a  less  agreeable  de- 
scription :  three  scorpions  were  killed  in  the  tent ;  and  a 
fierce  but  beautiful  panther,  more  than  eight  feet  long,  just  as 
he  had  gorged  himself  by  sucking  the  blood  of  a  newly-killed 
negro,  was  attacked  and  speared.  The  sultan  and  Barca  Gana 
were  attended  by  a  considerable  body  of  Bornou  and  Man- 
dar  cavalry,  whose  brilhant  armour,  martial  aspect,  and  skilful 
horsemanship  gave  confidence  to  the  European  officer,  who 
had  not  yet  seen  them  put  to  the  proof. 

It  was  the  third  day  when  the  expedition  came  in  view  of 
the  Fellata  town  of  Dirkulla.  The  Arabs,  supported  by  Barca 
Gana  and  about  a  hundred  spearmen,  marched  instantly  to 
the  attack,  and  carried  first  that  place,  and  then  a  smaller 
town  beyond  it,  kilhng  all  who  had  not  time  to  escape.  The 
enemy,  however,  then  entrenched  themselves  in  a  third  and 
stronger  position,  called  Musfeia,  enclosed  by  high  hills,  and 
fortified  in  front  by  numerous  swamps  and  palisades.  This 
was  likewise  attacked,  and  all  its  defences  forced.  The  guns 
of  the  Arabs  spread  terror,  while  Barca  Gana  threw  eight 
spears  with  his  own  hand,  every  one  of  which  took  eff*ect.  It 
was  thought,  that  had  the  two  bodies  of  cavalry  made  even  a 
show  of  advancing,  the  victory  would  have  been  at  once  de- 
cided ;  but  Major  Denham  was  much  surprised  to  see  those 
puissant  warriors  keeping  carefully  under  cover  behind  a  hill 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  where  not  an  arrow  could 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


433 


reach  them.  The  Fellatas,  seeing  that  their  antagonists  were 
only  a  handful,  ralhed  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  were  joined  by- 
new  troops,  and  turned  round.  Their  women  behind,  cheer- 
ing them  on,  continually  supplied  fresh  arrows,  and  rolled 
down  fragments  of  rock  on  the  assailants.  These  arrows 
were  fatal;  they  were  tipped  with  poison,  and.  wherever  they 
pierced,  the  body  in  a  few  hours  became  black,  blood  gushed 
from  eveiy  orifice,  and  the  victim  expired  in  agony.  The 
condition  of  the  Arabs  soon  became  alarming ;  scarcely  a 
man  was  left  unhurt,  and  their  horses  were  dying  under  them. 
Boo  Rhalloom  and  his  charger  were  both  wounded  with  poi- 
soned arrows.  As  soon  as  the  Fellatas  saw  the' Arabs  waver, 
they  dashed  in  with  their  horse  ;  at  sight  of  which  all  the  he- 
roic squadrons  of  Bornou  and  Mandara  put  spurs  to  their 
steeds,  the  sultan  at  their  head,  and  the  whole  became  one 
mass  of  confused  and  tumultuous  flight.  Major  Denham  saw 
too  late  the  peril  into  which  he  had  wantonly  plunged.  His 
horse,  pierced  to  the  shoulder-bone,  could  scarcely  support  his 
weight;  but  the  cries  of  the  pursuing  Fellatas  still  urged  him 
forward.  At  last  the  animal  fell  twice,  and  the  second  time 
threw  him  against  a  tree,  then,  frightened  by  the  noise  behind, 
started  up  and  ran  off.  The  Fellatas  were  instantly  up,  when 
four  of  his  companions  were  stabbed  beside  him,  uttering  the 
most  frightful  cries.  He  himself  was  fully  prepared  for  the 
same  fate ;  but  happily  his  clothes  formed  a  valuable  booty, 
through  which  the  savages  were  loth  to  run  their  spears.  After 
inflicting  some  slight  wounds,  therefore,  they  stripped  him  to 
the  skin,  and  forthwith  began  to  quarrel  about  the  plunder. 
While  they  were  thus  busied,  he  contrived  to  slip  away,  and 
though  hotly  pursued,  and  nearly  overtaken,  succeeded  in 
reaching  a  mountain-stream  gliding  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
and  precipitous  ravine.  Here  he  had  snatched  the  young 
branches  issuing  from  the  stump  of  a  large  over-hanging  tree, 
in  order  to  let  himself  down  into  the  water,  when,  beneath  his 
hand,  a  large  liffa,  the  most  dangerous  serpent  in  this  country, 
rose  from  its  coil,  as  in  the  very  act  of  darting  upon  him. 
Struck  with  horror.  Major  Denham  lost  all  recollection,  and 
fell  headlong  into  the  water;  but  the  shock  revived  him,  and, 
with  three  strokes  of  his  arm  he  reached  the  opposite  bank, 
and  felt  himself  for  the  moment  in  safety.  Running  forward, 
he  was  dehghted  to  see  his  friends  Barca  Gana  and  Boo  Khal- 
loom  ;  but  amid  the  cheers  with  which  they  were  endeavour- 
ing to  rally  their  troops,  and  the  cries  of  those  who  were  falhng 
under  the  Fellata  spears,  he  could  not  for  some  time  make  him- 
self heard.  Then  Maramy,  a  negro  appointed  by  the  sheik  to 
attend  on  him,  rode  up  and  took  him  on  his  own  horse.  Boo 
37* 


434  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

Khalioom  ordered  a  burnouse  to  be  thrown  over  him, — very 
seasonably,  for  the  burning  sun  had  begun  to  bhster  his  nakeil 
body.  Suddenly,  however,  Maramy  called  out,  "See,  see! 
Boo  Khalioom  is  dead !"  and  that  spirited  chief,  overpowered 
by  the  wound  of  a  poisoned  arrow,  dropped  from  his  horse,  and 
spoke  no  more.  The  others  now  thought  only  of  pressing 
their  flight,  and  soon  reached  a  stream,  where  they  refreshecl 
themselves  by  copious  draughts,  and  a  halt  was  made  to  col- 
lect the  stragglers.  Major  Denham  here  fell  into  a  swoon  ; 
during  which,  as  he  afterwards  learned,  Maramy  complained 
that  the  jaded  horse  could  scarcely  carry  the  stranger  forward, 
when  Barca  Gana  said, — "  By  the  beard  of  the  prophet !  be- 
lievers enough  have  breathed  their  last  to-day  ;  why  should  we 
concern  ourselves  about  a  Christian's  death?"  Malem  Cha- 
dily,  however,  so  bitter  as  a  theological  op}^oneniJ  showed  now 
the  influence  of  a  milder  spirit,  and  said, — "  No,  God  has  pre- 
served him  ;  let  us  not  abandon  him;"  and  Maramy  declared, 
"His  heart  told  him  what  to  do."  They  therefore  moved  on 
slowly  till  about  midnight,  when  they  passed  the  Mandara 
frontier  in  a  state  of  severe  suff'ering  ;  but  the  Major  met  with 
much  kindness  from  a  dethroned  prince,  Mai  Meegamy,  who, 
seeing  his  wounds  festering  under  the  rough  woollen  cloak 
which  formed  his  only  covering,  took  off"  his  own  trowsers  and 
gave  them  to  him. 

The  Arabs  had  lost  forty-five  of  their  number,  besides  their 
chief;  the  rest  were  in  a  miserable  plight,  most  of  them  wound- 
ed, some  mortally,  and  all  having  lost  their  camels  and  the 
rest  of  their  property.  Renouncing  their  pride,  they  were 
obliged  to  supplicate  from  Barca  (^ana  a  handful  of  corn  to 
keep  them  from  starving.  The  sultan  of  Mandara,  in  whose 
cause  they  had  suffered,  treated  them  with  the  utmost  con- 
tumely, which  perhaps  they  might  deserve,  but  certainly  not 
from  him.  Deep  sorrow  was  afterward  felt  in  Fezzan  when 
they  arrived  in  this  deplorable  condition  and  reported  the  fall 
of  their  chief,  who  was  there  almost  idohzed.  A  national  song 
Was  composed  on  the  occasion,  which  the  following  extract 
will  show  to  be  marked  by  great  depth  of  feeling,  and  not  al- 
together devoid  of  poetical  beauty : — 

"Oh !  trust  not  to  the  gun  and  tlie  sword !    The  spear  of  the  unbeliever  | 
prevails !  - 

"  Boo  I^alloom,  the  good  and  the  brave,  has  fallen !  Who  shall  now  be 
safe  ?  Even  as  the  moon  among  the  little  stars,  so  was  Boo  Khalioom 
among  men !  Whore  shall  Fezzan  now  look  for  her  protector  ?  Men 
hang  their  heads  in  sorrow,  while  women  wring  their  hands,  rending  the  air 
with  their  cries !  As  a  shepherd  is  to  his  flock,  so  was  Boo  Ivliallom  to 
Fezzan ! 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  435 

"Give  him  songs  !  Give  him  music !  What  words  can  equal  his  praise? 
His  heart  was  as  large  as  the  desert !  His  coffers  were  like  the  rich  over- 
flowings from  the  udder  of  the  she-camel,  comforthig  and  nourishing  those 
around  him ! 

"  Even  as  the  flowers  without  rain  perish  in  the  fields,  so  will  die  Fezzan- 
ers  droop  ;  for  Boo  I^alloom  returns  no  more ! 

''His  body  lies  in  the  land  of  the  heathen!  The  poisoned  arrow  of  the 
unbehever  prevails ! 

"Oh!  trust  not  to  the  gun  and  the  sword!  The  spear  of  the  heathen 
conquers  !  Boo  Khalloom,  the  good  and  the  brave,  has  fallen!  Who  shall 
now  be  safe?" 

The  sheik  of  Bornou  was  considerably  mortified  by  the  re- 
sult of  this  expedition,  and  the  miserable  figure  made  by  his 
troops,  though  he  sought  to  throw  the  chief  blame  ontheMan- 
dara  part  of  the  armament.  He  now  invited  the  Major  to  ac- 
company an  expedition  against  the  Mungas,  a  rebel  tribe  on 
his  outer  border,  on  which  occasion  he  was  to  employ  his  na- 
tive band  of  Kanemboo  spearmen,  who,  he  trusted,  would  re- 
deem the  military  reputation  of  the  monarchy.  Major  Denham 
was  always  ready  to  go  wherever  he  had  a  chance  of  seeing 
the  manners  and  scenery  of  Africa.  The  sheik  took  the  field, 
attended  by  his  armour-bearer,  his  drummer  fantastically  dress- 
ed in  a  straw  hat  with  ostrich  feathers,  and  followed  by  three 
wives,  whose  heads  and  persons  were  wrapped  up  in  brown 
silk  robes,  and  each  led  by  a  eunuch.  He  was  preceded  by 
five  green  and  red  flags,  on  each  of  which  were  extracts  from 
the  Koran,  written  in  letters  of  gold.  Etiquette  even  required 
that  the  sultan  should  follow  with  his  unwieldly  pomp,  having 
a  harem,  and  attendance  much  more  numerous  ;  while  frum- 
frums,  or  wooden  trumpets,  were  continually  sounded  before 
him.  This  monarch  is  too  dignified  to  fight  in  person  ;  but 
his  guards,  the  swollen  and  overloaded  figures  formerly  de- 
scribed, enveloped  in  multiplied  folds,  and  groaning  beneath 
the  weight  of  ponderous  amulets,  produced  themselves  as  war- 
riors, though  manifestly  unfit  to  face  any  real  danger. 

The  route  lay  along  the  banks  of  the  river  Yeou,  called  also 
Gambarou,  through  a  country  naturally  fertile  and  delightful, 
but  presenting  a  dismal  picture  of  the  desolation  occasioned  by 
African  warfare.  The  expedition  passed  through  upwards  of 
thirty  towns,  completely  destroyed  by  the  Fellatas  in  their  last 
inroad,  and  of  which  all  the  inhabitants  were  either  killed  or 
carried  into  slavery.  These  fine  plains  were  now  overgrown 
with  forests  and  thickets,  in  which  grew  tamarind  and  other 
trees,  producing  delicatefruits  ;  while  lar^e  bands  of  monkeys, 
called  by  the  Arabs  "enchanted  men,"  filled  the  woods  with 
their  cries.  Here,  too,  was  found  Old  Birnie,  the  ancient  but 
now  desolate  capital,  evidently  much  larger  than  any  of  the 


436  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON", 

present  cities,  covering  five  or  six  miles  with  its  ruins.  They 
passed  also  Gambarou,  formerly  the  favourite  residence  of  the 
sultans,  where  the  remains  of  a  palace  and  of  two  mosques 
gave  an  idea  of  civilization  superior  to  any  thing  that  had  yet 
been  seen  in  Interior  Africa.  There  were  left  in  this  country 
only  small  detached  villages,  the  inhabitants  of  which  remain- 
ed :hxed  to  them  by  local  attachment,  in  spite  of  constant  pre- 
datory inroads  by  the  Tuaricks,  who  carried  off  their  friends, 
their  children,  and  cattle.  They  have  recourse  to  one  mode  of 
defence,  which  consists  in  digging  a  number  of  blaquas^  or 
large  pits  :  these  they  cover  with  a  false  surface  of  sods  and 
grass,  into  which  the  Tuarick,  with  his  horse,  plunges  before 
he  is  aware,  and  is  received  at  the  bottom  upon  sharp-pointed 
stakes,  which  often  kill  the  one  and  the  other  on  the  spot. 
Unluckily,  hamiless  travellers  are  equally  liable  to  fall  into 
these  living  g^jpes.  Major  Denham  was  petrified  with  horror 
to  find  how  near'  he  had  approached  to  several  of  them  ;  in- 
deed, one  of  his  servants  fell  in,  and  was  saved  only  by  an 
almost  miraculous  spring.  It  seems  wonderful  that  the  sheik 
should  not  have  endeavoured  to  restore  some  kind  of  security 
to  this  portion  of  his  subjects,  and  to  repeople  those  fine  but 
deserted  regions. 

The  troops,  which  had  been  seen  hastening  in  parties  to  the 
scene  of  action,  were  mustered  at  Kabshary,  a  toAvn  which 
the  Mungas  had  nearly  destroyed.  The  sheik  made  a  review 
of  his  ftivourite  forces,  the  Kanemboo  spearmen,  nine  thou- 
sand strong.  They  were  really  a  very  savage  and  military- 
looking  host,  perfectly  naked,  except  a  girdle  of  goatskin,  with 
the  hair  hanging  down,  and  a  piece  of  cloth  wrapped  round 
the  head.  They  carried  large  wooden  shields,  shaped  like  a 
Gothic  window,  with  which  they  warded  off  the  arrows  of  the 
enemy,  while  they  pressed  forward  to  attack  with  their  spears. 
Unhke  almost  all  other  barbarous  armies,  they  kept  a  regular 
night-watch,  passing  the  cry  every  half  hour  along  the  line, 
and  at  any  alarm  raising  a  united  yell,  which  was  truly 
frightful.  At  the  review  they  passed  in  tribes  before  the 
sheik,  to  whom  they  showed  the  most  enthusiastic  attachment, 
kneeling  on  the  ground  and  kissing  his  feet.  The  Mungas, 
again,  were  described  as  terrible  antagonists,  hardened  by 
conflict  with  the  Tuaricks,  fighting  on  foot  with  poisoned 
arrows  longer  and  more  deadly  than  those  of  the  Fellatas. 
The  sultan,  however,  contemplated  other  means  of  securing 
success,  placing  his  main  reliance  on  his  powers  as  a  Moham- 
medan doctor  and  writer.  Three  successive  nights  were  spent 
in  inscribing  upon  little  scraps  of  paper  figures  or  words,  des- 
tined to  exercise  a  magical  influence  upon  the  rebel  host ;  and 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


43^ 


BODY  GUARD  OF  THE  SHEIK  OF  BORNOU. 

their  effect  was  heightened  by  the  display  of  sky-rockets,  sup- 
pUed  by  Major  Denham.  Tidings  of  his  being  thus  employed 
were  conveyed  to  the  camp,  when  the  Mungas,  stout  and  fierce 
warriors  who  never  shrunk  from  an  enemy,  yielded  to  the 
power  of  superstition,  and  felt  all  their  strength  withered.  It 
seemed  to  them  that  their  arrows  were  blunted,  their  quivers 
broken,  their  hearts  struck  with  sickness  and  fear ;  in  short, 
that  to  oppose  a  sheik  of  the  Koran  who  could  accomplish 
such  wonders  was  alike  vain  and  impious.  They  came  in  by 
hundreds,  bowing  themselves  to  the  ground,  and  casting  sand 
on  their  heads  in  token  of  the  most  abject  submission.  At 
length,  Malem  Fanamy  himself,  the  leader  of  the  rebellion, 
saw  that  resistance  was  hopeless.  After  vain  overtures  of 
conditional  submission,  he  appeared  in  person,  mounted  on  a 


438 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


white  horse,  with  a  thousand  followers.  He  was  himself  in 
rags,  and,  having  fallen  prostrate  on  the  ground,  was  about  to 
pour  sand  on  his  head,  when  the  sultan,  instead  of  permitting 
this  humiliation,  caused  eight  robes  of  fine  cotton  cloth,  one 
after  another,  to  be  thrown  over  him,  and  his  head  to  be  wrap- 
ped in  Egyptian  turbans  till  it  was  swelled  to  six  times  its  natu- 
ral size,  and  no  longer  resembled  any  thing  human.  By  such 
signal  honours  the  sheik  gained  the  hearts  of  those  whom  his 
pen  had  subdued;  and  this  wise  pohcy  enabled  him,  not  only 
to  overcome  the  resistance  of  this  formidable  tribe,  but  to  con- 
vert them  into  supporters  and  bulwarks  of  his  power. 

Major  Denham,  who  always  sought  with  laudable  zeal  to 
penetrate  into  every  corner  of  Africa,  now  found  his  way  in 
another  direction.  He  had  heard  much  of  the  Shary,  a  great 
river  flowing  into  the  lake  Tchad,  and  on  whose  banks  the 
kingdom  of  Loggun  was  situated.  After  several  delays,  he  set 
out  on  the  23d  of  January,  1824,  in  company  with  Mr.  Toole, 
a  spirited  young  volunteer,  who,  journeying  by  way  of  Tripoli 
and  Mourzouk,  had  thence  crossed  the  Desert  to  join  him. 
The  travellers  passed  through  Angornou  and  Angala,  and 
arrived  at  Showy,  where  they  saw  the  river,  which  really 
proved  to  be  a  magnificent  stream,  fully  half  a  mile  broad,  and 
flowing  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  miles  an  hour.  They  de- 
scended it  through  a  succession  of  noble  reaches,  bordered 
with  fine  woods,  and  a  profusion  of  variously-tinted  and  aro- 
matic plants.  At  length  it  opened  into  the  wide  expanse  of 
the  Tchad  ;  after  viewing  which,  they  again  ascended  and 
reached  the  capital  of  Loggun,  beneath  whose  high  walls  the 
river  was  seen  flowing  in  majestic  beauty.  Major  Denham 
entered,  and  found  a  handsome  city,  with  a  street  as  wide  as 
Pall-Mall,  and  bordered  by  large  dwellings,  having  spacious 
areas  in  front.  He  was  led  through  several  dark  rooms  into 
a  wide  and  crowded  court,  at  one  end  of  which  a  lattice  open- 
ed, and  showed  a  pile  of  silk  robes  stretched  on  a  carpet,  amid 
which  two  eyes  became  gradually  visible  :  this  was  the  sultan. 
On  his  appearance  there  arose  a  tumult  of  horns  and  frum- 
frums ;  while  all  the  attendants  threw  themselves  prostrate, 
casting  sand  on  their  heads.  In  a  voice  which  the  court- 
fashion  of  Loggun  required  to  be  scarcely  audible,  the  monarch 
inquired  Major  Denham's  object  in  coming  to  this  country, 
observing  that  if  it  was  to  purchase  handsome  female  slaves, 
he  need  go  no  farther,  since  he  himself  had .  hundreds  who 
could  be  aflbrded  at  a  very  easy  rate.  This  overture  was  re- 
jected on  other  grounds  than  the  price  ;  yet,  notwithstanding 
so  decided  a  proof  of  barbarism,  the  Loggunese  were  found  a 
people  more  advanced  in  the  arts  of  peace  than  any  hitherto 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  439 

seen  in  Africa.  By  a  studied  neutrality,  they  had  avoided  in- 
\"olving  themselves  in  the  dreadful  wars  which  had  desolated 
the  neighbouring  countries.  Manufacturing  industry  was 
honoured,  and  the  cloths  woven  here  were  superior  to  those  of 
Bornou,  being  finely  died  with  indigo  and  beautifully  glazed. 
There  was  even  a  current  coin  made  of  iron,  somewhat  in  the 
form  of  a  horse-shoe  ;  and  rude  as  this  was,  none  of  their 
neighbours  possessed  any  thing  similar.  The  ladies  were 
handsome,  intelligent,  and  of  a  lively  air  and  carriage  ;  but, 
besides  pushing  their  frankness  to  excess,  their  general  de- 
meanour was  by  no  means  scrupulous.  They  used,  in  partic- 
ular, the  utmost  diligence  in  stealing  from  Major  Denham's 
person  every  thing  that  could  be  reached,  even  searching  the 
pockets  of  his  trousers;  and,  when  detected,  only  laughing, 
and  calling  to  each  other  how  sharp  he  had  shown  himself. 
But  the  darkest  feature  of  savage  life  was  disclosed,  Avhen  the 
sultan  and  his  son  each  sent  to  solicit  poison  "  that  would  not 
lie,"  to  be  used  against  the  other.  The  latter  even  accom- 
panied the  request  with  a  bribe  of  three  lovely  black  damsels, 
and  laughed  at  the  horror  which  was  expressed  at  the  proposal. 

The  Loggunese  live  in  a  rich  country,  abounding  in  grain 
and  cattle,  and  diversified  with  forests  of  lofty  acacias  and 
many  beautiful  shrubs.  Its  chief  scourge  consists  in  the  mil- 
lions of  tormenting  insects  which  fill  the  atmosphere,  making 
it  scarcely  possible  to  go  into  the  open  air  at  midday  without 
being  thrown  into  a  fever ;  indeed,  children  have  been  known 
to  be  killed  by  their  stings.  The  natives  have  a  mode  of  build- 
ing one  house  within  another  to  protect  themselves  against 
this  scourge  ;  while  some  kindle  a  large  fire  of  wet  straw  and 
sit  in  the  smoke :  but  this  remedy,  if  it  be  possible,  seems 
worse  than  the  evil  which  it  is  meant  to  obviate. 

Major  Denham  was  much  distressed  on  this  journey  by  the 
death  of  his  companion  Mr.  Toole ;  and  he  could  no  longer 
delay  his  return  when  he  learned  that  the  Begharmis,  with  a 
large  army,  were  crossing  the  Shary  to  attack  Bornou.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  at  Kouka  the  sheik  led  out  his  troops,  which 
he  mustered  on  the  plain  of  Angala,  and  was  there  furiously 
attacked  by  five  thousand  Begharmis,  led  by  two  hundred 
chiefs.  The  Begharmi  cavalry  are  individually  strong  and 
fierce,  and  both  riders  and  horses  still  more  thoroughly  cased 
in  mail  than  those  of  Bornou;  but  their  courage,  when  brought 
to  the  proof,  is  nearly  on  a  level.  The  sheik  encountered 
them  with  his  Kanemboo  spearmen  and  a  small  band  of 
musketeers,  when,  after  a  short  conflict,  the  whole  of  this 
mighty  host  was  thrown  into  the  most  disorderly  flight ;  even 
the  Bornou  cavalry  joined  in  the  pursuit.     Seven  sons  of  the 


440  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

sultan  and  almost  all  the  chiefs  fell ;  two  hundred  of  their 
favourite  wives  were  taken,  many  of  whom  were  of  exquisite 
beauty. 

Mr.  Tyrwhit,  a  gentleman  whom  his  majesty's  government 
had  sent  out  to  strengthen  the  party,  arrived  on  the  20th  of 
May,  and  on  the  22d,  delivered  to  the  sheik  a  number  of 
presents,  which  were  received  with  the  highest  satisfaction. 
In  company  with  this  gentleman.  Major  Denham,  eager  to  ex- 
plore Africa  still  further,  took  advantage  of  another  expedition 
undertaken  against  the  tribe  of  Shouaa  Arabs,  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  La  Sala, — a  race  of  amphibious  shepherds 
who  inhabit  certain  islands  that  extend  along  the  south-eastern 
shores  of  the  Tchad.  These  spots  aftbrd  rich  pasture  ;  while 
the  water  is  so  shallow,  that,  by  knowing  the  channels,  the 
natives  can  ride  without  difficulty  from  one  island  to  the  other. 
Barca  Gana  led  a  thousand  men  on  this  expedition,  and  was 
joined  by  four  hundred  of  a  Shouaa  tribe,  called  Dugganahs, 
enemies  to  the  La  Salas.  These  allies  presented  human  na- 
ture under  a  more  pleasing  aspect  than  it  had  yet  been  seen  in 
any  part  of  Central  Africa.  They  despise  the  negro  nations, 
and  all  who  live  in  houses,  and  still  more  in  cities  ;  while  they 
themselves  reside  in  tents  made  t)f  skin,  collected  into  circular 
camps,  which  they  move  periodically  from  place  to  place. 
They  live  in  simple  plenty  on  the  produce  of  their  flocks  and 
herds,  celebrate  their  joys  and  sorrows  in  extemporary  poetry, 
and  seem  to  be  united  by  the  strongest  ties  of  domestic  affec- 
tion. Tahr,  their  chief,  having  closely  examined  our  traveller 
as  to  the  motives  of  his  journey,  said,  "  And  have  you  been  three 
years  from  your  home?  Are  not  your  eyes  dimmed  with 
straining  to  the  north,  where  all  your  thoughts  must  ever  be  ? 
If  my  eyes  do  not  see  the  wife  and  children  of  my  heart  for  ten 
days,  they  are  flowing  widi  tears  when  they  should  be  closed 
in  sleep."  On  taking  leave,  Tahr's  parting  wish  was,*  "May 
you  die  at  your  own  tents,  and  in  the  arms  of  your  wife  and 
family."  This  chief,  it  is  said,  might  have  sat  for  the  picture 
of  a  patriarch  :  his  fine,  serious,  expressive  countenance,  large 
features,  and  long  bushy  beard  afforded  a  favourable  specimen 
of  the  general  aspect  of  his  tribe. 

The  united  forces  now  marched  to  the  shores  of  the  lake, 
and  began  to  reconnoitre  the  islands  on  which  the  Shouaas 
with  their  catde  and  cavalry  were  stationed  ;  but  the  experi- 
enced eye  of  Barca  Gana  soon  discerned  that  the  channel, 
though  shallow,  was  full  of  holes,  and  had  a  muddy,  deceitful 
appearance.  He  proposed,  therefore,  to  delay  the  attack  tifl  a 
resolute  band  of  Kanemboo  spearmen  should  arrive  and  lead  the 
way.     The  lowing,  however,  of  the  numerous  herds,  and  the 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  441 

bleating  of  the  flocks  on  the  green  islands  which  lay  before 
them,  excited  in  the  troops  a  degree  of  hunger  as  well  as  of 
military  ardour  that  was  quite  irrepressible.  They  called  out, 
"What !  be  so  near  them  and  not  eat  them?  No,  no,  let  us 
on  ;  this  night  these  flocks  and  women  shall  be  ours !"  Barca 
Gana  suffered  himself  to  be  hurried  away,  and  plunged  in 
among  the  foremost.  Soon,  however,  the  troops  began  to  sink 
into  the  holes  or  stick  in  the  mud ;  their  guns  and  powder 
were  wetted,  and  became  useless  ;  while  the  enemy,  who  knew 
every  step,  and  could  ride  through  the  water  as  quickly  as  on 
land,  at  once  charged  the  invaders  in  front,  and  sent  round  a 
detachment  to  take  them  in  the  rear.  The  assault  was  ac- 
cordingly soon  changed  into  a  disgraceful  flight,  in  which 
those  who  had  been  the  most  loud  in  urging  to  this  rash  onset 
set  the  example.  Barca  Gana,  who  had  boasted  himself  in- 
vulnerable, was  deeply  wounded  through  his  coat-of-mail  and 
four  cotton  tohes,  and  was  with  difficulty  rescued  by  his  chiefs 
out  of  the  hands  of  five  La  Sala  horsemen  who  had  vowed  his 
death.  The  army  returned  to  their  quarters  in  disappointment 
and  dismay,  and  with  a  severe  loss.  During  the  whole  night 
the  Dugganah  women  were  heard  bewailing  their  husbands 
■who  had  fallen,  in  dirges  composed  for  the  occasion,  and  with 
plaintive  notes,  which  could  not  be  listened  to  without  the  deep- 
est sympathy.  Major  Denham  was  deterred  by  this  disaster 
from  making  any  farther  attempt  to  penetrate  to  the  eastern 
shores  of  the  Tchad. 

The  Biddoomahs  are  another  tribe  who  inhabit  extensive 
and  rugged  islands  in  the  interior  of  the  lake,  amid  its  deep 
waters,  which  they  navigate  with  nearly  a  thousand  large 
boats.  They  neither  cultivate  the  ground  nor  rear  flocks  or 
herds,  while  their  manners  appeared  to  our  traveller  the  rudest 
and  most  savage  even  of  Africans,  those  of  the  Musgow  always 
excepted.  They  are  said  to  have  adopted  as  a  religious  creed, 
that  God,  having  withheld  from  them  corn  and  cattle,  which 
the  nations  around  enjoy,  has  given  in  their  stead  strength 
and  courage,  to  be  employed  in  taking  these  good  things  from 
all  in  whose  possession  they  may  be  found.  To  this  belief 
they  act  up  in  the  most  devout  manner,  spreading  terror  and 
desolation  over  all  the  shores  of  this  inland  sea  ;  no  part  of 
which,  even  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  great  capitals,  is 
for  a  moment  secure  from  their  ravages.  The  most  powerful 
and  warlike  of  the  Bornou  sovereigns,  finding  among  their 
subjects  neither  the  requisite  skill  nor  experience  in  naviga- 
tion, do  not  attempt  to  cope  with  the  Biddoomahs  on  their 
watery  domains  ;  and  thus  gave  up  the  lake  to  their  undispu- 
ted sway. 

38 


44*2  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON, 

While  Major  Denham  was  thus  traversing,  in  every  direc- 
tion, Bornou  and  the  surrounding  countries,  Mr.  Clapperton 
and  Dr.  Oudney  were  proceeding  through  Houssa,  by  a  route 
less  varied  and  hazardous  indeed,  but  disclosing  forms  both  of 
nature  and  of  society  fully  as  interesting.  They  departed 
from  Kouka  on  the  14th  of  December,  1823,  and,  after  passing 
the  site  of  Old  Birnie,  they  found  the  banks  of  the  Yeou  fer- 
tile, and  diversified  with  towns  and  villages.  On  entering 
Katagura,  the  most  easterly  Fellata  province,  they  observed  a 
superior  style  of  culture  ;  two  crops  of  wheat  being  raised  in 
one  season  by  irrigation,  and  the  grain  stored  in  covered  sheds 
elevated  from  the  ground  on  posts.  The  country  to  the  south 
was  covered  with  extensive  swamps  and  mountains,  tenanted 
by  rude  and  Pagan  races,  who  furnish  to  the  faithful  an  inex- 
haustable  supply  of  slaves.  The  practice  of  travelling  with  a 
caravan  was  found  very  advantageous,  from  the  mutual  help 
afforded,  as  well  as  from  the  good  reports  spread  by  the  mer- 
chants respecting  their  European  companions.  In  Bornou 
these  last  had  been  viewed  with  almost  unmingled  horror;  and, 
for  having  eaten  their  bread  under  the  extremest  necessity,  a 
man  had  his  testimony  rejected  in  a  court  of  justice.  Some 
young  Bornouese  ladies,  who  accosted  Major  Denham,  having 
ventured  to  say  a  word  in  his  favour,  an  attendant  matron  ex- 
claimed,— "  Be  silent;  he  is  an  uncircumcised  CafTre, — neither 
washes  nor  prays,  eats  pork,  and  will  go  to  hell ;"  upon  which 
the  others  screamed  out  and  ran  off.  But  in  Houssa  this  hor- 
ror was  not  so  extreme,  and  was  mingled  with  the  behef  that 
they  possessed  surprising  and  supernatural  powers.  Not  only 
did  the  sick  come  in  crowds  expecting  the  cure  of  every  dis- 
ease, but  the  ladies  solicited  amulets  to  restore  their  beauty,  to 
preserve  the  affections  of  their  lovers,  and  even  to  destroy  a 
hated  rival.  The  son  of  the  governor  of  Kano,  having  called 
upon  Mr.  Clapperton,  stated  it  as  the  conviction  of  the  whole 
city  and  his  own,  that  the  English  had  the  power  of  converting 
men  into  asses,  goats,  and  monkeys,  and  likewise  that  by 
reading  in  his  book  he  could  at  any  time  commute  a  handful  of 
earth  into  gold.  The  traveller,  having  argued  with  him  upon 
the  difficulty  he  often  found  in  procuring  both  asses  and  gold, 
induced  him,  with  trembhng  hands,  to  taste  a  cup  of  tea;  when 
he  became  more  composed,  and  made  a  soit  of  recantation  of 
his  errors. 

As  the  caravan  proceeded  they  met  many  other  travellers, 
and  found  sitting  along  the  road  numerous  females,  selling 
potatoes,  beans,  bits  of  roasted  meat,  and  water  with  an  infu- 
sion of  gussub  grains;  and  when  they  stopped  at  any  place 
for  the  night,  the  people  crowded  in  such  numbers  as  to  form 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON.  443 

a  little  fair.  Mr.  Clapperton  attracted  the  notice  of  many  of 
the  Fellata  ladies,  who,  after  examining  him  closely,  declared, 
that  had  he  only  been  less  white,  his  external  appearance 
might  have  merited  approbation. 

The  travellers  passed  through  Sansan,  a  great  market-place 
divided  into  three  distinct  towns,  and  Katagum,  the  strongly- 
fortified  capital  of  the  province,  containing  about  eight  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  Thence  they- proceeded  to  Murmur,  where 
the  severe  illness  under  which  Dr.  Oudney  had  long  laboured 
came  to  a  crisis.  Though  now  in  the  last  stage  of  consump- 
tion, he  insisted  on  continuing  his  journey,  and  with  the  aid 
of  his  servant  had  been  supported  to  his  camel,  when  Mr. 
Clapperton,  seeing  the  ghastliness  of  death  on  his  counten- 
ance, insisted  on  replacing  him  in  his  tent ;  where  soon  after, 
without  a  groan,  he  breathed  his  last.  His  companion  caused 
him  to  be  buried  with  the  honours  of  the  country.  The  body 
was  washed,  wrapped  in  turban-shawls,  and  a  wall  of  clay 
built  round  the  grave  to  protect  it  from  wild  beasts  ;  two  sheep 
also  were  killed  and  distributed  among  the  poor. 

Proceeding  onwards,  the  traveller  came  to  Katungwa,  the 
first  town  of  Houssa  Proper,  in  a  country  well  enclosed  and 
under  high  cultivatioi;.  To  the  south  was  an  extensive  range 
of  rocky  hills,  amid  which  was  the  town  of  Zangeia,  with  its 
buildings  picturesquely  scattered  over  masses  of  rock.  He 
passed  also  Girkwa,  near  a  river  of  the  same  name,  which  ap- 
pears to  come  from  these  hills,  and  to  fall  into  the  Yeou. 

Two  days  after,  he  entered  Rano,  which  is  now,  as  it  was 
six  hundred  years  ago,  the  chief  commercial  city  of  Houssa 
and  of  all  Central  Africa.  Yet  it  disappointed  our  traveller  on 
his  first  entry,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  scarcely  appeared  a 
city  at  all.  Even  in  its  more  crowded  quarters  the  houses 
rose  generally  in  clusters,  only  separated  by  large  stagnant 
pools.  The  inhabited  part,  on  the  whole,  did  not  appear  to 
comprise  more  than  a  fourth  of  the  space  enclosed  by  the 
walls,  while  the  rest  consisted  of  fields,  gardens,  and  swamps; 
however,  as  the  whole  circuit  is  fifteen  miles,  there  is  space  for 
a  population  moderately  estimated  to  be  between  thirty  and 
forty  thousand.  Its  market,  the  greatest  scene  of  commercial 
transactions  in  Africa,  is  held  on  a  neck  of  land  between  two 
swamps,  by  which,  during  the  rains,  it  is  entirely  overflowed ; 
but  in  the  dry  season  it  is  covered  with  sheds,  or  stalls  of  bam- 
boo, arranged  into  regular  streets.  Different  quarters  are 
allotted  for  the  several  kinds  of  goods  ;  some  for  cattle,  others 
for  vegetables ;  while  fruits  of  various  descriptions,  so  much 
neglected  in  Bornou,  are  here  displayed  in  profusion.  The 
fine  cotton  fabrics  of  the  country  are  sold  either  in  webs,  or  in 


444 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


what  are  called  tohes  and  turJcadees,  with  rich  silken  stripes  or 
borders  ready  to  be  added.  Among  the  favourite  articles  are 
goora  or  kolla  nuts,  which  are  called  African  coffee,  being 
supposed  to  give  a  peculiar  relish  to  the  water  drunk  after 
them  ;  and  crude  antimony,  with  whose  black  tint  every  eye- 
brow in  Houssa  must  be  dyed.  The  Arabs  also  dispose  here 
of  sundry  commodities  that  have  become  obsolete  in  the  north  ; 
the  cast-off  dresses  of  the  Mamelukes  and  other  great  men, 
and  old  sword-blades  from  Malta.  But  the  busiest  scene  is 
the  slave-market,  composed  of  two  long  ranges  of  sheds,  one 
for  males  and  another  for  females.  These  poor  creatures  are 
seated  in  rows,  decked  out  for  exhibition  ;  the  buyer  scrutini- 
zes them  as  nicely  as  a  purchaser  with  us  does  a  horse,  in- 
specting the  tongue,  teeth,  eyes,  and  limbs,  making  them 
cough  and  perform  various  movements,  to  ascertain  if  there  be 
any  thing  unsound ;  and  in  case  of  a  blemish  appearing,  or 
even  without  assigning  a  reason,  he  may  return  them  within 
three  days.  As  soon  as  the  slaves  are  sold,  the  exposer  gets 
back  their  finery,  to  be  employed  in  ornamenting  others. 
Most  of  the  captives  purchased  at  Rano  are  conveyed  across 
the  Desert,  during  which  their  masters  endeavour  to  keep  up 
their  spirits  by  an  assurance  that,  on  passing  its  boundary, 
they  will  be  set  free  and  dressed  in  red,  which  they  account 
the  gayest  of  colours.  Supplies,  however,  often  fail  in  this 
dreary  journey, — a  want  felt  first  by  the  slaves,  many  of  whom 
perish  with  hunger  and  fatigue.  Mr.  Clapperton  heard  the 
doleful  tale  of  a  mother  who  had  seen  her  child  dashed  to  the 
ground,  while  she  herself  was  compelled  by  the  lash  to  drag 
on  an  exhausted  frame.  Yet  when  at  all  tolerably  treated, 
they  are  very  gay, — an  observation  generally  made  in  regard 
to  slaves ;  but  this  gayety,  arising  only  from  the  absence  of 
thought,  probably  conceals  much  secret  wretchedness. 

Boxing  in  Houssa,  like  wresthng  in  Bornou,  forms  a  favour- 
ite exercise,  and  the  grand  national  spectacle.  Mr.  Clapper- 
ton,  having  heard  much  of  the  fanci/  of  Kano,  intimated  his 
willingness  to  pay  for  a  performance,  which  was  forthwith 
arranged.  The  whole  body  of  butchers  attended,  and  acted 
as  masters  of  the  ceremonies  ;  while,  as  soon  as  the  tidings 
spread,  girls  left  their  pitchers  at  the  wells,  the  market  people 
threw  down  their  baskets,  and  an  immense  crowd  was  assem- 
bled. The  ring  being  formed,  and  drums  beat,  the  performers 
first  came  forward  singly,  plying  their  muscles  like  a  musician 
tuning  his  instrument,  and  each  calling  out  to  the  bystanders, 
"I  am  a  hyena  ;  I  am  a  lion  ;  I  can  kill  all  that  oppose  me." 
After  about  twenty  had  shown  oft'  in  this  manner,  they  came 
forward  in  pairs,  wearing  only  a  leathern  girdle,  and  with  their 


DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 


445 


hands  muffled  up  in  numerous  folds  of  country  cloth.  It  was 
iirst  ascertained  that  they  were  not  mutual  friends ;  after 
which,  they  closed  with  the  utmost  fury,  aiming  their  blows  at 
the  most  mortal  parts,  as  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  beneath  the 
ribs,  or  under  the  ear :  they  even  endeavoured  to  scoop  out 
the  eyes  ;  so  that,  in  spite  of  every  precaution,  the  match  often 
terminated  in  the  death  of  one  of  the  combatants.  Whenever 
Mr.  Clapperton  saw  the  affair  verging  to  such  an  issue,  he  gave 
orders  to  stop ;  and,  after  seeing  six  pairs  exhibit,  paid  the 
hire  and  broke  up  the  meeting. 

From  Kano  he  set  out  under  the  guidance  of  Mohammed 
Jollie,  leader  of  an  extensive  caravan  intended  for  Sackatoo, 
capital  of  the  sultan  of  the  Fellatas.  The  country  was  per- 
haps the  finest  in  Africa,  being  under  high  cultivation,  diversi- 
fied with  groves  of  noble  trees,  and  traversed  in  a  picturesque 
manner  by  ridges  of  granite.  The  manners  of  the  people,  too, 
were  pleasing  and  pastoral.  At  many  clear  springs  gushing 
from  the  rocks  young  women  were  drawing  water.  As  an  ex- 
cuse for  engaging  in  talk,  our  traveller  asked  several  times  for 
the  means  of  quenching  his  thirst.  "  Bending  gracefully  on 
one  knee,  and  displaying  at  the  same  time  teeth  of  pearly 
whiteness,  and  eyes  of  the  blackest  lustre,  they  presented  a 
gourd,  and  appeared  highly  delighted  when  I  thanked  them 
for  their  civility,  remarking  to  one  another,  *  Did  you  hear  the 
white  man  thank  meT"  But  the  scene  was  changed  when 
the  traveller  reached  the  borders  of  the  provinces  of  Goober 
and  Zamfra,  which  were  in  a  state  of  rebellion  against  Sacka- 
too. The  utmost  alarm  at  that  moment  prevailed  ;  men  and 
women,  with  their  bullocks,  asses,  and  camels,  all  struggled 
to  be  foremost,  every  one  crying  out,  "  Wo  to  the  wretch  that 
falls  behind  !  he  will  be  sure  to  meet  an  unhappy  end  at  the 
hands  of  the  Gboberites."  There  was  danger  even  of  being 
thrown  down  and  trampled  to  death  by  the  bullocks,  which 
were  furiously  rushing  backward  and  forward ;  however, 
through  the  unremitting  care  of  the  escort,  Clapperton  made 
his  way  safely,  though  not  without  much  fatigue  and  annoy- 
ance, along  this  perilous  frontier. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1824,  after  passing  through  the  hilly 
district  of  Kamoon,  the  valleys  began  to  open,  and  crowds  of 
people  were  seen  thronging  to  market  with  wood,  onions,  indi- 
go, and  other  commodities.  This  indicated  the  approach  to 
Sackatoo,  which  they  soon  saw  from  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  en- 
tered about  noon.  A  muhitude  flocked  to  see  the  white  stran- 
ger, and  received  him  with  cheers  of  welcome.  The  sultan 
was  not  yet  returned  from  a  ghrazzie  or  slave-hunt ;  but  the 
gadado,  or  minister,  performed  handsomely  the  honours  of  the 
38* 


446  DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON. 

place.  Next  day  the  chief  arrived,  and  instantly  sent  for 
Clapperton.  The  palace,  as  usual  in  Africa,  consisted  of  a 
sort  of  enclosed  town,  with  an  open  quadrangle  in  front.  The 
stranger,  on  entering  the  gate,  was  conducted  through  three 
huts  serving  as  guard-houses,  after  which  he  found  Sultan 
Bello  seated  on  a  small  carpet  in  a  sort  of  painted  and  orna- 
mented cottage.  Bello  had  a  noble  and  commanding  figure, 
with  a  high  forehead  and  large  black  eyes.  He  gave  the  trav- 
eller a  hearty  welcome,  and,  after  inquiring  the  particulars  of 
his  journey,  proceeded  to  serious  affairs.  He  produced  books 
belonging  to  Major  Denham,  which  had  been  taken  in  the 
disastrous  battle  of  DirkuUah ;  and,  though  he  expressed  a 
feeling  of  dissatisfaction  at  the  Major's  presence  on  that  occa- 
sion, readily  accepted  an  apology,  and  restored  the  volumes. 
He  only  asked  to  have  the  subject  of  each  explained,  and  to 
hear  the  sound  of  the  language,  which  he  declared  to  be  beau- 
tiful. He  then  began  to  press  his  visiter  with  theological  ques- 
tions, and  showed  himself  not  wholly  unacquainted  with  the 
controversies  which  have  agitated  the  Christian  world ;  indeed 
he  soon  went  beyond  the  depth  of  his  visiter,  who  was  obliged 
to  own  that  he  was  not  versant  in  the  abstruser  mysteries  of 
divinity. 

The  sultan  now  opened  a  frequent  and  famihar  communi- 
cation with  the  English  envoy,  in  which  he  showed  himself 
possessed  of  a  good  deal  of  information.  The  astronomical 
instruments,  from  which,  as  from  implements  of  magic,  many 
of  his  attendants  started  with  horror,  were  examined  by  the 
monarch  with  an  intelligent  eye.  On  being  shown  the  plani- 
sphere, he  proved  his  knowledge  of  the  planets,  and  even  of 
many  of  the  constellations,  by  repeating  their  Arabic  names. 
The  telescope,  which  presented  objects  inverted — the  compass, 
by  which  he  could  always  turn  to  the  east  in  praying — and  the 
sextant,  which  he  called  "the  looking-glass  of  the  sun,"  exci- 
ted peculiar  interest.  Being  desirous  to  see  an  observation 
performed  with  the  latter  instrument,  Clapperton,  who  had  lost 
the  key  of  the  artificial  horizon,  asked  a  dagger  to  break  it 
open  ;  upon  which  the  sultan  started,  and  half-drew  his  sword, 
trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf.  The  other  very  prudently  took 
no  notice  of  this  excitement,  but  quietly  opened  his  box,  when 
the  exhibition  soon  dispelled  all  unfavourable  impressions. 
The  sultan,  however,  inquired  with  evident  jealousy  into  some 
points  of  Enghsh  history  that  had  come  to  his  knowledge;  as, 
the  conquest  of  India,  which  the  traveller  endeavoured  to  re- 
present as  a  mere  arrangement  to  protect  the  natives,  and  par- 
ticularly the  Moslem  population.     The  attack  on  Algiers,  be- 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  447 

ing  also  alluded  to,  was  justly  declared  to  have  been  made 
solely  on  account  of  her  atrocious  piracies. 

Sackatoo  appeared  to  Mr.  Clapperton  the  most  populous 
city  he  had  seen  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  The  houses  stand 
more  closely  together  than  in  most  other  towqs  of  Houssa, 
and  are  laid  out  in  regularly  well-built  streets.  It  is  surround- 
ed by  a  wall  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  high,  with  twelve 
gates,  which  are  punctually  shut  at  sunset.  The  dwellings  of 
the  principal  inhabitants  consist  of  clusters  of  cottages  and 
flat-roofed  houses,  in  the  Moorish  style,  enclosed  by  high  walls. 
There  are  two  mosques,  one  of  which,  then  in  progress  of 
building,  was  eight  hundred  feet  long,  adorned  with  numerous 
pillars  of  wood  plastered  with  clay,  and  highly  ornamented. 

At  Sackatoo,  the  traveller  obtained  an  account  of  Mr.  Park's 
death,  very  closely  corresponding  with  the  statement  given  by 
Amadi  Fatonma.  The  Niger,  it  appears,  called  here  the 
Quorra,  after  passing  Timbuctoo,  turns  to  the  south,  and  con- 
tinues to  flow  in  that  direction  till  it  crosses  the  parallel  of 
Sackatoo,  at  only  a  few  days'  journey  to  the  westward ;  but 
whether  it  reaches  the  sea,  or,  making  an  immense  circuit, 
becomes  the  Shary,  and  pours  itself  into  the  immense  basin  of 
the  Tchad,  are  points  on  which  his  informants  varied  greatly. 

Returning  by  a  different  route,  Mr.  Clapperton  visited  Zir- 
mie,  the  capital  of  Zamfra,  a  kind  of  outlawed  city,  the  inhab- 
itants of  which  are  esteemed  the  greatest  rogues  in  Houssa, 
and  where  all  runaway  slaves  find  protection.  He  passed  also 
through  Kashna  or  Cassina,  the  metropolis  of  a  kingdom 
which,  till  the  late  rise  of  the  Fellata  power,  had  ruled  over  all 
Africa  from  Bornou  to  the  Niger. 

Mr.  Clapperton  rejoined  Major  Denham  at  Kouka,  whence 
they  set  out,  and  recrossed  the  Desert  together  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  1824.  They  reached  Tripoli  in  January, 
1825,  and  soon  after  embarked  for  Leghorn  ;  but  being  de- 
tained by  contrary  winds  and  quarantine  regulations,  did  not 
reach  London  till  the  month  of  June. 


CLAPPERTON'S  SECOND  JOURNEY. 

It  has  appeared,  that  in  spite  of  some  occasional  symptoms 
of  jealousy,  and  even  of  alarm,  the  sultan  of  the  Fellatas  had 
manifested  a  very  considerable  inclination  to  cultivate  inter- 
course with  the  Enghsh.  He  was  even  understood  to  have 
promised  that  messengers  should  be  kept  in  waiting  at  Rakah 
and  Fundah,  or  at  some  port  on  the  coast,  to  conduct  a  new 


448  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

mission  to  Sackatoo.  These  promises,  it  is  extremely  proba- 
ble, were  mere  inferences  drawn  from  the  empty  boasts  of  the 
sultan  ;  he  being  master  neither  of  Rakah  nor  Fundah,  nor  of 
any  place  within  a  great  distance  of  the  Gulf  of  Benin.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  there  seemed  good  ground  to  expect  a  welcome 
for  the  British  envoys  when  they  should  reach  his  capital ;  and 
in  that  direction,  it  was  conjectured,  were  to  be  found  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Niger,  and  also  the  most  direct  channel  of  trade 
with  regions  already  ascertained  to  be  the  finest  in  Africa. 

These  were  views  to  which  the  enterprising  statesmen  who 
conducted  the  naval  government  at  home  were  never  insensi- 
ble. They  equipped  afresh  Mr.  Clapperton,  now  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  sent  him  to  the  Gulf  of  Benin;  naming 
as  his  associates,  Captain  Pearce,  an  excellent  draftsman,  and 
Mr.  Morrison,  a  naval  surgeon  of  some  experience,  whose  skill, 
it  was  hoped,  might  be  of  great  avail  in  preserving  the  health 
of  the  whole  expedition. 

The  mission,  in  the  end  of  1825,  reached  its  destination  ; 
but,  as  might  perhaps  have  been  anticipated,  they  could  hear 
nothing  of  Rakah  or  of  Fundah,  of  any  messengers  sent  by 
Bello,  nor  of  any  town  that  was  subject  to  him  on  this  coast. 
They  were  not,  however,  discouraged;  and  having  consulted 
Mr.  Houtson,  whom  a  long  residence  had  made  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  country,  they  were  advised  not  to  attempt 
ascending  the  banks  of  the  river, — a  circuitous  track,  and  cov- 
ered with  pestilential  swamps, — but  to  take  the  route  from  Ba- 
dagry  as  the  most  direct  and  commodious,  and  by  which,  in 
fact,  almost  all  the  caravans  from  Houssa  come  down  to  the 
coast. 

On  the  7th  of  December,  1825,  the  mission  set  out  from 
Badagry  on  this  grand  journey  into  Interior  Africa.  But  at 
the  very  first  they  were  guilty  of  a  fatal  imprudence.  During 
the  nights  of  the  7th  and  9th  they  slept  in  the  open  air,  and  on 
the  last  occasion  in  the  public  market-place  of  Dagmoo,  with- 
out even  their  beds,  which  had  been  sent  away  by  mistake. 
The  consequence  was,  that  in  a  day  or  two  Morrison  and 
Pearce  were  attacked  with  a  dangerous  fever,  and  Clapperton 
with  fits  of  ague.  It  does  not  appear  why  they  did  not  stop 
in  one  of  the  towns,  and  endeavour  by  rest  to  recruit  their 
strength  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  pushed  on  till  the  22d,  when 
Captain  Clapperton,  seeing  the  illness  of  his  companions  in- 
crease, urged  them  either  to  remain  behind  or  return  to  Bada- 
gry. They  insisted  on  proceeding ;  but  next  day  Dr.  Morri- 
son could  struggle  no  longer,  and  departed  for  the  coast :  he 
died  before  reaching  it.  Captain  Pearce  persevered  to  the 
last,  and  sunk  on  the  road,  breathing  his  last  at  nine  in  the 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  44^ 

evening  of  the  27th.  Clapperton  was  thus  left  to  pursue  his 
long  and  adventurous  journey  in  very  painful  and  desolate 
circumstances.  He  had  only  a  faithful  servant,  Richard 
Lander,  v^^ho  stood  by  him  in  all  his  fortunes,  with  Pascoe,  a 
not  very  trusty  African,  whom  he  had  hired  at  Badagry. 

After  a  journey  of  sixty  miles,  the  travellers  entered  the 
kingdom  of  Yarriba,  called  also  from  its  capital  Eyeo.  This 
country  had  long  been  reported  on  the  coast  as  the  most  popu- 
lous, powerful;  and  flourishing  of  all  Western  Africa,  holding 
even  Dahomey  in  vassalage.  It  answered  the  most  favoura- 
ble descriptions  given  of  it;  the  fields  were  extensively  cleared, 
and  covered  with  thriving  plantations  of  Indian  corn,  millet, 
yams,  and  cotton.  A  loom  nearly  similar  to  that  used  in 
England  was  busily  plied ;  the  women  were  spinning  and 
dyeing  the  cloths  with  their  fine  indigo.  These  African  dames 
were  also  seen  going  from  town  to  town  bearing  large  burdens 
on  their  heads, — an  employment  shared  by  the  numerous 
wives  of  the  king  of  Eyeo  ;  their  majesties  having  nothing  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  humblest  of  their  fellow-country- 
women. Amid  these  laudable  occupations,  they  exercised 
their  powers  of  speech  with  such  incessant  perseverance  as  to 
confirm  the  Captain  in  what  appears  to  have  been  with  him  an 
old  maxim,  that  no  power  on  earth,  not  even  African  despot- 
ism, can  silence  a  woman's  tongue ;  yet,  as  this  loquacity 
seems  to  have  been  always  exerted  in  kindness,  he  need  not, 
we  think,  have  groaned  quite  so  heavily  under  its  stunning  in- 
fluence. 

The  Enghsh  travellers  were  agreeably  surprised  by  the  re- 
ception which  they  experienced  during  this  journey.  In 
Houssa  they  had  laboured  under  the  most  dire  proscription  as 
Caffres,  enemies  of  the  prophet,  and  foredoomed  to  hell ;  and, 
as  black  is  there  the  standard  of  beauty,  their  colour  was  con- 
sidered by  the  ladies  a  deep  leprous  deformity,  detracting  from 
every  quality  that  might  otherwise  have  been  agreeable  in 
their  persons.  With  the  negro  and  pagan  Eyeos  there  was  no 
religious  enmity  ;  and  having  understood,  by  reports  from  the 
coast,  the  superiority  of  Europeans  in  arts  and  wealth,  this 
people  viewed  them  almost  as  beings  of  a  superior  order,  to 
see  whom  they  felt  an  eager  and  friendly  curiosity.  A  rumour 
had  also  spread  that  they  came  to  do  good,  and  to  make  peace 
wherever  there  was  war.  On  entering  any  town  they  were 
soon  encircled  by  thousands,  all  desirous  to  see  white  men, 
and  testifying  respect, — the  males  by  taking  off"  their  caps,  the 
women  by  bending  on  their  knees  and  one  elbow.  In  some 
places  singing  and  dancing  were  kept  up  through  the  whole 
night  in  celebration  of  their  arrival. 


450  HUGH  CLAPPERTOHr. 

The  mission  had  now  to  cross  a  range  of  hiUs  about  eighty 
miles  broad,  reported  to  reach  the  whole  way  from  behind 
Ashantee  to  Benin.  The  highest  pinnacle  was  not  supposed 
to  exceed  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet,  which  is  a  good  deal 
lower  than  Skiddaw;  but  its  passes  were  peculiarly  narrow 
and  rugged,  hemmed  in  by  gigantic  blocks  of  granite  six  hun- 
dred or  seven  hundred  feet  high,  sometimes  fearfully  overhang- 
ing the  road.  Thejalley  varied  iu  breadth  from  one  hundred 
yards  to  half  a  mile;  but  every  level  spot,  extending  along  the 
foot  of  these  mountains,  or  even  suspended  amid  their  cliffs, 
was  covered  with  fine  crops  of  yams,  millet,  and  cotton.  A 
large  population  thus  filled  these  alpine  recesses,  all  animated 
with  the  most  friendly  spirit.  Parties  met  the  travellers  on  the 
road,  or  were  stationed  on  the  rocks  and  heights  above,  which 
echoed  with  choral  songs  and  sounds  of  welcome.  After  as- 
cending hill  over  hill  they  came  toChaki,a  large  and  populous 
town,  situated  on  the  very  summit  of  the  ridge.  Here  the 
caboceer  had  a  house  and  a  large  stock  of  provisions  ready 
for  them  ;  he  put  many  questions,  and  earnestly  pleaded  for  a 
stay  of  two  or  three  days. 

After  descending  to  the  plain  and  passing  through  a  number 
of  other  towns,  the  party  came  to  Tshow,  where  a  caboceer  ar- 
rived from  the  king  of  Yarriba,  with  a  numerous  train  of  attend- 
ants both  on  foot  and  horseback.  This  chief,  having  shaken 
hands  with  them,  immediately  rubbed  his  whole  body,  that  the 
blessing  of  their  touch  might  be  spread  all  over  him.  His  peo- 
ple kept  up  through  the  night  a  constant  hubbub, — singing, 
drumming,  dancing,  and  firing;  and,  claiming  free  quarters, 
they  devoured  such  a  quantity  of  provisions  that  the  party 
fared  worse  than  in  any  other  place.  Next  morning  they  set 
out  with  a  crowded  escort  of  bawmen  on  foot,  and  of  horse- 
men ill-mounted  but  active,  dressed  in  the  most  grotesque 
manner,  and  covered  with  charms.  On  reaching  the  brow  of 
a  hill,  the  great  capital  of  Eyeo  opened  to  the  view,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  a  vast  plain  bordered  by  a  ridge  of  granite 
hills  and  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  belt  of  verdure.  On  reach- 
ing the  gate  they  entered  the  house  of  a  caboceer,  till  notice  was 
sent  to  the  king,  who  immediately  invited  them  to  his  palace. 
They  had  five  miles  to  march  through  this  spacious  capital, 
during  which  the  muUitude  collected  was  so  immense,  and 
raised  such  a  cloud  of  dust,  that  they  must  have  stopped  short, 
had  not  their  escort,  by  a  gentle  but  steady  application  of  the 
whip  and  the  cane,  opened  a  way,  and  finally  cleared  a  space 
in  front  of  the  throne.  The  king  was  sitting  under  a  veranda, 
dressed  in  two  long  cotton  robes,  and  ornamented  with  three 
strings  of  glass  beads,  and  a  pasteboard  crown  covered  with 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  451 

blue  cotton,  which  had  been  procured  from  the  coast.  The 
mission,  instead  of  the  usual  prostration,  merely  took  off  their 
hats,  bowed,  and  presented  their  hands,  which  the  king  lifted 
up  three  times,  calling  out,  "  Ako  !  ako  !"  (How  do  you  do  1) 
His  wives  behind,  drawn  up  in  a  dense  body,  which  the  tra- 
vellers vainly  attempted  to  number,  raised  loud  cheers,  and 
smiled  in  the  most  gracious  manner.  After  an  interview  of 
half  an  hour,  the  chief  eunuch  showed  the  party  to  handsome 
and  commodious  lodgings,  where  a  good  dinner  was  prepared. 
In  the  evening  they  were  surprised  by  a  visit  from  his  majesty 
in  plain  patriarchal  style,  with  a  long  staff  in  his  hand,  saying 
that  he  could  not  sleep  without  again  inquiring  after  them. 

Eyeo,  or  Ratunga,  capital  of  the  kingdom   of  Yarriba,  is 
fifteen  miles  in  circumference,   and  supplied  by  seven  large 
markets ;  but  there  are  many  open  fields  and  spaces  in  this 
wide  circuit,  and  hence  the  number  of  inhabitants  could  not 
even  be  conjectured.     The  population  of  the  country  must 
be  very  great,  the  whole  being  under  cultivation,  and  the  towns 
large  and  numerous.     The  government,  in  theory,  is  most 
despotic.     The  greatest  chiefs,  when  they  approach  the  sove- 
reign, throw  themselves  prostrate  on  the  ground,  lie  flat  on 
their  faces,  and  heap  sand  or  dust  upon  their  heads  ;  and  the 
same  degrading  homage  is  paid  to  the  nobles  by  their  inferiors. 
Yet  the  administration  seems  mild  and  paternal ;  no  instances 
of  wanton  cruelty  were  observed;  and  the  flourishing  state  of 
the  people  showed  clearly  the  absence  of  all  severe  oppression. 
The  horrid  and   bloody  customs,  which  produce  such   dark 
scenes  in  Ashantee  and  Dahomey,  were  mentioned  here  with 
detestation.     At  the  death  of  the  king  only,  a  few  of  his  princi- 
pal ministers  and  favourite  wives  take  poison,  presented  to 
them  in  parrot's  eggs,  that  they  may  accompany  and  serve 
him  in  the  invisible  world.     The  first  question  asked  by  every 
caboceer  and  great  man  was,  how  many  wives  the  king  of 
England  had?  being  prepared,  it  should  seem,  to  measure  his 
greatness  by  that  standard;  but  when  told  that  he  had  only 
one,  they  gave  themselves  up  to  a  long  and  ungovernable  fit  of 
laughter,  followed  by  expressions  of  pity  and  wonder  how  he 
could  possibly  exist  in  that  destitute  condition.     The  king  of 
Yarriba's  boast  was,  that  his  wives,  hnked  hand  in  hand,  would 
reach  entirely  across   the  kingdom.      Queens,   however,  in 
Africa  are  applied  to  various  uses,  of  which  Europeans  have 
little  idea.     They  were  seen  forming  a  large  band  of  body- 
guards ;  and  their  majesties  were  observed  in  every  part  of 
the  kingdom  acting  as  porters,  and  bearing  on   their   heads 
enormous  burdens ;    so  that  whether  they  should  be  called 
^queens  or  slaves  seems  scarcely  doubtful. 


452  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

The  Eyeos,  like  other  nations  purely  negro,  are  wholly  un- 
acquainted with  letters  or  any  form  of  writing ;  these  are 
known  only  to  the  Arabs  or  Fellatas,  who  penetrate  thither  in 
small  numbers ;  yet  they  have  a  great  deal  of  extemporary 
poetry.  Every  great  man  has  bands  of  singers  of  both  sexes, 
who  constantly  attend  him,  and  loudly  celebrate  his  achieve- 
ments in  poems  of  their  own  composition.  The  convivial 
meetings  of  the  people,  even  their  labours  and  journeys,  are 
cheered  by  songs  composed  for  the  occasion,  and  sung  often 
with  considerable  taste.  Their  houses  are  mere  clay-built 
cottages,  yet  studiously  adorned  with  carving;  the  door-posts 
and  every  piece  of  furniture  are  covered  with  well-executed 
representations  of  warlike  processions,  and  of  the  movements 
of  huge  serpents  seizing  their  prey.  They  have  also  public 
performances,  which  do  not  indeed  deserve  the  name  of  dra- 
matic, as  they  consist  of  mere  mimicry  and  buffoonery.  The 
first  act  of  a  piece  witnessed  by  the  strangers  exhibited  men 
dancing  in  sacks,  who  performed  their  part  to  admiration. 
One  of  the  bags  opened,  and  there  came  forth  the  boa  con- 
strictor, fourteen  feet  long,  covered  with  cotton  cloth,  imitating 
the  colour  and  stripes  of  the  original.  Though  rather  full  in 
the  body,  it  presented  very  nearly  the  form,  and  imitated  well 
the  actions,  of  that  huge  animal.  The  mouth  was  opened 
wide,  probably  by  two  hands,  to  devour  a  warrior  armed  with 
a  sword,  who  had  come  forth  to  contend  with  this  formidable 
creature,  and  who  struck  it  with  repeated  blows,  till  it  writhed 
in  agony,  and  finally  expired.  Lastly,  out  of  another  sack 
came  the  white  devil,  a  meagre,  shivering  figure,  and  so  paint- 
ed as  to  represent  an  European.  It  took  snuff*,  rubbed  its 
hands,  and  attempted,  in  the  most  awkward  manner,  to  walk 
on  its  naked  feet.  The  audience,  amid  shouts  of  laughter, 
called  the  particular  attention  of  the  captain  to  this  perform- 
ance ;  which  being  really  good,  he  deemed  it  advisable  to  join 
in  the  mirth. 

As  soon  as  our  traveller  was  fixed  at  Eyeo,  he  began  to  ne- 
gotiate in  regard  to  the  means  of  advancing  into  Houssa, 
anxious  to  pass  through  that  country  and  reach  Bornou  before 
the  rains  should  set  in.  The  king  had  professed  a  determina- 
tion to  serve  him  in  every  shape ;  but  this  proved  to  be  the  very 
thing  in  which  he  was  least  incHned  to  fulfil  his  promise.  All 
African  princes  seek  to  make  a  monopoly  of  the  strangers  who 
enter  their  territory.  It  was  hinted,  that  one  journey  was  well 
and  fully  employed  in  seeing  the  kingdom  of  Yarriba  and 
visiting  its  great  monarch.  Captain  Clapperton,  having 
pleaded  the  positive  command  of  his  sovereign,  was  then  in- 
formed that  the  direct  route  through  Nyff*e  was  much  disturbed 


HUGH  CLAPPEHTON.  453 

by  civil  war,  the  inroad  of  the  Feilatas,  and  the  insurrection 
of  a  great  body  of  Houssa  slaves, — reports  suspected  at  the 
time  to  have  been  got  up  merely  to  detain  the  travellers,  but 
afterward  found  to  be  correct.  The  king  absolutely  refused 
permission  to  proceed  to  Rakah,  though  situated  on  the  Niger 
at  the  distance  of  only  three  days'  journey  ;  but  he  undertook 
to  convey  them  to  Houssa  by  a  safer  though  somewhat  circui- 
tous route,  through  the  kingdom  of  Borgoo. 

After  passing  through  a  number  of  smaller  places,  the  mis- 
sion arrived  at  Riama,  capital  of  a  district  of  the  same  name, 
and  containing  thirty  thousand  inhabitants.  Kiama,  Wawa, 
Niki,  and  Boussa  are  provinces  composing  the  kingdom  of 
Borgoo,  all  subject  in  a  certain  sense  to  the  sovereign  of  Bous- 
sa ;  but  the  different  cities  plunder  and  make  war  on  each 
other,  without  the  slightest  regard  to  the  supreme  authority. 
The  people  of  Kiama  and  of  Borgoo  in  general  have  the  re- 
putation of  being  the  greatest  thieves  and  robbers  in  all  Africa  ; 
a  character  which  nothing  in  their  actual  conduct  appeared  to 
confirm.  Clapperton  was  well  received  at  Kiama ;  and  the 
king  soon  visited  him  with  the  most  singular  train  ever  seen 
by  an  European.  Six  young  girls,  without  any  apparel  ex- 
cept a  fillet  on  the  forehea^d,  and  a  string  of  beads  round  the 
waist,  carrying  each  three  light  spears,  ran  by  the  side  of  his 
horse,  keeping  pace  with  it  at  full  gallop.  "  Their  light  form, 
the  vivacity  of  their  eyes,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  appear- 
ed to  fly  over  the  ground,  made  them  appear  something  more 
than  mortal."  On  the  king's  entrance,  the  young  ladies  laid 
down  their  spears,  wrapped  themselves  in  blue  mantles,  and 
attended  on  his  majesty.  On  his  taking  leave,  they  discarded 
their  attire  ;  he  mounted  his  horse,  "  and  away  went  the  most 
extraordinary  cavalcade  I  ever  saw  in  my  life."  Our  traveller 
was  visited  by  the  principal  queen,  who  had  lost  her  youth 
and  charms  ;  but  a  good  deal  of  flirtation  passed  between  him 
and  the  eldest  daughter,  who,  however,  being  twenty -five, 
was  considered  in  Africa  as  already  on  the  wane.  Yarro,  the 
king,  was  extremely  accommodating,  and  no  difficulty  was 
found  in  proceeding  onward  to  Wawa. 

Wawa  is  a  large  city,  containing  eighteen  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, enriched  by  the  constant  passage  of  the  Houssa  cara- 
vans. The  people  spend  the  wealth  thus  acquired  in  dissolute 
pleasure,  and  have  been  denounced  by  our  traveller  as  the 
most  complete  set  of  roaring  topers  he  had  ever  known.  The 
festivities  were  usually  prolonged  till  near  morning,  and  the 
town  resounded  through  the  whole  night  with  the  song,  the 
dance,  the  castanet,  and  the  Arab  guitar.  The  Wawa  ladies 
paid  a  very  particular  and  rather  troublesome  attention  to  the 
39 


454  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

English  party.  The  Captain  complains  of  being  pestered  by 
the  governor's  daughter,  who  came  several  times  a-day,  always 
half-tipsy,  painted  and  bedizened  in  the  highest  style  of  Afri- 
can finery,  to  make  love  to  him ;  and  on  meeting  only  with 
cold  excuses,  she  departed  usually  in  a  flood  of  tears.  But  the 
most  persevering  suit  was  that  of  Zuma,  an  Arab  widow,  pos- 
sessor of  a  thousand  slaves,  and  the  second  personage  in 
Wawa.  Being  turned  of  twenty,  she  was  considered  here  as 
past  her  bloom,  and  a  too  ample  indulgence  in  the  luxuries 
which  her  wealth  afforded  had  enlarged  her  dimensions  till 
they  could  be  justly  likened  to  those  of  a  huge  water-cask  j 
yet  she  had  still  some  beauty,  and,  being  only  of  a  deep-brown 
complexion,  considered  herself  white,  and  was  in  the  most 
eager  search  after  a  white  husband.  In  this  pursuit  she  cast 
her  eyes  first  upon  the  servant,  to  whom  our  traveller  hesitates 
not  to  assign  the  palm  of  good  looks  in  preference  to  himself; 
and  he  gave  Lander  full  permission  to,  follow  his  fortune.  But 
that  sage  person,  unmoved  by  all  her  charms  and  possessions, 
repelled  the  overture  in  so  decided  a  manner,  that  the  widow 
soon  saw  there  was  nothing  to  be  made  of  him.  She "  then 
withdrew  her  artillery  from  Lander,  and  directed  it  entirely 
against  his  master,  the  Captain,  to  whom  she  laid  very  close 
siege.  At  length,  in  a  frolic,  he  agreed  to  visit  her.  He  found 
her  surrounded  by  every  circumstance  of  African  pomp,  seated 
cross-legged  on  a  piece  of  Turkey  carpet,  with  an  English 
pewter  mug  for  her  goora-pot,  and  dressed  in  a  rich  striped 
silk  and  cotton  robe  of  country  manufacture.  Her  eyebrows 
were  dyed  black,  her  hair  blue,  her  hands  and  feet  red;  neck- 
laces and  girdles  of  beads,  coral,  and  gold  profusely  adorned 
her  person.  She  made  a  display  of  additional  finery  lodged 
in  her  repositories,  leading  him  through  a  series  of  apartments, 
one  of  which  was  ornamented  with  a  number  of  pewter  dishes 
and  bright  brass  pans.  After  these  preliminaries,  she  at  once 
declared  her  wish  to  accompany  him  on  his  journey,  and  pro- 
posed to  send  forthwith  for  a  malem,  or  holy  man,  to  read  the 
fatka,  by  which  their  fates  would  be  indissolubly  united.  Clap- 
perton,  who  seems  to  have  been  completely  stunned  by  this 
proposal,  stammered  out  the  best  apology  he  could,  and  has- 
tened away.  His  conduct,  however,  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  so  decisive  as  to  deter  the  lady  from  the  most  energetic 
perseverance  in  her  suit.  She  even  obtained  his  permission 
for  his  servant  Pascoe  to  accept  a  wife  from  among  her  slaves; 
but  he  was  not  aware  that,  according  to  African  ideas,  she  had 
thus'  acquired  a  sort  of  claim  to  himself. 

Regardless  of  all  these  tender  solicitations,  our  traveller  had 
no  sooner  completed  his  arrangements  than  he  set  out  for  the 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  455 

Niger,  leaving  directions  for  his  baggage  to  join  him  at  the 
ferry  of  Comie,  while  he  went  round  by  way  of  Boussa.  We 
shall  follow  him  at  present  to  the  former  place,  where  he  did 
not  find  any  of  his  baggage,  but  learned  that  the  widow, 
having  placed  it  under  arrest,  had  left  Wawa  with  drums  beat- 
ing and  a  numerous  train  ;  and  besides,  that  she  claimed  a 
full  right  to  his  person,  because  his  servant  Pascoe  had  ac- 
cepted a  wife  at  her  hand.  It  was  whispered,  moreover,  that 
she  was  meditating  to  supplant  the  governor, — a  scheme 
which,  aided  by  the  personal  bravery  of  the  strangers,  she 
might  probably  realize, — and  afterward  she  meant  to  invite 
the  Captain  to  ascend  the  throne  of  Wawa.  "  It  would  have 
been  a  fine  end  to  my  journey,  indeed,"  says  he,  "if  I  had  de- 
posed old  Mohammed,  and  set  up  for  myself,  with  a  walking 
tunbutt  for  a  queen."  Scarcely  had  he  received  this  account 
when  a  present  from  the  widow  intimated  her  arrival  in  a 
neighbouring  village.  Our  author,  however,  insensible  to  all 
the  brilliant  hopes  thus  opened,  set  off  full  speed  for  Wawa  to 
recover  his  baggage.  On  his  arrival,  the  governor  refused  to 
liberate  it  till  Zuma's  return, — Clapperton  in  vain  protesting 
that  his  movements  and  hers  had  no  sort  of  connexion. 
However,  next  day,  the  sound  of  drums  was  heard,  and  the 
widow  made  her  entree  in  full  pomp,  astride  on  a  very  fine 
horse,  with  housings  of  scarlet  cloth,  trimmed  with  lace. 
The  large  circumference  of  her  own  person  was  invested  in  a 
red  silk  mantle,  red  trowsers,  and  morocco  boots;  and  numer- 
ous spells,  sewed  variously  in  coloured  leather,  were  hung  all 
round  her.  She  was  followed  by  a  train  of  armed  attendants, 
and  preceded  by  a  drummer  decked  in  ostrich  feathers.  On 
the  whole,  the  scene  was  so  splendid,  that  our  hero's  resolution 
seems  fora  moment  to  have  wavered.  However,  his  part  was 
soon  taken.  Pascoe  was  directed  to  return  his  wife,  and  thus 
extinguish  all  claim  that  could  be  founded  upon  her  ;  and 
having  received  his  baggage  our  traveller  set  forward  without 
even  admitting  the  fond  widow  to  any  further  conference. 

On  his  way  to  Comie,  Clapperton  had  visited  Boussa,  a 
place  chiefly  interesting  as  the  scene  where  the  career  of  Park 
terminated  in  a  manner  so  tragical.  Every  thing  tended  to 
confirm  the  report  of  Amadi  Fatouma,  and  to  dispel  the  skep- 
ticism with  which  it  had  been  originally  regarded.  The  king, 
however,  and  all  the  citizens,  spoke  of  the  event  with  deep 
grief  and  reluctance,  and  disavowed  all  personal  concern  in  the 
transaction.  One  man  gave  as  the  reason  of  the  attack  on  the 
discoverers,  that  the  English  had  been  mistaken  for  the  ad- 
vanced guard  of  the  Fellatas,who  were  then  ravaging  Soudan. 
It  was  added,  that  a  number  of  natives  died  in  consequence, 


456  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

as  was  imagined,  of  eating  the  meat  found  in  the  boats,  which 
was  supposed  to  be  human  flesh.  That  the  Enghsh  have  no 
abode  but  on  the  sea,  and  that  they  eat  the  flesh  of  the  negroes 
whom  they  purchase,  are  it  seems,  two  ideas  most  widely 
prevalent  over  Africa.  Even  the  king  of  Boussa  could  scarcely 
be  brought  to  beheve  that  they  had  a  spot  of  land  to  dwell 
upon.  The  Captain  and  his  party  were  received,  however, 
with  the  same  kindness  and  cordiality  which  they  had  expe- 
rienced ever  since  they  entered  the  country.  Seven  boats 
were  here  waiting  for  them,  sent  by  the  sultan  of  Youri,  with 
a  letter,  in  which  he  earnestly  solicited  a  visit,  and  promised, 
on  that  condition,  and  on  that  only,  to  deliver  up  the  books  and 
papers  of  Park.  It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  our  traveller 
could  not  reconcile  it  with  his  plans  to  go  to  Youri  at  this  time, 
proposing  to  visit  it  on  his  return,  which,  it  is  well  known, 
never  took  place. 

On  crossing  the  Niger,  Captain  Clapperton  entered  Nyffe, 
a  country  which  had  always  been  reported  to  him  as  the  finest, 
most  industrious,  and  most  flourishing  in  Africa;  but  he  found 
it,  as  indeed  he  had  been  forewarned  by  the  king  of  Yarriba, 
a  prey  to  the  most  desolating  civil  war.  The  succession  being 
disputed  between  two  princes,  one  of  them  called  in  the  Fella- 
tas,  and,  by  giving  up  his  country  to  their  ravages,  obtained 
the  privilege  of  reigning  over  its  ruins.  Our  traveller,  in  his 
journey  to  the  sansan  or  camp,  saw  only  wasted  towns,  plan- 
tations choked  with  weeds,  and  a  few  remnants  of  a  miserable 
population.  This  African  camp  consisted  of  a  number  of  huts 
like  bee-hives,  arranged  in  streets,  with  men  weaving,  women 
spinning,  markets  at  every  green  tree,  holy  men  counting  their 
beads,  and  dissolute  slaves  drinking  ;  so  that,  but  for  the  num- 
ber of  horses  and  armed  men,  and  the  drums  beating,  it  might 
have  been  mistaken  for  a  populous  village. 

Amid  this  desolation,  two  towns,  Koolfu  and  Kufu,  being 
walled  and  situated  on  the  high  road  of  the  Hussa  caravans, 
had  protected  themselves  in  some  measure  from  the  common 
calamity,  and  were  still  flourishing  seats  of  trade.  All  the 
merchants  halted  for  some  time  at  Koolfu,  and  those  from  Bor- 
nou  seldom  went  farther.  The  market  was  crowded  with  the 
same  articles  as  that  of  Kano.  The  Moslem  religion  was  the 
most  prevalent ;  but  it  had  not  yet  moulded  society  into  the 
usual  gloomy  monotony;  nor  had  it  succeeded  in  secluding 
or  subjecting  the  female  sex,  who,  on  the  contrary,  were  the 
most  active  agents  in  every  mercantile  transaction.  Our 
traveller  knew  twenty-one  female  brokers  living  at  the  same 
time  in  one  house,  who  went  about  continually  from  market  to 
market.     Many  had  amassed  considerable  wealth,  and  were 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  457 

persons  of  great  consequence, — quite  in  their  own  right. 
Elated  with  this  distinction,  they  claimed  considerable  latitude 
as  to  their  deportment,  and  spent  whole  nights  with  the  men 
in  singing  and  drinking, — a  species  of  indulgence  very  preva- 
lent in  all  these  entrepots  of  African  trade.  The  English, 
however,  experienced  here  none  of  the  bigoted  enmity  which 
they  had  encountered  in  other  Moslem  cities.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  were  the  objects  of  much  kindness  ;  the  principal 
people  of  the  place  sent  presents,  and  the  lower  ranks  sought 
to  obtain  a  sight  of  them  by  mounting  the  trees  which  over- 
looked their  residence.  The  Koran  does  not  seem  to  have 
much  embarrassed  the  Koolfuans.  Their  only  mode  of  study- 
ing it  was,  to  have  the  characters  written  with  a  black  sub- 
stance on  a  piece  of  board,  then  to  wash  them  off,  and  drink 
the  water ;  and  when  asked  by  our  traveller  what  spiritual 
benefit  could  be  derived  from  the  mere  swallowing  of  dirty 
water,  they  indignantly  retorted, — "What!  do  you  call  the 
name  of  God  dirty  waterT'  This  mode  of  imbibing  sacred 
truth  is  indeed  extensively  pursued  throughout  the  interior  of 
the  African  continent. 

Captain  Clapperton  passed  next  through  Kotongkora  and 
Guari,  two  states  which,  united  in  a  league  with  Cubbi  and 
Youri,  had  shaken  off  the  yoke  of  the  Fellatas.  Guari, 
strongly  situated  among  hills,  could  bring  a  thousand  horse 
into  the  field.  He  then  entered  Zeg-zeg,  a  Fellata  country, 
which,  especially  around  Zaria,  its  capital,  seems  to  be  one  of 
the  very  finest  in  all  Africa.  It  was  beautifully  variegated 
with  hill  and  dale,  like  the  finest  parts  of  England,  was  cov- 
ered with  plentiful  crops  and  rich  pastures,  and  produced  the 
finest  rice  grown  in  any  part  of  that  continent.  Rows  of  tall 
trees,  resembling  gigantic  avenues  of  poplar,  extended  from 
hill  to  hill.  Zaria,  like  many  other  African  cities,  might  be 
considered  as  a  district  of  country  surrounded  with  walls. 
When  the  Captain  entered,  he  saw  for  some  time  only  fields 
of  grain,  with  the  tops  of  houses  rising  behind  them  ;  still  such 
was  its  extent,  that  its  population  was  said  to  exceed  that  of 
Kano,  and  to  amount  to  at  least  fifty  thousand.        * 

Setting  out  from  Zaria,  he  soon  reached  his  old  quarters  at 
Kano;  but  he  unfortunately  found  that  great  city  in  a  state  of 
dreadful  agitation.  There  was  war  on  every  side  ;  hostilities 
had  been  declared  between  the  king  of  Bornou  and  the  Fella- 
tas ;  the  provinces  of  Zamfra  and  Goobur  were  in  open  insur- 
rection ;  the  Tuaricks  threatened  an  inroad ;  in  short,  there 
was  not  a  quarter  to  which  the  merchants  durst  send  a  cara- 
van. Kano  being  nearly  midway  between  Bornou  and  Sack- 
atoo,  Clapperton  left  his  baggage  there  to  be  conveyed  to  the 
39* 


458  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

former  on  his  return,  and  set  out  for  the  capital  of  Bello,  bear- 
ing only  the  presents  destined  for  that  prince.  On  his  way  he 
found  numerous  bands  mustering  to  form  an  army  destined  to 
attack  Coonia,  the  rebel  metropolis  of  Goobur.  The  appear- 
ance of  these  troops  was  very  striking  as  they  passed  along  the 
borders  of  some  beautiful  little  lakes  formed  by  the  riv^r  Zir- 
mie.  These  waters  were  bordered  by  forests  of  flowering 
acacias,  with  dark-green  leaves,  the  shadows  of  which  were 
reflected  on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  lake  like  sheets  of  bur- 
nished gold  and  silver.  "  The  smoking  fires,  the  sounding  of 
horns,  the  beating  of  their  gongs  or  drums,  the  braying  of 
their  brass  and  tin  trumpets,  every  where  the  calls  on  the 
names  of  Mohammed,  Abda,  Mustapha,  with  the  neighing  of 
horses  and  the  braying  of  asses,  gave  animation  to  the  beau- 
tiful scenery  of  the  lake,  and  its  sloping  green  and  woody 
banks." 

At  length  the  army  mustered  to  the  number  of  fifty  or  sixty 
thousand,  chiefly  on  foot ;  a  rude  feudal  host,  arranging  them- 
selves according  to  their  provinces  and  chiefs,  without  any 
military  order.  In  a  short  time,  they  formed  a  dense  circle 
around  the  walls  of  Coonia.  Captain  Clapperton  expected  to 
see  some  brilliant  exploit  performed  by  the  united  force  of  this 
great  army,  commanded  by  the  sultan  and  Gadado  in  person. 
The  whole,  however,  both  horse  and  foot,  kept  carefully  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  arrows,  which,  with  a  sure  and  steady  aim, 
the  enemy  directed  against  them.  From  time  to  time  indeed 
a  doughty  warrior,  well  covered  with  armour,  rode  up,  calling, 
"Shields  to  the  wall !  Why  don't  you  come  on?"  but  he  in- 
stantly and  quickly  rode  back,  amid  the  derisive  shouts  of  his 
countrymen.  The  only  parties  who  exposed  themselves  to 
real  danger  were  a  few  chiefs,  in  quilted  armour,  ornamented 
with  gaudy  robes  and  ostrich  plumes,  and  of  such  weight  that 
two  men  were  required  to  lift  them  on  horseback  :  several  of 
them  were  brought  down  by  the  fire  of  one  well-directed 
musket  from  the  walls.  Evening  closed  without  any  thing 
being  efi^^ected  by  this  band  of  heroes  ;  and  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,^n  alarm  being  raised  of  a  sally  from  the  garrison, 
the  whole  besieging  army  began  a  tumultuous  flight,  tumbling 
over  each  other  and  upsetting  every  thing  in  their  way,  think- 
ing only  how  they  might  soonest  escape  from  danger.  The 
retreat  was  continued  through  the  wliole  of  the  following  day 
and  night,  no  halt  having  taken  place  till  ten  of  the  second 
morning.     Thus  closed  this  memorable  campaign. 

Clapperton,  at  the  sultan's  suggestion,  repaired  to  Sackatoo 
(which  he  now  calls  Soccatoo  ;)  the  monarch  himself  remain- 
ing behind  at  Magaria,  a  neighbouring  town,  which  he  was 


HUGH  CLAPPERTOX.  459 

raising  into  a  new  capital.  The  traveller's  time  was  spent  be- 
tween the  two  places.  He  found,  however,  an  entire  change 
in  the  feelings  of  kindness  and  cordiality  towards  himself, 
which  had  been  so  remarkably  displayed  in  the  former  jour- 
ney. Jealousies  had  begun  to  fester  in  the  breasts  of  the 
African  princes.  They  dreaded  some  ambitious  design  in 
those  repeated  missions  sent  by  England  without  any  conceiv- 
able motive;  for,  that  men  should  undertake  such  long  jour- 
neys out  of  mere  curiosity,  they  could  never  imagine.  The 
sultan  accordingly  had  received  a  letter  from  the  court  of 
Bornou,  warning  him  that,  by  this  very  mode  of  sending  em- 
bassies and  presents,  which  the  English  were  now  following 
towards  the  states  of  Central  Africa,  they  had  made  themselves 
masters  of  India,  and  trampled  on  all  its  native  princes.  The 
writer,  therefore,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  Clapperton  should 
immediately  be  put  to  death.  An  alarm  had,  in  fact,  been 
spread  throughout  Sackatoo  that  the  English  were  coming  to 
invade  Houssa.  The  panic  was  groundless;  no  European 
potentate  would  at  present  dream  of  attempting  to  conquer 
those  vast  and  almost  inaccessible  regions  of  Interior  Africa. 
However,  with  the  imperfect  knowledge  possessed  by  these- 
chiefs,  and  the  facts  before  them  relative  to  India,  they  had 
scarcely  the  means  of  judging  as  to  the  foundation  of  their  ap- 
prehensions. The  sultan,  irritated  doubtless  .at  the  shameful 
result  of  his  grand  expedition  against  Coonia,  felt  also  another 
and  more  pressing  fear.  War  had  just  broken  out  between 
himself  and  the  king  of  Bornou ;  Clapperton  was  on  his  way 
to  visit  that  prince,  and  had  left  six  muskets  at  Kano,  supposed 
to  be  intended  as  presents  to  him  ;  and  six  muskets  in  Central 
Africa,  where  the  whole  Fellata  empire  could  scarcely  muster 
forty,  were  almost  enough  to  turn  the  scale  between  these  two 
great  military  powers.  Under  the  impulse  of  these  feelings, 
Bello  proceeded  to  steps  unworthy  of  a  prince  and  a  man  of 
honour.  He  demanded  a  sight  of  the  letter  which  Clapperton 
was  conveying  to  the  king  of  Bornou  ;  and  when  this  was  of 
course  refused,  he  seized  it  by  violence.  Lander  was  induced 
by  false  pretences  to  bring  the  baggage  from  Kano  to  Sacka- 
too, when  forcible  possession  was  taken  of  the  six  muskets. 
The  Captain  loudly  exclaimed  against  these  proceedings,  de- 
claring them  to  amount  to  the  basest  robbery,  to  a  breach  of 
all  faith,  and  to  be  the  worst  actions  of  which  any  man  could 
be  guilty.  This  was  rather  strong  language  to  be  used  to  a 
sovereign,  especially  to  one  who  could  at  any  moment  have 
cut  off  his  head  ;  and  the  minister  even  dropped  hints  as  if 
matters  might  come  to  that  issue,  though,  in  point  of  fact,  the 
government  did  not  proceed  to  any  personal  violence.     But^ 


460         g  HUGH  CLAPPERTOX. 

from  other  causes,  the  career  of  this  spirited  and  hitherto  suc- 
cessful traveller  was  now  drawinjo^  to  a  close. 

The  strong  constitution  of  Clapperton  had  till  this  period 
enabled  him  to  resist  all  the  baneful  influences  of  an  African 
climate.     He  had  recovered,  though  perhaps  not  completely, 
from  the  effects  of  the  rash  exposure  which  had  proved  fatal  to 
his  two  .companions ;  but  he  had,  when  overcome  with  heat 
and  fatigue,  in  hunting  at  Magaria,  lain  down  on  a  damp  spot 
in  the  open  air,  and  was  soon  after  seized  with  dysentery, 
which  continued  to  assume  more  alarming  symptoms.    Indeed, 
after  the  seizure  of  the  letter  to  the  sultan  of  Bornou,  he  was 
never,  seen  to  smile,  and  in  his  sleep  was  heard  addressing  loud 
reproaches  to  the  Arabs.     Unable  to  rise  from  bed,  and  de- 
serted by  all  his  African  friends,  who  saw  him  no  longer  a 
favourite  at  court,  he  was  watched  with  tender  care  by  his 
faithful  servant  Richard  Lander,  who  devoted  his  whole  time 
to  attendance  on  his  sick  master.     At  length  he  called  him  to 
his  bedside,  and  said — "  Richard,  1  shall  shortly  be  no  more, — 
I  feel  myself  dying."     Almost  choked  with  grief.  Lander  re- 
plied, "  God  forbid,  my  dear  master, — you  will  live  many  years 
yet."     But  the  other  replied,  "don't  be  so  much  affected,  my 
dear  boy,  I  entreat  you  ;  it  is  the  will  of  the  Almighty,  it  can- 
not be  helped."     He  then  gave  particular  directions  as  to  the 
disposal  of  his  papers,  and  of  all  that  remained  of  his  property; 
to  which  strict  attention   was   promised.     "He  then,"  says 
Lander,  "  took  my  hand  within  his,  and  looking  me  full  in  the 
face,  while  a  tear  stood  glistening  in  his  eye,  said,  in  a  low  but 
deeply-affecting  tone,  'My  dear  Richard,  if  you  had  not  been 
with  me  I  should  have  died  long  ago ;  I  can  only  thank  you 
with  my  latest  breath  for  your  kindness  and  attachment  to  me  ; 
and  if  I  could  have  lived  to  return  with  you,  you  should  have 
been  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  want ;  but  God  will  reward 
yoii.' "     He  still  survived  some  days,  and  appeared  even  to 
rally  a  httle  ;  but,  one  morning.  Lander  was  alarmed  by  a 
pecuhar  rattling  sound  in  his  throat,  and,  hastening  to  the  bed- 
side, found  him  sitting  up,  and  staring  wildly  around  ;  he  laid 
his  head  gently  on  the  dying  man's  shoulder  ;  some  indistinct 
words  quivered  on  his  lips  ;  he  strove,  but  ineffectually,  to  give 
them  utterance,  and  expired  without  a  struggle  or  a  sigh. 

Bello  seems  to  have  repented  in  some  degree  of  liis  harsh 
conduct,  especially  after  news  arrived  of  a  great  victory  gained 
by  his  troops  over  the  sultan  of  Bornou.  He  allowed  Lander 
to  perform  the  funeral  obsequies  with  every  mark  of  respect. 
He  also  supplied  him  with  the  means  of  returning  home,  allow- 
ing him  to  choose  his  road,  though  advising  him  to  prefer  that 
through  the  Great  Desert ;  but  Lander  had  already  had  too 


HUGH  CLAPPERTON.  461 

many  dealings  with  the  Arabs,  and  therefore  preferred  his  old 
track  through  the  negro  countries. 

On  his  arrival  at  Kano,  Lander  formed  a  spirited  and  highly- 
laudable  design,  which  proved  him  to  be  possessed  of  a  mind 
much  superior  to  his  station.  This  was  nothing  less  than  an 
attempt  to  resolve  the  great  question  respecting  the  termination 
of  the  Niger  ;  which  he  hoped  to  effect  by  proceeding  to  Fun- 
dah,  the  place,  everyone  admits,  at  which  the  point  may  most 
easily  be  determined, — whether  it  flows  onward  to  the  sea  or 
turns  eastward  into  the  interior.  Lander,  in  order  to  reach  that 
city,  proceeded  due  south,  through  a  country  diversified  with 
rising  ground,  but  still  presenting  the  same  fertile  and  luxuri- 
ant aspect  as  that  through  which  he  had  just  passed.  He  was 
told,  however,  that  to  the  south  there  was  a  very  elevated 
mountainous  region,  inhabited  by  a  savage  people  called 
Yemyems.  These  are  probably  the  Lamlam  of  Edrisi,  re- 
ported to  be  devourers  of  human  flesh,  and  who  were  said  to 
have  lately  killed  and  eaten  a  whole  caravan ;  since  which 
time  no  one  had  been  much  inclined  to  go  near  them.  The 
chief  place  through  which  Lander  passed  was  Cuttup,  compo- 
sed of  five  hundred  little  villages,  clustered  together,  and  form- 
ing the  market  for  a  very  great  extent  of  country.  The  king's 
wives  were  vastly  delighted  to  receive  one  or  two  gilt  buttons 
from  the  traveller's  jacket ;  and,  imagining  them  to  be  pure 
gold,  fastened  them  to  their  ears.  From  Cuttup  he  proceeded 
to  Dunrora,  where  he  was  informed  that  about  half  a  days' 
journey  eastward  was  the  large  city  of  Jacoba,  near  which 
flowed  the  Shary,  in  a  continuous  course  between  the  Tchad 
and  Fundah  ;  which  last  place  lay  now  in  the  direction  of  due 
west.  Lander  here  promised  himself  the  satisfaction,  in  ten  or 
twelve  days,  of  finally  solving  the  grand  African  problem, 
when  suddenly  four  horsemen,  with  foaming  steeds,  galloped 
into  the  town.  Their  leader,  followed  by  an  immense  multi- 
tude, rode  up,  and  told  the  traveller  that  he  must  instantly  re- 
turn to  the  king  of  Zeg-zeg.  Lander  endeavoured  to  argue 
the  point,  but  could  get  no  answer,  except  that  they  must 
either  bring  him  with  them  or  lose  their  heads.  It  behooved 
him  then,  of  necessity,  to  repair  to  Zaria,  the  capital,  where, 
being  introduced  to  the  king,  and  having  delivered  his  pres- 
ents, that  prince  boasted  of  having  done  him  the  greatest  pos- 
sible favour,  since  the  people  of  Fundah,  being  now  at  war 
with  Sultan  Bello,  would  certainly  have  murdered  any  one 
who  had  come  from  visiting  and  carrying  gifts  to  that  monarch. 
From  this  reasoning,  sound  or  otherwise.  Lander  had  no  ap- 
peal, and  found  no  alternative  but  to  make  his  way  back  by  his 
former  path.     In  all  the  places  through  which  he  passed^ 


462  HUGH  CLAPPERTON. 

anxious  inquiries  were  made  about  "his  father,"  as  the  peo- 
ple called  Clapperton ;  and  when  they  heard  of  his  death, 
they  raised  loud  lamentations.  He  reached  Badagry  on  the 
21st  of  November,  1827  ;  but,  being  detained  some  time  there 
and  at  Cape  Coast  Castle,  did  not  reach  England  till  the  30th 
of  April,  1828. 


RICHARD  LANDER. 


RICHARD  AND   JOHN   LANDER. 


To  these  individuals  belongs  the  honour  of  having  been  the 
first  Europeans  who  discovered  the  termination  of  the  Niger,  a 
subject  which  for  more  than  forty  years  excited  an  interest  be- 
yond any  other  connected  with  the  knowledge  of  the  earth. 
Britain,  acting  in  conformity  with  a  noble  and  liberal  spirit,  in 
a  succession  of  African  expeditions,  sacrificed  a  portion  of  her 
treasure  and  the  lives  of  some  of  her  citizens.  These  sacrifi- 
ces, as  to  the  main  object,  were  for  some  time  made  in  vain. 
Park,  when  he  was  directly  on  the  route  which  would  have  led 
to  the  grand  discovery,  met  his  premature  and  tragical  fate. 
Denham  and  Clapperton  made  most  important  discoveries, 
and  threw  light  on  many  almost  unknown  regions  of  interior 
Africa  ;  but  they  left  the  grand  mystery  covered  with  as  thick 
a  veil  as  ever.  The  honour  of  removing  this  veil  was  reserved 
for  the  individuals  whose  names  stand  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter.  <i\ 


464  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

In  reviewing  the  nairative  of  Clapperton's  last  expedition, 
we  had  occasion  to  introduce  to  the  reader  Richard  Lander, 
acting  in  the  humble  capacity  of  servant  to  that  enterprising 
traveller.  We  have  seen  him,  after  fulfilling  in  an  exemplary 
manner  the  duties  of  that  situation,  and  closing  his  master*s 
eyes,  become  himself  inspired  with  a  similar  spirit,  and  make 
a  considerable  progress  towards  the  solution  of  the  grand 
problem.  The  interposition  of  king  Zeg-zeg  arrested  his 
efforts,  but  his  spirit  was  still  unsubdued  ;  and  on  his  return  to 
England,  he  tendered  his  services  to  government  for  a  fresh 
expedition. 

His  services  were  accepted,  but  on  such  terms  that  even  in 
case  of  success,  he  was  encouraged  to  expect  only  a  very 
moderate  reward.  He  was  to  be  furnished  with  the  means  of 
prosecuting  his  journey,  his  wife  was  to  receive  a  support 
during  his  absence,  and  in  the  event  of  being  successful  he 
was  to  be  allowed  a  gratuity  of  one  hundred  pounds — a  pitiful 
donation  from  a  great  nation  to  one  who  in  pursuit  of  one  of 
its  favourite  objects  was  to  brave  all  the  perils  of  death  and 
captivity.  His  brother,  John  Lander,  was  permitted  to  ac- 
company him,  but  under  the  express  stipulation  of  looking  for 
no  reward  whatever. 


JOHN  LANDER. 

The  brothers  embarked  for  Africa  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1830,  and  after  a  passage  of  forty-two  days,  arrived,  on  the 
22d  of  February,  at  Cape  Coast  Castle  on  the  African  shore. 


EICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  465 

After  remaining  on  the  coast  until  the  15th  of  March,  enjoy- 
ing the  hospitahty  of  the  British  residents  there,  our  travellers 
embarked  on  board  the  Clinker,  Lieutenant  Matson  command- 
er, and  on  the  19th  arrived  at  Badagry,  on  the  gulf  of  Benin. 
The  account  of  our  travellers'  reception  here,  we  give  in  their 
own  words. 

"  Cheered  by  six  hearty  huzzas  good-naturedly  given  us  by 
the  crew  of  the  Clinker,  at  the  desire  of  her  gallant  command- 
er, we  sailed  towards  the  beach  in  one  of  the  brig's  boats,  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  afternoon,  and  having  been  taken  into  a 
canoe  that  was  waiting  at  the  edge  of  the  breakers  to  receive 
us,  we  were  plied  over  a  tremendous  surf,  and  flung  with  vio- 
lence on  the  burning  sands. 

Wet  and  uncomfortable  as  this  accident  had  rendered  us, 
we  had  no  change  of  linen  at  hand,  and  we  walked  to  a  small 
creek  about  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  sea- 
shore, where  we  were  taken  into  a  native  canoe,  and  conveyed 
safely  through  an  extremely  narrow  channel  overhung  with 
luxuriant  vegetation,  into  the  Badagry  river,  which  is  a  branch 
of  the  Lagos.  It  is  a  beautiful  body  of  water,  resembling  a 
lake  in  miniature;  its  surface  is  smooth  and  transparent  as 
glass,  and  its  picturesque  banks  are  shaded  by  trees  of  a  lively 
verdure.  We  were  soon  landed  on  the  opposite  side,  when 
our  road  lay  over  a  magnificent  plain,  on  which  deer,  ante- 
lopes, and  buffaloes  are  often  observed  to  feed.  Numbers  of 
men,  women,  and  children  followed  us  to  the  town  of  Bada- 
gry, and  they  made  the  most  terrific  noises  at  our  heels  ;  but 
whether  these  were  symptoms  of  satisfaction  or  displeasure, 
admiration  or  ridicule,  we  could  not  at  first  understand.  We 
were  soon,  however,  satisfied  that  the  latter  feeling  was  pre- 
dominant; and  indeed  our  clothing  was  exceedingly  grotesque, 
consisting  of  a  straw  hat  larger  than  an  umbrella,  a  scarlet  Mo- 
hammedan tobe  or  tunic  and  belt,  with  boots  and  full  Turkish 
trousers.  So  unusual  a  dress  might  well  cause  the  people  to 
laugh  heartily ;  they  were  all  evidently  highly  amused ;  but  the 
more  modest  of  the  females,  unwilhng  to  give  us  any  uneasi- 
ness, turned  aside  to  conceal  the  titter,  from  which  they  were 
utterly  unable  to  refrain. 

On  our  way  we  observed  various  groups  of  people  seated 
under  the  spreading  branches  of  superb  trees,  vending  provis- 
ions and  country  cloth ;  and  on  our  approach  many  of  these 
arose  and  bowed,  while  others  fell  on  their  knees  before  us  in 
token  of  respect." 

The  next  day  our  travellers  visited  the  chief  or  king  of  Ba- 
dagry at  his  residence.  On  our  entrance,  they  say,  he  was 
sitting  on  a  couple  of  boxes  in  a  small  bamboo  apartment,  from 
40 


466  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

whose  sides  were  suspended  a  great  quantity  of  muskets  and 
swords,  with  a  few  pahry  umbrellas,  and  a  couple  of  horses' 
tails,  which  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  brushing  away  flies 
and  other  insects.  Ring  Adooley  looked  up  in  our  faces 
without  making  any  observation,  and  did  not  rise  from  his  seat 
to  congratulate  us  on  our  arrival.  He  appeared  in  deep  re- 
flection, and  thoughtfully  rested  his  elbow  on  an  old  wooden 
table,  pillowing  his  head  on  his  hand.  One  of  the  most  vener- 
able and  ancient  of  his  subjects  was  squatted  at  the  feet  of  his 
master,  smoking  from  a  pipe  of  extraordinary  length  ;  while 
Lantern,  his  eldest  son  and  heir-apparent,  was  kneeling  at  his 
side,  etiquette  not  allowing  the  youth  to  sit  in  presence  of  his 
father.  Every  thing  bore  an  air  of  gloom  and  sadness,  totally 
diff*erent  from  what  we  had  been  led  to  expect.  We  shook 
hands,  but  the  pressure  of  the  chief  was  so  very  faint  that  it 
was  scarcely  perceptible  ;  yet  notwithstanding  this  apparent 
coldness,  we  seated  ourselves,  one  on  each  side,  without  cere- 
mony or  embarrassment.  The  conversation  was  commenced 
on  our  part  by  inquiring  after  the  chief's  health,  which  was 
answered  only  by  a  languid  smile,  and  he  again  relapsed  into 
his  former  thoughtfulness.  We  then  displayed  to  the  greatest 
advantage  the  presents  we  had  brought  for  him  from  P^ngland; 
they  were  accepted,  it  is  true,  but  without  the  slightest  demon- 
stration of  pleasure  or  satisfaction  ;  they  were  scarcely  looked 
at,  and  were  carried  away  by  his  attendants  with  real  or  seem- 
ing indifference.  This  was  very  mortifying,  but  we  said  not  a 
word,  though  it  was  the  easiest  thing  imaginable  to  perceive 
that  all  was  not  right.  Added  to  all  this,  in  the  midst  of  the 
conversation,  Adooley  left  us  abruptly,  and  did  not  return  for 
some  time. 

Wearied  at  length  with  his  delay,  we  dispatched  a  messen- 
ger to  acquaint  him  that  we  were  becoming  impatient,  and 
would  feel  obliged  by  his  immediate  return,  in  order  to  put  an 
end  to  our  conference,  or  palaver^  as  it  is  emphatically  styled, 
as  speedily  as  possible.  On  receiving  this  message  the  chief 
hastened  back,  and  entered  the  apartment  with  a  melancholy 
countenance,  which  was  partially  concealed  behind  large 
volumes  of  smoke  from  a  tobacco  pipe  which  he  was  using. 
He  seated  himself  between  us  as  before  and  gave  us  to  under- 
stand in  a  very  low  tone  of  voice,  that  he  was  but  just  recover- 
ing from  a  severe  illness,  and  from  the  effects  of  a  variety  of 
misfortunes  which  had  rendered  him  almost  broken-hearted. 
His  generals,  Bombanee  and  Poser,  and  all  his  most  able  war- 
riors, had  either  been  slain  in  battle  or  fallen  by  other  violent 
means.  The  former,  whose  loss  he  more  particularly  lament- 
ed, had  been  captured  by  the  Lagos  people,  who  were  his  most 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  467 

inveterate  enemies.  When  this  unfortunate  man  was  taken 
prisoner,  his  right  hand  was  immediately  nailed  to  his  head, 
and  the  other  lopped  off  like  a  twig.  In  this  manner  he  was 
paraded  through  the  town,  and  exposed  to  the  view  of  the 
people  ;  whose  curiosity  being  satiated,  Bombanee's  head  was 
at  length  severed  from  his  shoulders,  and  being  dried  in  the 
sun  and  beat  to  dust,  was  sent  in  triumph  to  the  chief  of  Ba- 
dagry.  To  these  calamities,  others  were  added,  all  which 
served  to  account  in  some  measure  for  the  sad  and  grievous 
expression  so  strongly  depicted  on  the  chief's  countenance ; 
but  another  and  more  powerful  reason  doubtless  influenced 
him  on  this  occasion. 

In  returning  to  our  residence,  we  were  introduced  to  a  num- 
ber of  the  principal  men,  come,  professedly,  to  compliment  us 
on  visiting  their  coimtry,  although  their  true  and  only  motive 
for  visiting  our  quarters  was  the  expectation  of  obtaining  rum, 
the  great  object  of  attraction  to  all  of  them.  We  were  annoy- 
ed during  the  better  part  of  the  day  by  a  tribe  of  ragged  beg- 
gars, whose  importunity  was  really  disgusting  ;  and  the  num- 
ber of  old,  fat-headed  and  pot-bellied  men,  and  skinny  flap- 
eared  women  of  the  last  century  was  immense.  To  these  gar- 
rulous ladies  and  gentlemen  we  were  obliged  to  laugh  and  talk, 
and  shake  hands,  and  crack  fingers,  and  bend  our  bodies  and 
bow  our  heads,  and  place  our  hands  with  solemnity  on  our 
heads  and  breasts ;  make  presents,  and  cringe,  fawn,  and 
flatter  up  to  the  time  of  going  to  bed.  We  had  not  a  moment's 
relaxation  from  this  excessive  fatigue.  Had  Job,  among  his 
other  trials,  been  exposed  to  the  horrors  of  an  interminable 
African  palaver^  his  patience  must  have  forsaken  him.  For 
my  own  part,  says  one  of  the  Landers,  I  am  of  opinion  that  I 
shall  never  be  a  favourite  with  this  ever  grinning  and  loqua- 
cious people.  If  I  laugh,  and  laugh  I  most  certainly  must,  it 
is  done  against  my  inclination,  and  consequently  with  a  very 
bad  grace.  For  the  first  five  years  of  my  fife,  I  have  been  told 
that  I  was  never  even  seen  to  smile ;  and  since  that  period  my 
merriment  has  been  confined  to  particular  and  extraordinary 
occasions  only.  How  then  is  it  possible  that  I  can  be  grin- 
ning and  playing  the  fool  from  morning  till  night,  positively 
without  any  just  incentive  to  do  so,  and  sweltering  at  the  same 
time  under  a  sun  that  causes  my  body  to  burn  with  intense 
heat,  giving  it  the  appearance  of  shrivelled  parchment.  For- 
tunately, these  savages  cannot  distinguish  between  real  and 
fictitious  joy  ;  and  although  I  was  vexed  at  heart,  and  wished 
them  all  at  the  bottom  of  the  Red  Sea,  or  somewhere  else,  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  my  forced  attempts  to  please 
the  natives  have  so  far  been  successful ;  and  that  I  have  ob-- 


4b9  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

tained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  pleasantest  and  best- 
tempered  persons  in  the  world. 

The  next  day  our  travellers  received  a  visit  from  one  of  the 
chief's  messengers,  who  was  a  Haussa  mallam,  or  priest.  He 
came  followed  by  a  large  and  handsome  spotted  sheep  from 
his  native  country,  whose  neck  was  adorned  with  httle  bells, 
which  made  a  pretty  jingling  noise.  He  was  dressed  in  the 
Haussa  costume,  viz.  cap,  tobe,  trousers,  and  sandals.  He 
wore  four  large  silver  rings  on  his  thumb,  and  his  left  wrist 
was  ornamented  with  a  sohd  silver  bracelet.  His  visit  appear- 
ed to  be  disinterested,  as  he  did  not  beg  any  thing.  It  is  to  be 
understood,  however,  that  he  was  a  Mussulman,  and  it  being 
the  fast  of  the  Ramadan,  he  was  forbidden  by  his  creed  either 
to  eat  or  drink  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

A  visit  from  the  chief's  eldest  son  who  remained  with  our 
travellers  nearly  an  entire  day,  is  thus  described.  The  man- 
ners of  this  young  man  are  reserved,  but  respectful;  he  is  a 
great  admirer  of  the  English,  and  has  obtained  a  smattering 
of  their  language.  Although  his  appearance  is  extremely 
boyish,  he  has  already  three  wives,  and  is  the  father  of  two 
children.  His  front  teeth  are  filed  to  a  point  after  the  manner 
of  the  Lagos  people;  but  notwithstanding  this  disadvantage, 
his  features  bear  less  marks  of  ferocity  than  we  have  observed 
in  the  countenance  of  any  one  of  his  countrymen,  while  his 
general  deportment  is  infinitely  more  pleasing  and  humble 
than  theirs.  When  asked,  whether,  if  it  were  in'  his  power  to 
do  so,  he  would  injure  us  two,  or  any  European  that  might 
hereafter  visit  Badagry,  he  made  no  reply,  but  silently  ap- 
proached our  seat,  and  falling  on  his  knees  at  our  feet,  he 
pressed  me  with  eagerness  to  his  soft,  naked  bosom,  and  affec- 
tionately kissed  my  hand.  I  thought  that  language  and  ex- 
pression would  not  have  been  half  so  eloquent  as  this. 

Our  travellers  remained  at  Badagry  until  the  31st  of  March, 
about  ten  days  from  the  time  of  their  arrival.  This  whole 
time  seems  to  have  been  employed  on  the  part  of  the  natives 
in  incessant  efforts  and  artifices  to  extract  presents  and  money, 
and  on  the  part  of  the  travellers  in  receiving  visits,  cracking 
jfingers,  laughing  and  grinning  in  order  to  adapt  themselves  to 
the  taste  and  character  of  their  visiters.  Besides  the  great 
king  of  all,  the  redoubtable  Adooley,  four  fellows  assumed  the 
title  of  royalty,  namely,  the  kings  of  Spanish  Town,  of  Portu- 
guese Town,  of  English  Town,  and  of  French  Town  ;  Bada- 
gry being  divided  into  four  districts,  bearing  the  names  of  the 
European  nations  just  mentioned.  Besides  these  there  was  a 
host  of  ragged  scoundrels  who  styled  themselves  great  and 
powerful,  and  were  styled  noblemen  and  gentlemen.    Each 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

of  these  the  travellers  were  advised  to  conciliate  with  presents, 
and  especially  spiriutous  liquors,  in  order  to  do  away  any  evil, 
impression  they  mi2:ht  have  received,  and  thus  facilitate  their 
object,  viz.  the  obtaining  leave  to  pass  through  the  country. 
Several  considerations  conspired  to  render  them  anxious  to 
hasten  their  departure.  The  rainy  season  was  fast  approach- 
ing— and  they  were  told  that  a  sacrifice  of  no  less  than  three 
hundred  human  beings,  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  was  shortly 
to  take  place.  We  often  hear,  they  say,  the  cries  of  many  of 
these  poor  wretches  ;  and  the  heart  sickens  with  horror  at  the 
bare  contemplation  of  such  a  scene  as  awaits  us  should  we  re- 
main here  much  longer.  But  all  their  solicitations  for  leave 
to  proceed  on  their  journey  were  evaded  by  the  chief  under 
the  most  frivolous  and  absurd  pretences.  After  visiting  the 
residence  of  General  Poser,  they  paid  another  visit  to  the 
king.  General  Poser's  house  was  at  that  time  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  his  head  man.  Him,  we  found  squatting, 
they  say,  indolently  on  a  mat,  and  several  old  people  were 
holding  a  conversation  with  him.  As  the  death  of  Poser  is 
not  generally  known  to  the  people,  it  being  concealed  from 
them  for  fear  of  exciting  a  commotion  in  the  town,  for  he  was 
universally  loved  and  respected,  we  were  not  permitted  even 
to  mention  his  name,  and  the  steward  set  us  the  example  by 
prudently  confining  the  conversation  to  the  necessity  of  making 
him  a  present  suitable  to  his  expectations  and  the  dignity  of 
his  station.  Muskets  and  other  warlike  instruments  were  sus- 
pended from  the  sides  of  the  apartment,  and  its  ceiling  was 
decorated  with  fetishes  and  Arab  texts  in  profusion.  Gin  and 
water  were  produced,  and  partaken  of  with  avidity  by  all  pres- 
ent, more  especially  by  the  two  mulattoes  that  had  attended 
us,  which  being  done,  the  head  man  wished  the  Great  Spirit 
to  prosper  us  in  all  our  undertakings,  and  told  us  not  to  forget 
his  present  by  any  means.  After  taking  our  leave  we  repaired 
immediately  to  the  residence  of  Adooley,  whom  we  had  not 
seen  for  two  days. 

The  chief  was  eating  an  undressed  onion,  and  seated  on 
an  old  table,  danghng  his  legs  underneath  it  with  a  vacant 
thoughtlessness  of  manner,  which  our  abrupt  intrusipn  some- 
what dissipated.  He  informed  us  of  his  intention  of  sending 
us  on  our  journey  the  day  after  the  next,  was  full  of  good  na- 
ture and  promised  to  make  my  brother  a  present  of  a  horse 
and  to  sell  rae  another,  and  added  that  he  most  particularly 
wished  to  examine  the  goods  we  intended  staking  with  us  into 
the  "bush,"  as  the  uncleared  country  is  called,  in  order  that 
he  might  satisfy  himself  we  had  nothing  objectionable  among 
them.  HavinjT  expressed  our  thanks  to  Adooley  for  his  kind 
40* 


4W  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

intentions  and  agreed  to  his  conditions,  we  all  partook  of  a  little 
spirit  and  water  which  soon  made  us  the  best  friends  in  the 
universe.  During  this  palaver,  the  chief's  sister  and  two  of 
his  wives  were  ogling  at  us,  and  gigghng,  until  the  approach 
of  the  chief  of  English  town  and  the  rest  of  our  party  put  a 
sudden  stop  to  the  entertainment.  These  men  came  to  settle  a 
domestic  quarrel,  which  was  soon  decided  by  the  chief,  who, 
after  receiving  the  usual  salutation  of  dropping  on  the  knees, 
with  the  face  to  the  earth,  chatted  and  laughed  immoderately. 
This  was  considered  by  us  as  a  happy  omen.  Very  little  cer- 
emony is  observed  by  the  meanest  of  the  people  towards  their 
sovereign.  They  converse  with  him  with  as  little  reserve  as 
if  he  were  no  better  than  themselves,  while  he  pays  as  much 
attention  to  their  complaints  as  to  those  of  the  principal  peo- 
ple of  the  country.  Adooley  seemed  not  entirely  destitute  of 
the  virtues  of  hospitality,  for  we  observed  with  pleasure  that 
the  remainder  of  his  onions  were  divided  equally  among  the 
chiefs  who  had  come  to  visit  him,  and  were  received  by  them 
with  marks  of  the  highest  satisfaction. 

A  few  more  pictures  of  African  life  and  manners  will  close 
the  account  of  our  travellers'  visit  to  the  king  of  Badagry. 

In  the  afternoon,  after  the  palaver  above  described,  a  herald 
proclaimed  the  approach  to  our  habitation  of  the  venerable 
chief  of  Spanish  town,  with  a  long  suite  of  thirsty  followers. 
The  old  man's  dress  was  very  simple,  consisting  only  of  a  cap 
and  turban,  with  a  large  piece  of  Manchester  cotton  flung  over 
his  right  shoulder  and  held  under  his  left  arm.  This  is  infi- 
nitely more  graceful  and  becoming  in  the  natives  than  the  most 
showy  European  apparel,  in  any  variety  of  which,  indeed,  they 
generally  look  highly  ridiculous.  After  we  had  made  him 
and  all  his  attendants  nearly  tipsy,  the  old  chief  began  to  be 
very  talkative  and  amusing,  continuing  to  chat  without  inter- 
mission for  a  considerable  time,  not  omitting  to  whisper  occa- 
sionally to  the  interpreter,  by  no  means  to  forget,  after  his  de- 
parture, reminding  us  of  the  present  we  had  promised  him,  for 
it  is  considered  the  height  of  rudeness  to  mention  any  thing  of 
the  kind  aloud  in  his  presence.  Our  rum  had  operated  so 
cheerily  upon  his  followers  in  the  yard,  that  fat  and  lean,  old 
and  young,  commenced  dancing,  and  continued  performing 
the  most  laughable  antics,  till  they  were  no  longer  able  to 
stand.  It  amused  us  infinitely  to  observe  these  creatures,  with 
their  old  solemn>,  placid-looking  chief  at  their  head,  staggering 
out  at  the  doorway ;  we  were,  in  truth,  but  too  happy  to  get 
rid  of  them  at  so  cheap  a  rate.  Hooper  shortly  afterward 
came  with  a  petition  from  twelve  "gentlemen"  of  English 
Town,  for  the  sum  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  to  be 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  471 

divided  among  them  ;  and  having  no  resource,  we  were  com- 
pelled to  submit  to  the  demand  of  these  rapacious  scoundrels. 
Late  in  the  evening  we  received  the  threatened  visit  from 
Adooley,  who  came  to  examine  the  contents  of  our  boxes.     He 
was  borne  in  a  hammock  by  two  men,  and  was  dressed  in  an 
English  linen  shirt,  a  Spanish  cloak  or  mantle,  with  a  cap, 
turban,  and  sandals.     His  attendants  were  three  half-dressed 
little  boys,  who,  one  by  one,  placed  themselves  at  their  mas- 
ter's feet,  as  they  are  in  the  habit  of  doing.     One  of  them 
carried  a  long  sword,  another  a  pistol,  and  the  third  a  kind  of 
knapsack,  filled  with  tobacco.     We  presented  the  chief  with 
brandy,  equal  in  strength  to  spirits  of  wine ;  and  he  swallow- 
ed a  large  quantity  of  it  with  exquisite  pleasure.     The  boys 
were  permitted  to  drink  a  portion  of  the  liquor  every  time  that 
it  was  poured  into  a  glass  for  Adooley  ;  but  though  it  was  so 
very  strong,  it  produced  no   grimace,  nor  the  slightest  distor- 
tion of  countenance  in  these  little  fellows.     The  fondness  of 
the  natives,  or  rather  their  passion,  for  strong  waters  is  aston- 
ishing, and  they  are  valued  entirely  in  proportion  to  the  intoxi- 
cating effects  they  occasion.     Adooley  smoked  nearly  all  the 
while  he  remained  in  our  house.     As  each  box  was  opened, 
however,  he  would  take  the  pipe  slowly  from  his  mouth,  as  if 
perfectly  heedless  of  what  was  going  forward  ;  and  from  the 
couch  whereon  he  was  reclining,  regard  with  intense  curiosity 
each  article   as  it  was  held   out  to  his  observation.     Every 
thing  that. in  his  opinion  demanded  a  closer  examination,  or, 
more  properly  speaking,  every  thing  he  took  a  fancy  to,  was 
put  into   his   hands  at  his  own  request ;    but  as  it  would  be 
grossly  impolite  to  return  it  after  it  had  been   soiled  by  his 
fingers,  with  the  utmost  nonchalance  the  chief  delivered  it  over 
to  the  care  of  his  recumbent  pages,  who  carefully  secured  it 
between  their  legs.     Adooley's  good  taste  could  not  of  course 
be  questioned ;  and  it  did  not  much  surprise,  though  it  grieved 
us,  to  observe  a  large  portion  of  almost  every  article  in  the 
boxes  speedily  passing  through  his  hands  into   those  of  his 
juvenile  minions.     Nothing  seemed  unworthy  his  acceptance, 
from  fine  scarlet  cloth  to  a  child's  fartliing  whistle  ;  in  fact,  he 
requested  a  couple  of  these  little  instruments  to  amuse  him- 
self with  in  retirement !     And  although  he  has  received  guns, 
ammunition,  and  a  variety  of  goods  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
three  hundred  ounces*  of  gold  he  is  so  far  from  being  satisfied 
that  he  is  continually  grumbling  forth  his  discontent.     Grati- 


*  An  ounce  of  gold  on  this  part  of  the  African  coast  is  worth  about  two 
pounds  sterling. 


472  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

tude  is  unknown  both  to  him  and  his  subjects;  the  more  one 
gives  them,  the  more  pressing  are  their  importunities  for  other 
favours.  The  very  food  that  one  eats  and  the  clothes  that  he 
wears  are  begged  in  so  fawning  a  tone  and  manner,  as  to  cre- 
ate disgust  and  contempt  at  the  first  interview. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  before  Adooley  arose  from  his  seat 
to  depart,  when  he  took  his  leave,  with  broadcloth,  and  cot- 
tons, pipes,  snuff-boxes,  and  knives,  paper,  ink,  whistles,  &c. 
&c.,  and  even  some  of  our  books,  so  avaricious  is  this  Chief 
of  Badagry. 

We  arose  early  the  next  morning  for  the  purpose  of  arrange- 
ing  some  trifling  matters,  and  taking  our  breakfast  in  quiet- 
ness and  comfort;  but  we  had  scarcely  sat  down,  when  our 
half-naked  grinning  acquaintances  entered  to  pay  us  the  com- 
pliments of  the  day.  Notwithstanding  our  chagrin,  so  ludi- 
crous was  the  perpetual  bowing  and  scraping  of  these  our 
friends,  in  imitation  of  Europeans,  that  we  could  not  forbear 
laughing  in  good  earnest.  Our  rum,  which  had  been  kindly 
siipphed  us  by  Lieutenant  Matson,  we  are  happy  to  say,  is 
now  nearly  all  consumed,  and  the  number  of  our  general  visi- 
ters has  diminished  in  exact  proportion  to  its  decrease  ;  so 
that  we  are  beginning  to  feel  the  enjoyment  of  an  hour  or  two's 
quiet  in  the  course  of  a  day,  which  is  a  luxury  we  could  hardly 
have  anticipated.  The  chief  sent  his  son  this  morning  to  us, 
requesting  a  few  needles  and  some  small  shot.  We  could  ill 
spare  the  latter,  but  it  would  be  impolitic  to  refuse  his  urgent 
solicitations,  whatever  may  be  their  tendency. 

The  horses  promised  by  Adooley  have  been  sent  for  us  to 
examine.  They  appear  strong  and  in  good  condition;  and  if 
they  play  us  no  wicked  pranks  in  the  "  bush,"  no  doubt  they 
will  be  eminently  serviceable. 

This  evening  Poser's  head-man,  who  we  understand  is  one 
of  the  chiefs  first  captains,  returned  our  visit  of  yesterday, 
followed  by  a  multitude  of  friends  and  retainers.  He  had  been 
determined,  I  believe,  before  he  left  home,  to  be  in  an  ill- 
humour  with  us,  and  perhaps  he  had  treated  himself  with  an 
extra  dram  for  the  occasion.  This  great  bully  introduced 
himself  into  our  dwelling, — his  huge  round  face  inflamed  with 
scorn,  anger,  and  "  potations  deep."  He  drank  with  even 
more  avidity  than  his  countrymen,  but  the  liquor  produced  no 
good  impression  on  him,  serving  rather  to  increase  his  dissatis- 
faction and  choler.  He  begged  every  thing  he  saw, — and 
when  we  had  gratified  him  to  the  best  of  our  power,  he  began 
to  be  very  abusive  and  noisy.  He  said  he  was  convinced  we 
had  come  into  the  country  with  no  good  intentions,  and  ac- 
cused us  of  deceit  and  insincerity  in  our  professions;  or,  in 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  475 

plainer  terms,  that  we  had  been  guilty  of  a  direct  falsehood 
in  stating  that  we  had  no  other  motive  for  undertaking  the 
journey  than  to  recover  the  papers  of  Mr.  Park  at  Yaoorie. 
He  was  assured  that  we  were  afraid  to  tell  the  true  reason  for 
leaving  our  own  country.  We  withstood  his  invectives  with 
tolerable  composure,  and  the  disgraceful  old  fellow  left  us  in  a 
pet  about  half  an  hour  after  his  arrival. 

The  noise  and  jargon  of  our  guests  pursue  us  even  in  sleep, 
and  our  dreams  are  disturbed  by  fancied  palavers,  which  are 
more  unpleasant  and  vexatious,  if  possible,  in  their  effects, 
than  real  ones.  Eearly  in  the  morning  we  were  roused  from 
one  of  these  painful  slumbers  to  fisten  to  the  dismal  yell  of  the 
hyena,  the  shrill  crowing  of  cocks,  the  hum  of  night-flies  and 
musquitoes,  and  the  hoarse  croaking  of  frogs,  together  with 
the  chirping  of  myriads  of  crickets  and  other  insects,  which 
resounded  through  the  air  as  though  it  had  been  pierced  with  a 
thousand  whistles. 

Just  after  sunrise,  two  Mohammedans  arrived  at  oar  house, 
with  an  invitation  for  us  to  accompany  them  to  the  spot  se- 
lected for  the  performance  of  their  religious  rites  and  observ- 
ances. This  being  a  novelty,  we  embraced  the  proposal  with 
pleasure,  and  followed  the  men  to  the  distance  of  about  a  mile 
from  our  house.  Here  we  observed  a  number  of  their  country- 
men sitting  in  detached  groups,  actively  employed  in  the  duties 
of  lustration  and  ablution.  It  was  a  bare  space  of  ground, 
edged  with  trees,  and  covered  with  sand.  The  Mussulmans 
were  obliged  to  bring  water  with  them  in  calabashes.  Seated 
in  a  convenient  situation,  underneath  the  spreading  branches 
of  a  myrtle-tree,  without  being  seen,  we  could  observe  all 
their  actions.  But  a  number  of  boys  soon  intruded  themselves 
upon  our  privacy,  and,  to  say  the  truth,  we  were  more  amused 
by  the  artlessness  and  playfulness  of  their  manners  than  with 
all  the  grave  mummery  of  the  Mohammedan  worshippers- 
Groups  of  people  were  continually  arriving  at  the  spot,  and 
these  were  welcomed  to  it  by  an  occasional  flourish  of  music 
from  a  native  clarionet,  &c.  They  were  clad  in  all  their  finery, 
their  apparel  being  as  gaudy  as  it  was  various.  The  coup- 
d^oeil  presented  by  no  means  an  uninteresting  spectacle.  Loose 
tobes,  with  caps  and  turbans,  striped  and  plain,  red,  blue,  and 
black,  were  not  unpleasingly  contrasted  with  the  original  na- 
tive costume  of  figured  cotton,  thrown  loosely  over  the  shoul- 
ders, and  immense  rush  hats.  Manchester  cloths  of  the  most 
glaring  patterns  were  conspicuous  among  the  crowd  ;  but 
these  were  cast  in  the  shade  by  scarfs  of  green  silk,  ornament- 
ed with  leaves  and  flowers  of  gold,  and  aprons  covered  with 
silver  spangles.    Very  young  children  appeared  bending  under 


474  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

the  weight  of  clothes  and  ornaments ;  while  boys  of  raaturef 
years  carried  a  variety  of  offensive  weapons.  The  Turkish 
scimitar,  the  French  sabre,  the  Portuguese  dagger,  confined 
in  a  silver  case,  all  gleamed  brightly ;  and  heavy  cutlasses, 
with  rude  native  knives  were  likewise  exhibited,  half-devoured 
by  cankering  rust.  Clumsy  muskets  and  fowling-pieces,  as 
well  as  Arab  pistols,  were  also  handled  with  delight  by  the 
joyful  Mussulmans.  In  number  the  religionists  were  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty.  Not  long  after  our  arrival  they  formed 
themselves  into  six  lines,  and  having  laid  aside  many  of  their 
superfluous  ornaments,  and  a  portion  of  their  clothing,  they 
put  on  the  most  sedate  countenances,  and  commenced  their 
devotional  exercises  in  a  spirit  of  seriousness  and  apparent 
fervour  worthy  a  better  place  and  a  more  amiable  creed.  In 
the  exterior  forms  of  their  religion,  at  least,  the  Mussulmans 
here  are  complete  adepts,  as  this  spectacle  has  convinced  us  ; 
and  the  little  we  have  seen  of  them  has  led  us  to  form  a  very 
fevourable  opinion  of  their  general  temperance  and  sobriety. 
The  ceremony  was  no  sooner  concluded,  than  muskets,  car- 
bines, and  pistols  were  discharged  on  all  sides  ;  the  clarionet 
again  struck  up  a  note  of  joy,  and  was  supported  by  long  Arab 
drums,  strings  of  bells,  and  a  solitary  kettle-drum.  The  mu- 
sicians, like  the  ancient  minstrels  of  Europe,  were  encouraged 
by  trifling  presents  from  the  more  charitable  of  the  multitude. 
All  seemed  cheerful  and  happy;  and  on  leaving  them,  several, 
out  of  compliment  I  suppose,  discharged  their  pieces  at  our 
heels  ;  and  were  evidently  delighted  with  themselves,  with  us, 
and  with  the  whole  world.  In  the  path  we  met  a  fellow  ap- 
proaching the  scene  of  innocent  dissipation,  clothed  most 
fantastically  in  a  flannel  dress,  and  riding  on  the  back  of  what 
we  were  informed  was  a  wooden  horse.  He  was  surrounded 
by  natives  of  all  ages,  who  were  laughing  most  extravagantly 
at  the  unnatural  capering  of  the  thing,  and  admiring  the  inge- 
nuity of  its  contrivance.  The  figure  itself  was  entirely  con- 
cealed with  cloth,  which  rendered  it  impossible  to  discover 
by  what  agency  it  moved.  Some  years  ago  I  saw  a  monster 
something  similar  to  it  with  a  company  of  mountebanks,  in  a 
town  in  the  west  of  England,  which,  among  its  other  proper- 
ties, used  to  sw.allow  children ;  and  in  all  probability  this 
**  wooden  horse"  is  constructed  on  a  similar  principle.  Its 
head  was  covered  with  red  cloth  ;  and  a  pair  of  sheep's  ears 
answered  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended  tolerably 
well.  Yet,  on  the  whole,  though  it  was  easy  to  perceive  that 
a  horse  was  intended  to  be  represented  by  it,  the  figure  was 
clumsily  enough  executed.  As  soon  as  this  party  had  joined 
the  individuals  assembled  near  the  place  of  worship,  a  startling 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  475 

shriek  of  laughter  testified  the  tumultuous  joy  of  the  wonder- 
ing muhitude.  The  sun  shone  out  resplendently  on  the  happy 
groups  of  fancifully  dressed  persons,  whose  showy,  various- 
coloured  garments  and  sooty  skin,  contrasted  with  the  pictur- 
esque and  lovely  appearance  of  the  scenery,  produced  an 
unspeakably  charming  effect.  The  foliage  exhibited  every 
variety  and  tint  of  green,  from  the  sombre  shade  of  the  melan- 
choly yew  to  the  lively  verdure  of  the  poplar  and  young  oak. 
For  myself,  I  was  delighted  with  the  agreeable  ramble  ;  and 
imagined  that  I  could  distinguish  from  the  notes  of  the  song- 
sters of  the  grove,  the  swelling  strains  of  the  English  skylark 
and  thrush,  with  the  more  gentle  warbling  of  the  finch  and 
linnet.  It  was  indeed  a  brilliant  morning,  teeming  with  life 
and  beauty  ;  and  recalled  to  my  memory  a  thousand  affecting 
associations  of  sanguine  boyhood,  when  I  was  thoughtless 
and  happy.  The  barbarians  around  me  were  all  cheerful  and 
full  of  joy.  I  have  heard  that,  like  sorrow,  joy  is  contagious, 
and  I  believe  that  it  is,  for  it  inspired  me  with  a  similar  gentle 
feeling. 

The  27th  of  March  in  this  place  is  what  May-day  is  in  many 
country  places  in  England,  and  it  strongly  reminded  us  of  it. 
But  here,  unfortunately,  there  are  no  white  faces  to  enliven 
us:  and  a  want  of  the  lovely  complexion  of  our  beautiful 
countrywomen,  tinged  with  its  "  celestial  red,"  is  severely  felt ; 
and  so  is  the  total  absence  here  of  that  golden  chain  of  kind- 
ness which  links  them  to  the  ruder  associates  of  their  festive 
enjoyments.  By-and-by,  doubtless,  familiarity  with  black 
faces  will  reconcile  me  to  them  ;  but  at  present  I  am  compelled 
to  own  that  I  cannot  help  feeling  a  very  considerable  share  of 
aversion  towards  their  jetty  complexions,  in  common,  I  be- 
lieve, with  most  strangers  that  visit  this  place. 

Last  night,  (Monday,  March  29th,)  a  Fantee  was  plundered 
of  his  effects,  and  stabbed  by  an  assassin  below  the  ribs,  so 
that  his  life  is  despaired  of;  and  not  long  after  this  was  dis- 
covered, a  "fetish"  (rehgious  rite)  was  performed  over  the 
remains  of  a  native  that  had  been  found  dead,  but  who  was  in 
perfect  health  a  few  hours  before.  The  lament  of  the  relatives 
of  the  deceased  was  doleful  in  a  high  degree  ;  and  no  sounds 
could  be  more  dismally  mournful  than  those  shrieked  forth  by 
them  on  the  occasion.  The  chief  summoned  us  yesterday 
to  repair  to  his  residence  in  order  finally  to  settle  the  business 
relative  to  our  journey  into  the  interior ;  but  we  refused  to 
have  any  disputes  with  him  on  the  Sabbath,  and  promised  to 
wait  on  him  this  morning  instead.  After  breakfast,  therefore, 
we  redeemed  our  pledge,  by  paying  him  the  promised  visit. 
Adooley  received  us  with  his  accustomed  politeness  and  gra- 


476  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

cious  smile.  He  said  he  wished  to  inform  us  of  his  intention 
of  detaining  us  at  Badagry  a  day  or  two  longer,  the  "  path" 
not  being  considered  in  a  fit  state  for  travelling,  rather  than 
his  reputation  should  suffer  by  leading  us  into  danger,  which 
would  undoubtedly  be  the  case  if  he  had  not  adopted  his  pre- 
sent resolution.  Yet,  he  continued,  we  might  depend  on 
his  word  as  a  king,  that  we  should  have  liberty  to  depart  on 
Thursday  morning  next,  at  the  latest.  Now  we  well  knew 
that  the  country  was  never  in  a  more  peaceable  or  quiet  state 
than  at  the  moment  he  was  speaking ;  and  are  mortified  be- 
yond measure  at  the  perpetual  evasions  and  contradictions  of 
this  chief.  We  regret  also  that  the  dry  season  is  fast  drawing 
to  a  close,  and  that  we  shall  be  obliged  to  travel  in  the  rainy 
months.  When  Adooley  had  made  this  declaration,  he  re- 
quested us  to  write  on  paper  in  his  presence  for  a  few  things 
which  he  wished  to  procure  either  from  Cape  Coast  Castle  or 
from  England,  as  a  return  for  the  protection  he  had  promised 
us.  Among  other  articles  enumerated  are  "  four  regimental 
coats,  such  as  are  worn  by  the  King  of  England,  for  himself, 
and  forty,  less  splendid  than  these,  for  the  use  of  his  captains  ; 
two  long  brass  guns  to  run  on  swivels  ;  fifty  muskets,  twenty 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  four  handsome  swords,  and  forty  cut- 
lasses ;"  to  which  are  added  two  puncheons  of  rum,  a  car- 
penter's chest  of  tools,  with  oils,  paints,  and  brushes,"  the 
chief  himself  boasting  that  he  was  a  blacksmith,  carpenter, 
painter,  and  indeed  every  trade  but  a  tailor.  Besides  these 
trifles  he  wished  to  obtain  a  half-dozen  rockets,  and  a  rocket 
gun,  with  a  soldier  from  Cape  Coast  capable  of  undertaking 
the  management  of  it.  And  lastly,  he  modestly  ordered  two 
puncheons  of  cowries  to  be  sent  him,  "  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
fraying in  part  the  expenses  he  had  incurred  in  repelling  the 
attacks  of  the  men  of  Porto  Novo,  Atta,  and  Juncullee,  the 
tribes  inhabiting  those  places  having  made  war  upon  him  for 
allowing  Captain  Clapperton's  last  mission  to  proceed  into  the 
interior  without  their  consent."  We  asked,  jocosely,  whether 
Adooley  would  be  satisfied  with  these  various  articles  ;  when, 
having  considered  for  a  few  moments,  and  conversed  aloud  to 
a  few  of  his  chiefs  that  were  in  the  apartment  at  the  time,  he 
replied  that  he  had  forgotten  to  mention  his  want  of  a  large 
umbrella,  four  casks  of  grape-shot,  and  a  barrel  of  flints,  which 
having  also  inserted  in  the  list,  the  letter  was  finally  folded  and 
sealed.  It  was  then  delivered  into  the  hands  of  Adooley,  who 
said  that  he  should  send  it  by  Accra,  one  of  his  head-men,  to 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  and  that  the  man  would  wait  there  till  all 
the  articles  should  be  procured  for  him.  If  that  be  the  case, 
we  imagine  that  Accra  will  have  a  very  long  time  to  wait. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  477 

interpreter,  old  Hooper,  having  been  suspected  by  the  chief  to  be  in  our 
t,  a  young  man  named  Tockwee,  that  understood  a  little  English,  was  sent 
Tor,  and  commanded  to  remain  during  the  whole  conference,  in  order  to  detect 
any  error  that  Hooper  might  make,  and  to  see  that  everything  enumerated,  by 
the  chief  should  be  written  in  the  list  of  articles. 

During  this  long  and  serious  conversation  we  were  occasionally  enlivened  by 
the  music  of  three  little  bells,  which  were  fastened  to  the  tails  of  the  same  num- 
ber of  cats  by  a  long  string,  and  made  a  jingling  noise  whenever  the  animals 
thought  proper  to  divert  themselves.  Besides  these,  and  as  an  accompaniment 
to  them,  we  were  favoured  witli  the  strains  of  an  organ,  which  instrument  a 
little  boy  was  placed  in  a  corner  of  the  apartment  purposely  to  turn. 

A  young  Jenna  woman  came  to  visit  us  this  forenoon,  accompanied  by  a 
female  friend  from  Haussa.     Her  hair  was  traced  with  such  extraordinary  neat- 
ness, that  we  expressed  a  wish  to  examine  it  more  minutely.     The  girl  had  never 
beheld  such  a  thing  as  a  white  man  before,  and  permission  was  granted  with  a 
great  deal  of  coyness,  mixed  up  perhaps  with  a  small  portion  of  fear,  which  was 
apparent  as  she  was  slowly  untying  her  turban.     No  sooner,  however,  was  our 
iiriosity  gratified,  than  a  demand  of  two  hundred  cowries*  was  insisted  on  by 
ler  companion,  that,  it  was  alleged,  being  the  price  paid  in  the  interior  by  the 
iale  sex  to  scrutinize  a  lady's  hair.     We  were  obliged  to  conlbrm  to  the  estab- 
ished  custom,  at  which  the  women  expressed  themselves  highly  delighted.     The 
hair  which  had  excited  our  admiration  was  made  up  in  the  shape  of  an  hussar's 
helmet,  and  very  ingeniously  traced  on  the  top.     Irregular  figures  were  likewise 
braided  on  each  side  of  the  head,  and  a  band  of  worked  thread,  died  in  indigo, 
encircled  it  below  the  natural  hair,  which  seemed  by  its  tightness  and  closeness 
to  have  been  glued  fast  to  the  skin.     This  young  Jenna  woman  is  by  far  the 
!ost  interesting,  both  in  face  and  form,  of  any  we  have  seen  since  our  landing, 
i:d  her  prettiness  is  rendered  more  engaging  by  her  retiring  modesty  and  per- 
fect artlessness  of  manners,  which,  whether  observed  in  black  or  white,  are  sure 
to  command  the  esteem  and  reverence   of  the  other  sex.     Her  eyelids  were 
-t  lined  with  a  bluish-black  powder,  her  person  was  excessively  clean,  and  her 
pparel  flowing,  neat,  and  graceful. 
VVe  shot  a  hawk  this  evening,  which  was  hovering  over  our  house,  at  the  re- 
quest of  several  of  the  natives,  who  ate  the  body  of  the  bird,   but  preserved  its 
head  and  claws,  to  render  them  "  keen  of  eye  and  swift  of  loot."     The  king  will 
not  allow  us  to  go  to  Jenna  by  the  nearest  beaten  path,  on  the  plea  that  as  sacred 
fetish  land  would  he  in  our  way,  we  should  die  the  moment  we  should  tread 
upon  it. 

Tuesday,  March  30</t. — The  occurrencies  of  this  day  may  be  related  in  very 
few  words.  The  pleasantest  news  we  hear  is  the  fact  of  the  King  of  Jenna 
having  arrived  at  that  town  from  Katunga.  His  messenger  arrived  here  this 
morning,  and  came  to  see  us  in  the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  a  friend.  We 
regaled  him  with  a  glass  of  rum,  according  to  our  general  custom,  the  first 
moutiiful  whereol'he  squirted  from  his  own  into  the  mouth  of  his  associate,  and 
vice  versa.  This  is  the  first  time  we  have  witnessed  this  dirty  and  disgusting 
practice.  The  chief  sent  for  us  again  this  afternoon,  and  summed  ap  the  mea- 
sure of  his  exorbitant  demands  by  requesting  a  gun-boat,  with  a  hundred  men 
from  England,  and  a  few  common  tobacco-pipes  tor  his  own  private  use.  We 
could  easily  give  a  bill  for  the  former,  but  the  latter  we  dared  not  part  with  at 
any  risk,  because,  considering  the  long  journey  before  us,  we  are  convinced  we 
have  nothing  to  spare  ;  indeed,  it  is  our  opinion  that  the  presents  will  all  be  ex- 
hausted long  before  it  be  completed.  With  the  same  facility  we  have  written  a 
paper  for  forty  ounces  of  gold,  to  be  distributed  among  the  chiefs  of  English 
Town  and  the  rest  of  our  partisans.  We  had  adjusted  these  little  matters  to  the 
apparent  satisfaction  of  ail  parties,  when  we  were  most  agreeably  surprised  by 
an  assurance  liom  the  chief  that  we  shall  quit  this  place  to-morrow  afternoon 
with  the  newly -arrived  Jenna  messenger.     We  are  accordingly  on  tlie  qui  vive 

- — — — — f ^ 

^  A  little  Indian  shell,  the  currency  of  many  parts  of  that  country  and  of  the  interior  of 
Africa. 

41 


478  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

in  getting  every  tiling  in  a  state  of  forwardness  for  our  departure ;  nor  can  \vc 
help  wishing,  for  the  sake  of  our  credit,  that  we  may  never  meet  such  needy  and 
importunate  friends  as  have  pestered  us  since  our  residence  in  this  town. 

The  soil  of  Badagry  consists  of  a  layer  of  fine  whitish  sand,  over  loam,  clay. 
and  earth.  The  sand  is  so  soft  and  deep  that  no  one  can  walk  on  it  witliout 
considerable  labour  and  ditficully.  The  natives  procure  the  necessaries  of  life 
chiefly  by  fishing  and  the  cultivation  of  the  yam  and  Indian  corn.  In  the  for- 
mer employment  they  use  nets  and  spears,  and  likewise  earthen  pots,  which  they 
bait  with  palm-nut.  These  novel  instruments  are  furnished  with  small  apertures, 
not  unhke  those  of  a  common  wire  mouse-trap.  Oranges,  limes,  cocoanuts, 
plantains,  and  bananas  are  produced  in  abundance  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
better  sort  of  people  are  possessed  of  a  small  kind  of  bullock,  with  sheep,  goat^. 
and  poultry ;  the  chief  himself  is  a  drover  and  butcher,  and  when  in  want  ot' 
money  he  orders  one  of  his  bullocks  to  be  slaughtered  and  publicly  sold  in  the 
market.  The  dwellings  of  the  inhabitants  are  neatly  constructed  of  bambo<j, 
and  thatched  with  palm  leaves.  They  contain  several  apartments,  all  of  them  on 
the  ground-floor.  S^ome  of  the  houses  or  huts  are  built  in  the  coozie  form, 
which  is  nearly  round,  and  others  are  in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square  :  all  have 
excellent  yards  attached  to  them,  wherein  lime-trees  and  others  are  planted  in 
rows,  and  it  gives  one  pleasure  to  look  at  the  cleanliness  and  taste  which  prevail 
in  these  courts.  The  land  is  excessively  fertile ;  and  if  the  natives  could  only  be 
induced  to  lay  aside  their  habitual  indolence,  and  the  sluggishness  of  their  charac- 
ters, and  devote  a  httle  more  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  soil,  the  coun- 
try might  soon  be  brought  to  an  extraordhiary  pitch  of  beauty  and  perfection. 
As  it  is,  vegetation  springs  forth  spontaneously,  is  luxuriant  even  to  ranknes;;, 
and  is  ever  pleasingly  verdant. 

A  singular  custom  of  administering  justice  prevails  at  Badagrj'.  It  is  by  means 
of  a  large  wooden  cap,  having  three  corners,  which  is  placed  on  the  head  of  a 
culprit  at  the  period  of  his  examination.  This  fantastic  work  of  mechanism,  no 
doubt,  by  the  structure  of  internal  springs,  may  be  made  to  move  and  shake 
without  any  visible  agent — on  the  same  principle  as  tlie  enchanted  Turk,  or  any 
other  figure  in  our  puppet-shows.  It  is  believed  the  native  priests  alone  are  hi 
the  secret.  When  this  cap  is  observed  to  shake  while  on  the  head  of  a  suspect- 
ed person,  he  is  condemned,  without  further  evidence  being  required ;  but 
should  it  remain  without  any  perceptible  motion,  his  innocence  is  apparent,  and 
he  is  forthwith  acquitted.  The  fame  of  this  wonderful  cap  makes  a  great  fuss 
in  the  town,  and  as  many  marvellous  stories  are  told  of  it  here  as  were  related  in 
England  a  century  or  two  ago  of  the  famous  brazen  head  of  Roger  Bacon. 

A  respectable  man,  the  chief  of  French  Town,  was  tried  by  the  ordeal  of  tlie 
cap  a  short  time  since,  for  having,  it  was  alleged,  accepted  a  bribe  of  the  Lagos 
chieftain  to  destroy  Adooley  by  poison.  The  fatal  cap  was  no  sooner  put  on 
his  head  tlian  it  was  observed  to  move  slightly,  and  then  to  become  more  vio- 
lently agitated.  The  criminal  felt  its  motion,  and  was  terrified  to  such  a  degree 
that  he  fell  down  in  a  swoon.  On  awaking,  he  confessed  his  guilt,  and  implored 
forgiveness,  which  was  granted  him  by  Adooley,  because,  it  was  said,  of  his  sor- 
row and  contrition,  but  really,  no  doubt,  of  his  birth  and  connexions. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  March  our  travellers  bade  adieu  to  the  chief 
of  Badagry,  and  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  of  the  same  night  set  out  in 
King  Adooley's  war-canoe  (lent  them  for  this  purpose)  on  their  way  towards  tlie 
Niger. 

The  canoe,  they  say  was  above  forty  feet  in  lengtli ;  it  was  propelled  through 
the  water  by  poles  instead  of  paddles,  and  moved  slowly  and  silently  along.  It 
was  a  clear  and  lovely  night -,  tlie  moon  shone  glorious  ''as  a  silver  shield;"  and 
reflecting  the  starry  firmament  on  the  unrullled  surface  of  tlie  water,  tlie  real 
concave  of  heaven  with  its  reflection  seemed  to  form  a  perfect  world.  The 
scenery  on  the  borders  of  the  river  appeared  wild  and  stiiking,  though  not  ma^ 
nificent.  In  the  delicious  moonshine  it  was  far  from  uninteresting.  The  banks 
were  low,  and  partially  covered  with  stunted  tiecs;  but  a  slave  factory,  and  a 
fetish  hut  were  the  only  buildings  we  observed  on  them.  We  could  not  help 
admiring  at  some  distance  ahead  of  our  canoe,  when  the  windings  of  the  riv^r 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  479 

would  permit,  a  noble  and  solitary  palm-tree,  with  its  lofly  branches  bending 
over  the  water's  edge ;  to  us  it  was  not  unlike  a  majesiical  plume  of  feathers, 
nodding  over  the  head  of  a  beautiful  lady.  The  principal  incidents  on  the  pas- 
sage were  the  croaking  of  myriads  of  frogs,  inhabiting  small  islands  in  the  river, 
and  the  chattering  and  noise  of  monkies  and  parrots  kept  up  among  the  branches 
of  the^trees  all  day  long,  until  about  half  past  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  first  of 
April  we  landed  in  the  sight  of  a  great  multitude  assembled  to  gaze  at  us,  and 
passing,  through  a  place  where  a  great  fair  or  market  is  held,  and  where  thou- 
sands of  people  had  congregated  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  we  entered  an  exten- 
sive and  romantic  town  called  Wow.  The  major  part  of  the  inhabitants  had 
never  before  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  white  men,  so  that  their  curiosity,  as 
may  be  supposed,  was  excessive. 

Two  of  the  principal  persons  came  out  to  meet  us,  preceded  by  men  bearing 
large  silk  umbrellas,  and  another  playing  a  horn,  which  produced  such  terrible 
sounds,  that  we  gladly  took  refuge,  as  soon  as  we  could,  in  the  chief's  house. 
The  apartment  into  which  vi^e  were  introduced  is  furnished  with  a  roof  precise- 
ly like  the  roof  of  a  common  English  barn,  inverted.  In  the  middle  of  it,  which 
reached  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the  floor,  a  large  square  hole  had  been  made, 
to  admit  air  and  water  to  a  shrub  that  was  growing  directly  under  it.  The  most 
remarkable,  if  not  the  only,  ornament  in  the  room,  was  a  quantity  of  human 
jaw-bones,  hung  up  on  the  side  of  the  wall  like  a  stfing  of  onions.  After  a 
foi'mal  and  most  ceremonious  introduction,  we  were  liberally  regaled  with  water 
from  a  calabash,  which  is  a  compliment  the  natives  pay  to  all  strangers,  and 
then  shown  into  a  very  small  apartment.  Here  my  brother  endeavoured  to  pro- 
cure a  little  sleep,  having  remained  awake  last  night;  but  we  were  so  annoyed 
by  perpetual  interruptions  and  intrusions,  the  firing  of  muskets,  the  garruUty 
of  women,  the  unceasing  squall  of  children,  the  drunken  petitions  of  men  and 
boys;  and  a  laugh  (but  it  is  quite  out  of  my  power  to  describe  it — one  that  ap- 
proximates more  to  the  nature  of  a  horse-laugh  than  any  tiling  I  know) — that  it 
was  found  impossible  to  close  one's  eyes. 

The  market  of  this  place  is  supplied  abundantly  with  Indian  com,  palm  oil, 
&c. ;  togeteer  with  trona,*'  and  other  articles  brought  hither  from  the  borders 
of  the  desert  of  Zaarha,  through  the  medium  of  the  vi^andering  Arabs.  By  the 
regulations  of  the  fetish,  neither  a  white  man  nor  a  horse  is  permitted  to  sleep  at 
Wow  during  the  night  season.  We  know  not  what  is  become  of  the  horses ; 
they  were  to  have  preceded  us  to  this  place  by  land,  but  are  not  yet  arrived. 
With  respect  to  ourselves  we  shall  be  obliged  to  walk  to  a  neighbouring  village, 
and  spend  the  night  there.  Our  course  to  this  town  through  this  creek,  was 
N.  by  E.,  and  Badagry  is  distant  from  it  about  thirty  miles,  by  the  route  we  have 
come. 

A  violent  thunder-storm,  which  is  called  a  tornado  on  the  coast,  visited  us  this 
afternoon,  and  confined  us  to  the  "worst  hut's  worst  room,"  till  it  had  subsided, 
and  the  weather  became  fine?.  At  three  P.  M.  we  sallied  forth,  and  presently 
were  greeted  with  hootings,  gro.ms,  andhallooings,  from  a  multitude  of  people 
of  all  ages — from  a  child  to  its  grandmother,  and  they  followed  close  at  our  heels 
as  we  went  along,  filling  the  air  v/ith  their  laughter  and  raillery.  A  merry-andrew 
at  a  country  town  in  England,  during  the  Whitsun  holydays,  never  excited  so 
great  a  stir  as  did  our  departure  from  Wow  this  afternoon.  But  it  is  "  fool's 
day,"  and  some  allowance  ought  to  be  made  for  that,  no  doubt.  We  had  not 
proceeded  more  than  a  dozen  paces  from  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  when  we 
were  visited  by  a  pelting  shower,  which  wetted  us  to  the  skin  in  a  moment.  A 
gutter  or  hollow,  misnamed  a  pathway,  was  soon  overflowed;  and  we  had  to 
wade  in  it  up  to  our  knees  in  water,  and  through  a  most  melancholy -looking 
forest,  before  we  entered  a  village.  It  is  called  Sagbu,  and  is  about  eight  miles 
from  Wow.  We  were  dripping  wet  on  our  arrival,  and  the  weather  still  con- 
tinuing unpleasant,  it  was  some  time  before  any  one  made  his  appearance  to 
invite  us  into  a  hut.  At  length  the  chief  came  out  to  welcome  us  to  his  village, 
and  immediately  introduced  us  into  a  long  narrow  apartment,  wherein  we  are  to 

*  A  vegetable  alkali. 


480  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

take  up  our  quarters  for  the  night.  It  is  built  of  clay,  and  is  furnished  with  two 
apertures  to  admit  light  and  air  into  the  room.  One  end  of  it  was  occupied 
with  a  number  of  noisy  goats,  while  we  took  possession  of  the  other.  Paskoe' 
and  his  wife  are  lying  on  mats  at  our  feet ;  and  a  Toby  Philpot,  with  his  rudd  ^ 
cheek  and  jug  of  ale,  belonging  to  the  chief,  separates  them  from  the  goats.  Tli- 
remainder  of  our  people  have  nowhere  to  sleep.  The  walls  of  our  apartment 
are  ornamented  with  strings  of  dry,  rattling  human  bones,  written  charms,  or 
fetishes,  sheep-skins,  and  bows  and  arrows.  We  did  not  repose  near  so  com 
fortably  as  could  have  been  desired,  owing  to  the  swarms  of  musquitoes  an<l 
black  ants,  which  treated  us  very  despitefully  till  morning. 

Friday,  April^d. — Between  six  and  seven  o'clock  A.  M.,  we  continued  our 
route  through  woods,  and  large  open  patches  of  ground,  and  at  about  eleven  in 
the  forenoon,  arrived  at  the  borders  of  a  deep  glen,  more  wild,  romantic,  and 
picturesque  than  can  be  conceived.  It  is  enclosed  and  overhung  on  all  sides  by 
trees  of  amazing  height  and  dimensions,  which  hide  it  in  deep  shadow.  Fancy 
might  picture  a  spot  so  silent  and  solemn  as  this  as  the  abode  of  genii  and 
fairies;  every  thing  conducing  to  render  it  grand,  melancholy,  and  venei 
able;  and  the  glen  only  wants  an  old  dilapidated  castle,  a  rock  with  a  cave  in  i' 
or  something  of  the  kind,  to  render  it  tlie  most  interesting  place  in  the  universe 
There  was  one  beautiful  .^ight,  however,  which  we  would  not  omit  mentioning 
for  the  world  ; — it  was  that  of  an  incredible  number  of  buttei*flies,  fluttering  about 
us  like  a  swarm  of  bees.  They  had  chosen  this,  no  doubt,  as  a  place  of  refuge 
against  the  fury  of  the  elements.  They  were  variegated  by  the  mo.«t  brilliant 
tints  and  colourings  imaginable — the  wings  of  some  were  of  a  shining  green, 
edged  and  sprinkled  with  gold;  others  were  of  sky-blue  and  silver;  others  of 
purple  and  gold  delightfully  blending  into  each  other;  and  the  wings  of  some 
were  like  dark  silk  velvet,  trimmed  and  braided  with  lace. 

To  revert  from  insects  to  men  :  our  followers  formed  a  group,  at  once  savage 
and  imposing.  As  they  winded  down  the  paths  of  the  glen,  with  their  grotesque 
clothing  a^id  arms,  bundles,  and  fierce  black  coimtenances,  they  might  be  mis- 
taken lor  a  strange  band  of  ruffians  of  the  most  fearful  character.  Besides  our 
own,  we  had  hired  twenty  men  of  Adooley  to  carry  the  luggage,  as  there  are  no 
beasts  of  burden  in  the  country.f  Being  all  assembled  ;U  the  bottom  of  the  glen, 
we  found  that  a  long  and  dangerous  bog  or  swamp,  filled  with  putrid  water  and 
the  decaying  remains  of  vegetable  substances,  intersected  our  path,  and  must 
necessarily  be  crossed.  Boughs  of  trees  h-id  been  thrown  into  the  swanip  by 
some  good-natured  people  to  Jissist  travellers  in  the  attempt,  so  that  our  men, 
furnishing  themselves  with  long  poles,  which  they  used  as  walking-sticks,  with 
much  difficulty  and  exertion  succeeded  in  getting  over,  and  fewer  accidents  oc- 
curred to  them  than  could  have  been  supposed  possible  from  the  nature  of  tlu- 
slough.  For  my  own  part,  I  was  taken  on  the  back  of  a  large  and  powerful 
man,  of  amazing  strength.  His  brawny  shoulders  supported  me  without  any 
apparent  fatigue  on  his  part ;  and  he  carried  me  through  bog  and  water,  and 
over  branches  of  trees  no  bigger  than  a  man's  leg,  rendered  slippery  with  mud, 
in  safety  to  the  opposite  side.  Although  he  walked  as  fast  and  with  as  nuich 
ease  as  his  companions,  he  did  not  lay  me  down  for  twenty  minutes,  tlie  swamp 
being,  as  nearly  as  we  could  guess,  a  full  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length.  We  then 
walked  to  a  small  village  called  Bnslia;  whence  without  stopping  we  continued 
our  journey,  and  about  ibur  in  the  afternoon  passed  through  another  village, 
somewhat  larger  than  the  tbrmer,  which  is  called  Soato.  Here  we  found  our- 
selves 80  nuich  exhausted  with  over-fatigue  and  want  of  food,  that  we  Were  com- 
pelled to  sit  down  and  rest  awhile,  and  here — 

"  Nak(;(l  youths  and  pointed  chiefs  admire 
Our  speech,  our  colour,  and  our  strange  attire." 

But  they  are  a  very  uucourteous  and  clownish  race,  and  teased  us  so  much  witli 
their  rudeness  and  begging  propensities,  tliat  we  were  glad  to  be  rid  oftliem  by 

*  One  of  the  Landers'  attendants. 

t  Burdens  of  all  kinds  are  invariably  carried  on  the  bead  by  the  people  of  Yyiba,  and  the  lu- 
tivos  of  various  other  countries  in  Africa. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  481 

setting  out  again.  Having  passed  two  otiier  swamps  in  tlie  same  manner  aa 
we  had  done  before,  we  were  completely  tired  and  could  go  no  farther;  for  we 
had  been  walking  all  day,  in  an  intricate,  miserable  path,  sometimes  exposed  to 
the  sun,  and  sometimes  threading  our  way  through  a  tangled  wood.  It  is  now 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening — our  people  are  gone  to  the  next  town  to  fetch  the 
horses,  which  Adooley  promised  should  meet  us  yesterday  ;  and  my  brother  and 
1  are  resting  by  ourselves  under  a  grove  of  trees,  v/hich  is  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  a  body  of  stagnant  water,  wherein  women  are  bathing  and  casting  sidelong 
glances  at  us.  It  is  a  low,  marshy,  and  unwhole^jome  spot,  and  it  is  extremely 
probable  that  we  shall  be  obliged  to  sleep  here  on  the  grass  all  night;  but  what 
can  we  do  ?  The  village,  it  is  true,  is  not  many  miles  ahead,  but  then  we  are 
unable  to  walk. 

Saturday,  April  3<Z. — We  had  made  fires  of  dried  wood  and  fallen  leaves  last 
evening,  and  had  prepared  to  repose  for  the  night  under  a  canopy  of  trees,  and 
were  in  fact  actually  stretched  at  full  length  on  the  turf  for  that  purpose,  when 
we  were  agreeably  surprised  by  the  arrival  of  four  of  our  men  from  the  village 
with  hammocks;  for  though  sleeping  in  the  open  air,  with  "  heaven  for  one's 
canopy,"  in  a  dark  wood,  and  all  that,  may  be  very  pretty  in  description,  yet  in 
reality  nothing  can  be  more  disagreeable;  for  the  crawling  of  ants,  black  worms, 
4&.C.  over  one's  face  disperses  the  mo.'-t  enchanting  revery.  These  hammocks 
were  highly  acceptable,  and  we  were  lifted  into  them  with  very  grateful  feelings. 
It  is  pleasant,  too,  after  a  long  day's  journey  on  foot,  to  be  carried  along  so 
easily  on  one's  back,  to  see  parrots  and  other  solemn  birds  perched  on  the 
branches  of  very  tall  trees,  while  the  trees  themselves  seem  capering  away  from 
one  most  surprisingly ;  as  well  as  to  gaze  on  the  cheerful  moon,  and  admire  all 
the  host  of  heaven. 

After  a  charming  journey  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  .v?  entered  the  large  and 
populous  town  of  Bidjie.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  town  we  were 
met  by  a  fellow  with  a  cow's  horn,  who,  chiming  in  with  a  trumpeter  that  had 
accompanied  us  from  Wow,  produced  a  harmony  surpassing  all  that  had  pre- 
ceded it.  Two  men  followed  the  Bidjie  musician  with  umbrellas  of  variegated 
silk,  and,  thus  honoured  and  escorted,  we  were  set  down,  amid  a  crowd  of  peo- 
ple, in  tlie  centre  of  the  town.  As  usual,  the  natives  testified  the  wild  delight 
ihey  felt  at  our  visit  by  clapping  of  hands  and  loud  bursts  of  laughter.  Present- 
ly, at  the  noise  of  three  or  four  drums,  which  was  a  signal  that  the  chief  was  pre- 
pared to  receive  us,  the  multitude  quitted  us  simultaneously,  and  rushed  to  the 
spot  where  he  was  sitting,  and  to  which  also  we  were  desired  to  proceed.  The 
chief  shook  hands  with  us  in  great  good-humour,  and  we  remarked  with  plea- 
sure, or  fancied  we  could,  that  not  only  his  laugh,  but  that  of  his  people,  was  a 
more  social  and  civilized  kind  of  sound  than  what  of  late  we  had  been  accustom- 
ed to  hear.  Nevertheless,  when  I  shook  hands  with  the  chief's  son,  which  act 
is  not  very  diverting  in  itself,  the  bystanders  set  up  so  general  a  roar  of  laughter, 
that  the  town  rang  with  the  noise ;  and  when  I  ventured  further  to  place  my  hand 
on  his  head,  tiiey  were  yet  more  amazingly  tickled,  and  actually 

"  Shriek'd  like  mandrakes  torn  out  of  the  earth." 

As  soon  as  the  ceremony  of  introduction  was  over,  and  tlie  admiration  of  the 
people  was  confined  within  rational  bounds,  we  wished  the  chief  a  pleasant 
Kigtit's  rest,  and  were  conducted  into  a  comfortable,  airy  hut,  which  had  a  ve- 
randah in  front.     Shortly  afterwards  he  sent  us  a  goat  for  supper. 

We  were  in  momentary  •;  Jpectation  of  hearing  something  from  our  horses 
Irorn  Badagry  the  whole  of  t'.tvatoming  and  afternoon,  and  have  indeed  waited 
he-e  at  Bidjie  lu-d  ly  lor  that  purpose.  But  just  about  sunset  two  fellows  arrived 
from  Badagry  wiili  the  mortifying  intelligence  that  our  horses  would  not  remain 
on  the  water  m  canoes,  but  having  upset  one  of  them  and  kicked  out  the  bottom 
of  another,  had  swam  on  shore  and  been  led  back  to  Badagry.  We  are  per- 
suaded that  this  story  has  been  made  up  for  the  occasion,  and  thus  by  the  bad 
faith  of  Adooley  are  we  deprived  of  our  horses.  My  brother  paid  eighty  dollars 
for  one  of  the  animals,  but  Adocley  has  forgotten  to  return  the  com,  and  has 
likewige  kept  for  his  own  use  a  couple  of  saddles  which  we  purchased  at  Acer?. 
41* 


482  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Late  in  the  evening  our  expected  carriers  arrived  with  the  luggage,  some  of 
which  has  been  wetted  and  damaged  in  the  marshes.  We  are  informed  that 
horses  will  be  sent  us  from  Jerma  to-morrow.  My  brother  has  been  amusing 
himself  the  greater  part  of  this  afternoon  in  teaciiing  the  simple-hearted  chief  to 
play  on  a  child's  penny  Jew's-harp,  many  of  which  we  have  brought  with  us  as 
presents;  but  his  proficiency,  owing  to  a  wonderfully  capacious  mouth  and  teeth 
of  extraordinary  size,  has  not  been  near  so  Hattering  as  could  have  been  wi.shed. 
His  people,  however,  who  had  assembled  in  great  numbers,  were  of  a  ditterent 
opinion,  and  when  they  heard  their  chief  draw  the  first  sound  from  tlie  little  in- 
strument, 

"  Shouts  of  applause  ran  rattling  to  the  skie.s." 

Turnpikes  are  as  common  from  Badagry  to  this  place  as  on  any  public  road  in 
England.  Instead  of  horses,  carriages,  &c.,  people  carrying  burdens  alone  are 
taxed;  but  as  we  are  under  protection  of  the  government,  no  duty  has  been  ex- 
acted for  any  of  our  things. 

Sunday,  April  Ath. — We  arose  at  sunrise  this  morning  to  make  arrangements 
for  leaving  this  place,  which  is  no  easy  task  ;  and  sent  to  signify  our  intention  to 
the  chief  shortly  after.  He  expressed  a  desire  to  see  us  as  soon  as  we  could 
conveniently  come;  and  accordingly  after  breakfast  we  repaired  to  his  habita- 
tion, which  is  adjoining  ours.  Led  through  a  number  of  }a:ds  and  huts,  in- 
habited only  by  goats  and  sheep,  which  were  tethered  to  posts,  and  a  quantity  of 
tame  pigeons,  we  perceived  the  object  of  our  visit  squatting  on  a  leopard's  skin 
under  a  decent  looking  verandah.  He  was  surrounded  by  his  drummers  and 
other  distinguished  persons,  who  made  room  for  us  as  we  drew  near.  But  the 
chief  arose  as  soon  as  he  saw  us,  and  beckoning  to  us  to  follow  him,  we  were 
ushered  through  a  labyrinth  of  low  huts,  and  still  lower  doors,  till  at  last  we  en- 
tered the  innermost  apartment  of  the  whole  suit,  and  here  we  were  requested  to 
sit  down  and  drink  rum.  The  doors  we  had  seen  were  carved  w-ith  figures  of 
men,  which  exactly  resembled  certain  nide  attempts  at  portraying  the  himian 
body  which  may  still  be  observed  in  several  old  churches  and  chapels  in  the  west 
of  England.  The  chief  informed  us  that  we  were  at  liberty  to  quit  Bidjie  as 
soon  as  the  heat  of  the  sun  should  have  somewhat  abated,  but  previous  to  our 
departure  he  promised  to  return  our  visit.  On  leaving  the  place  he  followed 
us,  though  without  our  knowledge  ;  but  finding  that  we  walked  faster  than  he, 
and  that  he  could  not  keep  pace  with  us,  ^fbr  he  is  a  bulky  man,)  he  hastily  des- 
patched a  messenger  to  inform  us  that  kings  always  walk  with  a  slow  and 
measured  step,  and  that  our  strides  being  long  and  vulgar,  he  would  thark  us  to 
lessen  our  speed,  and  stop  awhile  to  enable  him  to  come  up  with  us,  which  of 
course  we  agreed  to  with  great  good-will.  A  few  minutes  afcer  this  he  reached 
our  house,  dressed  in  a  tobe  of  green  silk  damask,  very  rich  and  showy,  and  a 
scull-cap  made  of  purple  and  crimson  velvet.  With  the  exception  of  strings  of 
white  beads,  which  encircled  his  arms,  he  used  no  personal  ornaments.  He  re- 
mained chatting  with  us  a  long  time. 

Many  of  the  women  of  Bidjie  have  the  flesh  on  their  foreheads  risen  in  the 
shape  of  marbles,  and  their  cheeks  similarly  cut  up  and  deformed.  The  lobes 
of  their  cars  are  likewise  pierced,  and  the  holes  made  surprisingly  large,  for  the 
insertiouof  pieces  of  ivory  and  wood  into  then),  which  is  a  prevailing  tashion 
with  all  ranks.  We  read  the  church  service  this  morning,  agreeably  to  our 
general  custom.  The  natives,  of  whose  society  we  have  never  been  able  to  rid 
ourselves,  scorned  to  attach  great  awe  and  reverence  to  our  form  of  worship,  for 
we  had  made  taom  understand  what  we  were  going  about,  which  induced  them 
topay  aliigh  degree  of  silent  attention  to  the  ceremony,  and  set  at  rest,  lor  the 
time,  that  peculiar  continuous  laugh  by  whicli  they  are  distinguished  from  their 
neighbours.  In  tlie  allernoon,  or,  as  the  natives  express  it,  "  when  the  sun  had 
lost  ilia  strength,"  we  departed  from  the  town  of  Bidjie,  accompanied  by  its 
good-uatmed,  happy  governor,  and  reach*  d  the  banks  of  a  rivulet  called  Vow'm 
a  very  lew  minutes.  Bulterliies  were  here  more  numerous  than  can  be  imagin- 
ed ;  uiill;ous  of  them  fluttered  round  us,  and  literally  hid  from  our  sight  every 
Ihing  but  taeir  own  variegated  and  beautiful  wings. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  483 

Hereon  the  banks  of  the  Yow  we  took  a  last  farewell  of  the  affectionate  old 
chief,  who  implored  the  "  Great  God"  to  bless  us ;  and  as  the  canoes  in  which  we 
had  embarked  moved  from  the  spot,  a  loud  long  laugh,  with  clapping  of  hands 
from  the  lower  classes,  evinced  the  satisfaction  they  lelt  at  having  seen  us,  and 
their  hearty  wishes  for  our  welfare.  The  Yow  is  an  extremely  narrow  rivulet, 
not  more  than  a  few  feet  in  breadth ;  and  flows  in  a  serpentine  direction  through 
a  flat  country,  covered  with  rushes  and  tall  rank  grass.  Crocodiles  are  said  to 
resort  here  in  great  numbers ;  the  low  bark  or  growl  of  these  rapacious  animals 
we  heard  distinctly,  and  almost  close  to  us. 

After  we  had  been  pushed  along  against  the  stream  by  poles  for  live  or  six 
miles,  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  landed  at  a  narrow 
creek,  which  ran  a  little  way  into  a  thick  and  gloomy  forest.  We  had  not  pro- 
ceeded more  than  two  hundred  yards  on  the  pathway,  when  we  were  met  by  a 
messenger  from  Jenna,  who  informed  us  that  the  owners  of  all  the  horses  in  the 
town  had  rode  out  to  welcome  their  chief,  and  escort  him  to  his  residence,  so 
that  we  should  be  obliged  to  walk  the  remainder  of  the  way.  A  lew  minutes 
only  had  elapsed,  however,  from  this  time,  before  we  descried  a  horse  approach- 
ing us  in  the  path.  This  was  a  goodly  sight  to  us,  who  were  akeady  becommg 
wearied  and  sore  with  the  exertions  we  had  made  during  the  day,  for  we  did  not 
reflect  a  moment  tliat  the  animal  might  not,  after  all,  be  for  our  use.  However, 
we  soon  met,  and  the  rider  immediately  declared  that  he  had  left  Jenna  purpose- 
ly on  our  account.  The  horse's  head  was  loaded  with  charpis  and  ietislies,  en- 
veloped  in  pieces  of  red  and  blue  cloth.  His  saddle  was  of  Haussa  manufacture, 
and  uncommonly  neat ;  in  the  interior  such  an  article  is  used  only  by  the  princi- 
pal people  ;  and  his  bridle  also  was  of  curious  workmauihip.  The  horseman 
fiad  an  extravagant  idea  of  his  own  consiequence,  and  seemed  a  prodigious 
boaster.  He  wore  abundance  of  clothing,  most  of  which  was  superfluous,  but 
it  made  him  excessively  vain.  He  informed  us  that  he  had  been  despatched  by 
the  king  of  Jenna  to  meet  us  in  the  path,  and  to  escort  us  to  the  capital ;  but  un- 
derstanding that  Adooley  had  suppUed  us  with  horses,  he  did  not  conceive  it 
necessary  to  send  others.  The  messenger,  however,  dismounted  and  oflered 
us  his  horse  ;  and  my  brother  and  self  agreed  to  ride  him  in  turns.  We  there- 
fore immediately  proceeded,  and  traversed  a  rich  and  varied  country,  abounding 
plentifully  witli  wood  and  water.  A  fine  red  sand  covered  the  pathway,  which 
we  found  to  be  in  much  better  condition  than  any  we  had  before  seen.  '  Some- 
times it  wound  through  an  open,  level  tract  of  fine  grazing  land  ;  and  then  again 
.it  diverged  through  Ibrestsso  thick  and  deep  that  the  light  of  the  moon,  which 
had  arisen,  was  unable  to  penetrate  the  gloom,  and  we  were  frequently  left  in 
midnight  darkness.  It  would  require  greater  powers  than  we  are  in  possession 
of  to  give  an  adequate  description  of  the  magnificence,  solemnity,  and  desolate 
repose  of  tlie  awiul  so  itudes  through  which  we  passed  this  evening.  They 
were  enlightened,  however  at  times,  by  the  appearance  of  glowworms,  which 
were  so  luminous  that  one  could  almost  see  to  read  by  their  golden  splendour ; 
and  somctin.es  by  the  moonbeams,  which  trembled  upon  the  leaves  and  branches 
of  the  trees.  A  fragrance  also  was  exhaled  fiom  tlie  forest,  more  odorifeious 
than  the  perfume  of  primroses  or  violets ;  and  one  might  almost  fancy,  while 
threading  his  way  tl*ough  scenery  which  perhaps  cannot  be  surpassed  ior  beau- 
ty in  any  part  ot  the  world,  that  he  was  approaching  those  eternal  shades  where 
in  ancient  time  the  souls  of  good  men  were  supposed  to  wander.  The  woods 
rang  with  the  songs  of  insects  and  night-birds,  wnich  saluted  us  with  htfle  inter- 
mission till  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  we  entered  Laatoo,  a  large  and 
pleasant  town.  Here  we  were  informed  that  no  house  would  be  oflered  us,  the 
fetish-priest  having  declared  that  the  moment  a  white  man  should  enter  the 
dwellings  of  the  inhabitants,  they  would  be  seized  by  their  enemies  and  enslaved. 
We  arrived  thir:^ty  and  exausted,  but  lor  a  long  time  could  not  procure  even  a 
drop  of  water.  Uur  tent  had  been  left  on  the  road  ibr  want  of  carriers,  and  we 
had  made  up  our  minds  to  rest  under  a  tree,  when  about  two  hours  afterward  it 
was  fortunately  brought  into  the  town.  We  fixed  it  immediately,  and  having 
Bucceeded  in  piocuring  wood  from  the  unkind  inhabitants,  whe  kindled  a  fire  in 
front  of  it,  and  otir  people  laid  themselves  in  groups  outside,  while  we  entered, 
and  attempted  vainly  to  sleep. 


484  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Monday,  April  5th. — Before  sunrise  this  morning  we  were  all  on  the  alert,  and 
struck  the  tent  at  a  very  early  hour.  We  then  sent  the  carriers  onward  v  ith  the 
luggage,  and  hastily  left  the  town  after  them,  without  bidding  adieu  either  to  the 
chief  or  any  of  his  people,  on  account  of  their  inhospitality;  and  in  an  hour's 
time  reached  the  extensive  and  important  town  of  Larro.  On  dismounting,  we 
were  first  led  to  a  large,  cleanly-swept  square,  wherein  is  preserved  the  fetish 
of  the  place,  which  is  the  model  of  a  canoe,  having  three  wooden  figures  with 
paddles  in  it.  After  waiting  in  the  shade  for  an  hour,  .surrounded  by  an  immense 
multiiude  of  people  of  all  ages,  the  chief's  approach  was  announced  by  a  gene- 
ral rush  from  our  quarters  to  the  other  end  of  the  square,  where  he  was  walking. 
We  went  towards  him  in  order  to  pay  him  the  accustomed  salutation  of  shaking 
hands,  &c. ;  but  one  of  his  followers,  fancying  that  I  kept  his  master's  hand 
clasped  in  mine  longer  than  the  occasion  might  warrant,  looked  fiercely  in  my 
face,  and  snatched  away  my  hand,  eagerly  androughly,  without, ho uever,  utter- 
ing a  word.  I  could  have  pulled  the  fellow's  ears  with  the  greatest  good-wDl 
in  the  world,  had  not  the  fear  of  secret  revenge  deterred  me.  As  it  was,  I  smoth- 
ered my  rising  choler,  and  with  my  brother  quietly  followed  the  chief  to  his  prin- 
cipal hut,  under  whose  verandah  we  were  served  with  goora-nuts  in  a  huge 
pewter  platter.  Presently  the  chief  squatted  himself  down  on  a  handsome  rush 
mat  of  native  manufacture,  and  we  were  desired  to  sit  by  him  on  an  elegant 
Turkey  carpet  which  had  been  laid  there  for  the  purpose.  He  was  rather  fan- 
cifully dressed;  and  wore  two  tobes,  that  nearest  the  skin  being  of  L!;  '  " 
velvet,  and  the  other  crimson  velvet  lined  with  sarsenet.  His  boots  wej  ■ 
low  leather,  neatly  worked;  and  his  wrists  were  loaded  with  bracelet.-i  c.  ... 
and  copper.  The  chief's  countenance  betrayed  much  seriousness  and  rClidit}  •, 
and  the  diverting  laugh  of  his  countrymen  was  superseded  by  a  sober  cheerful- 
ness. Many  of  his  wiyes  sat  behinddiim  in  lines — some  of  whom  were  of  a 
bright  copper  color ;  indeed,  great  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  of  Larro  have 
fairer  complexions  than  mulattoes.  The  yard  of  the  hut  was  crammed  full  of 
curious  and  inquisitive  people,  who  stood  with  open  mouth  during  the  whole  of 
tjhe  audience.  The  chief  wished  to  imj^ress  strongly  on  our  minds  his  own  dig- 
nity and  power;  he  said  he  was  greater  than  the  Governor  of  Jcjma,  inasmuch 
as  the  latter  was  a  slave  to  the  King  of  Katunga,  but  himself  was  a  freeman.  He 
would  give  us  permission  to  depart  to-morrow,  he  continued ;  and  in  the  mean- 
time would  supply  us  with  provisions.  Tiie  chief  was  as  good  as  his  word,  for 
shortly  after  we  had  quitted  the  hui;  we  received  a  goat  and  some  yams;  and  he 
returned  our  visit  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  It  appears  that  it  is  not  his  gene- 
ral practice  to  drink  spirituous  liquors  in  the  presence  of  his  people,  or  it  may  be 
against  the  law  to  do  so  ;  for  having  carefully  excluded  all  prying  eyes  from  our 
dwelling,  and  ordered  a  mat  to  be  hung  over  the  doorway,  he  even  then  turned 
his  face  to  the  wall,  whenever  he  attempted  to  swallow  the  brandy  we  ottered 
him.  He  remained  with  us  rather  better  than  an  hour.  We  have  forgotten  to 
mention,  that  ou  our  presentation  to  the  chief  in  the  morning,  a  chapter  from 
the  Koran  was  repeated  to  him  by  a  Mohammedan  priest,  to  which  both  he  and 
his  people  seemed  to  pay  great  respect  and  attention. 

Public  schools  are  established  here  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  teaching  tlie 
rising  generation  the  rudiments  of  the  Mohammedan  religion. 

A  singular  custom  prevails  in  the  town,  of  compelling  children  at  the  breast  to 
swallow  a  quantity  of  cold  water  from  a  calabash.  An  infant  w;is  nearly  chok- 
ed this  afternoon  by  tlie  injection  of  more  than  a  pint  of  water  down  its  throat. 
Whether  mothers  follow  this  custom  I'or  the  purpose  of  curing  children  of  any 
imaginary  complaints,  or,  as  is  more  probable,  in  the  hope  of  rendering  tliem 
less  eager  for  their  natural  food,  we  have  not  ascertained. 

The  inhabitants  possess  horses,  asses,  and  mules,  tliough  not  in  considerable 
numbers;  they  have,  however,  great  abundance  of  sheep  and  goats,  which  are 
bred  in  the  town;  and  their  yards  and  huts  are  the  coaunon  place  of  resort  for 
these  animals — indeed  they  may  be  said  to  grow  up  and  live  with  the  children 
of  their  owners. 

We  have  observed  the  country  to  be  sensibly  rising  to-day ;  and  agriculture 


RICHARD    AND    JOHN  LANDER.  485 

appears  to  be  conducted  on  a  regular  system,  which  is  an  evident  proof  of  the 
active  and  industrious  habits  of  the  people.  The  gloomy  fastnesses  and  wild- 
nesses  of  nature,  such  as  we  passed  on  the  first  day  or  two  of  our  journey  from 
Badagry,  are  less  common  as  we  advance;  and  open  glades,  with  plantations  of 
bananas,  and  fields  of  yams  and  Indian  corn,  all  neatly  fenced,  met  our  view 
from  the  path  yesterday  and  this  moniing.  The  inhabitants  of  Larro  also  ex- 
hibit greater  cleanliness  of  person  and  tidiness  of  apparel  than  the  tribes  nearer 
the  sea;  and  importunate  beggars  have  disappeared  entirely. 

Tuesday,  April  6th. — The  sun  had  scarcely  risen  above  the  horizon,  and  the 
mists  of  the  morning  yet  hung  upon  the  hills,  when  we  quitted  the  town  of  Lar- 
ro, and  pursued  our  journey  on  horseback.  Three  horsemen  from  Jenna  fol- 
lowed us  on  the  path,  and  we  were  enlivened  by  the  wild  jingling  of  their  ani- 
mal's bells,  till  we  got  within  a  mile  of  that  town,  where  we  alighted  at  a  kind 
of  turnpike,  and  fired  a  salute  of  two  muskets.  Here  we  were  met  by  a  parcel 
of  fellows  with  horns,  who  blew  on  them  with  the  accustomed  energy  of  the  na- 
tives :  these  men  preceded  us  over  a  bridge,  which  is  thrown  across  a  moat  that 
surrounds  Jenna,  into  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  we  alighted,  and  waited  the 
chief's  i^leasure  in  an  open  shed.  We  had  not  been  seated  many  moments  be- 
fore an  immense  crowd  of  people  pressed  in  ui^on  us  on  every  side,  subjecting 
us  to  the  accustomed  inconveniences  of  want  of  air,  strong,  unwholesome  smells, 
and  a  confused  hubbub  that  defies  description.  Never  were  people  more  eager 
to  behold  us.  The  litile  ones  formed  tliemselves  into  a  ring  close  to  the  shed, 
then  followed  those  of  maturer  age,  after  them  came  a  still  older  class,  and  the 
last  circle  consisted  of  people  as  tall  as  steeples,  most  of  whom  held  infants  in 
their  arms.  Altogether  was  formed  a  large  ampitheatre  of  black  woolly  heads 
and  teeth  set  in  jetty  faces;  and  although  we  felt  rather  annoyed  at  their  inno- 
cent curiosity,  and  were  obliged  to  wait  a  considerable  time  for  the  new  chief^ 
we  could  noL  help  being  highly  diverted  with  the  spectacle^  around  us.  At  lengthy 
to  our  great  relief  and  joy,  news  was  brought  that  he  was  ready  to  receive  us. 
Such  is  the  etiquette  here,  that  the  longer  a  stranger  is  compelled  to  wait  to  be 
introduced,  the  greater  is  the  honor  done  him,  and  the  higher  is  the  rink  of  that 
person  supposed  to  be  who  exacts  this  unpleasant  delay.  We  discovered  the 
chief,  or  rather  governor,  sitting  on  a  piece  of  leather,  under  a  large  verandah^ 
at  one  end  of  a  commodious  square  yard.  He  was  clad  in  the  prevailing  finery 
of  crimson  velvet  tobe  and  cap,  both  edged  \^ith  gold  lace.  At  his  right  hand 
sat  his  wives  and  women,  and  we  were  desired  to  place  ourselves  on  his  left. 
The  women  sang  the  praises  of  their  master  in  aloud  unpleasant  voice,  in  v/hich 
they  were  assisted  by  the  music  (equally  unharmonious)  of  daiuis,  fifes,  ckrion- 
ets,  and  horrs.  On  our  wishing  the  c.iief  all  the  1  appiness  in  the  world,  those 
that  had  flocked  into  the  yard  after  us,  and  every  one  near  him,  prostrated  them- 
selves on  the  ground  and  clapped  their  hands.  Goora-nuts  were  presented  us 
in  water,  and  a  profusion  of  compliments  passed  on  both  sides;  but  the  dignity 
of  the  newly-made  governor  seemed  to  sit  rather  awkwardly  upon  him,  for  he 
was  shy  and  bashful  as  a  maiden,  and  really  appeared  agitated  aid  afraid  of  his 
white-faced  visitant**.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  patience  of  the  most  patient 
people  in  the  world  was  completely  exhausted,  as  might  be  ?een  by  their  deser- 
tion of  the  premises  before  we  quitted  them,  notwithstanding  the  few  words 
that  had  passed  between  the  chief  and  ourselves.  The  ceremony  of  introduc- 
tion being  over,  we  bade  adieu  to  the  chief,  and  having  visited  the  grave  of  Dr. 
Morrison  in  our  way,  repaired  to  a  hut  which  had  been  got  ready  for  our  re- 
ception. 

The  former  governor  of  Jenna,  who,  it  will  be  recollected,  treated  the  gentle- 
men composing  the  last  mission  so  handsomely,  died  about  fifteen  months  ago, 
and  the  King  of  Yarriba  those  one  of  the  meanest  of  his  slaves  as  his  successor. 
This  is  an  invariable  rule  with  the  sovereigns  of  that  country  of  which  Jenna  is 
a  province;  for  they  fear  that,  its  distance  from  the  capital  being  very  great,  a 
person  of  higher  rank,  if  possessed  of  talents  and  spirit,  could  easily  influence 
the  natives  to  throw  off  the  yoke,  and  declare  themselves  independent  of  Yarri- 
ba. The  present  governor  is  a  Haussa  man,  and  was  raised  to  the  dignity  he 
now  holds,  in  all  probability,  on  account  of  his  childish  simplicity  and  artlessness; 


486  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER, 

for  a  person  with  a  countenance  more  indicative  of  innocence,  and  perhaps  stu- 
pidity also,  we  never  recollect  to  have  seen.  The  quahties  of  his  heart,  howev- 
ea,  are  said  to  be  excellent,  and  his  manners  are  mild  and  amiable.  He  had  been 
twelve  months  in  coming  from  Katunga  to  this  place,  being  under  the  necessity 
of  stopping  at  every  town  between  Jenna  and  his  capital  to  receive  the  applauses 
and  congratulations  of  the  inhabitants  and  to  join  in  their  festivities  and  amuse- 
ments.    He  did  not  make  his  entry  here  till  yesterday. 

It  is  related  in  Captain  Clapperton's  journal  than  one  of  old  Pascoe's  wives 
eloped  from  him  in  Katunga,  while  he  was  asleep,  taking  with,  her  the  trinkets 
Mrs.  Belzoni  had  given  him,  and  that  she  was  never  afterwards  heard  of.  This 
woman  had  the  effrontery  to  introduce  herself  into  our  house  to-day  with  an  in- 
fant, whereof  she  asserted  with  warmth  that  Pascoe  was  the  father,  and  that  slie 
was  detelrmined  to  leave  it  upon  his  hands.  She  had  prevailed  upon  a  number 
of  Haussa  females  to  accompany  her,  that  they  might  endeavor  to  induce  her 
quondam  husband,  who  is  a  countryman  of  theirs,  to  receive  the  child,  and  make 
up  the  breach  between  them;  but  the  infant  not  being  mcra  than  nine,  or  at 
most  twelve  months  old,  and  three  or  four  years  having  elapsed  since  the  elope- 
ment took  place,  we  were  convinced,  independently  of  the  age  and  infirmities 
of  Pascoe,  that  it  could  by  no  rule  of  law  be  his.  Accordingly,  notwithstanding 
the  uproar  occasioned  by  ihe  women's  tonarues,  (which  is  no  small  matter  in 
any  part  of  the  world,)  the  mother,  with  her  spurious  offspring,  and  the  ladies 
that  came  to  aid  and  abet  her  imposition,  were  turned  out  of  the  yard  without 
any  ceremony,  to  the  great  relief  of  Pascoe  and  his  present  rib,  who  felt  rather 
uncomfortable  while  the  palaver  was  carrying  on. 

The  fetish  priest  of  t)>)b  town  came  dancing  into  our  h\\\  this  afternoon,  (April 
7th,)  looking  exceedingiy  wild  and  roaring  as  if  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit.  We 
paid  little  attention  to  the  fellows  fooleries,  who,  not  liking  his  reception,  left  the 
hut,  after  we  had  given  him  the  accustomed  fee  of  a  few  cowries.  The  man's 
person  and  dress,  together  with  its  whimsical  ornaments,  were  admirably  fitted 
to  impose  on  the  credulity  and  superstition  of  the  inhabitants,  though  many  of 
the  town's  people,  influenced  perhaps  by  the  spreading  doctrines  of  Mahomet, 
spoke  their  minds  pretty  freely,  calling  him  a  scoundrel  and  a  devil.  There 
was  something  peculiar  in  the  priest's  countenance  that  we  could  not  define. 
On  his  shoulders  he  bore  a  large  club,  carved  at  one  end  with  the  figure  of  a 
man's  head.  A  vast  number  of  strings  of  cowries  were  suspended  on  this  wea- 
pon, which  were  intermixed  with  bells,  broken  combs,  small  pieces  of  wood, 
with  rude  imitations  of  men's  faces  cut  on  them,  large  sea-shells,  bits  of  iron  and 
brass,  nut  shells,  &c.  &c.  Perhaps  the  number  of  cowries  on  his  person  did 
not  fall  far  short  of  twenty  thousand;  and  the  weight  of  his  various  ornaments 
almost  pressed  him  to  the  ground.  After  this  fellow  had  left  our  apartment, 
three  or  four  others  came  to  torment  us  with  drums,  whistles,  and  horns,  and 
began  and  ended  the  evening's  serenade  to  their  own  infinite  delight  and  satis- 
faction. The  native  drum  answers  the  purpose  of  a  tambarine  and  bagpipe  as 
well,  and  is  of  peculiar  formation.  Its  top  is  encircled  with  little  brass  bells,  and 
is  played  upon  with  one  hand,  while  the  fingers  of  the  other  are  employed  at 
the  same  time  in  tapping  on  its  surface.  The  instrument  itself  is  held  under  the 
lefl  arm,  but  instead  of  an  outer  wooden  case,  strings  alone  are  used  from  end 
to  end,  which  being  pressed  against  the  musician's  side,  sounds  somewhat  simi- 
lar to  those  of  the  Scotch  bagpipe,  but  very  inferior,  are  produced.  The  drum- 
mers, with  their  companions  of  the  horns  and  whistles,  subsist  entirely  on  the 
charity  of  the  public,  who  require  tlieir  services  on  all  occasions  of  general 
merriment  and  jollity. 

We  were  witnesses  this  morning,  (April  8th,)  to  a  specimen  of  native  tumbling 
and  dancing,  with  the  usual  accompaniments  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music. 
By  far  the  most  diverting  part  of  the  entertainment  was  the  dancing;  but  even 
this  did  not  answer  the  expectations  we  had  formed  of  it.  The  performers  were 
liberally  supplied  with  country  beer,  and,  like  most  amusements  of  the  kind, 
they  ended  this  with  wrangling  and  intoxication.  The  fellows  that  accompa- 
nied us  as  guides  from  Badagry,  who  in  their  native  place  would  sell  their  birth- 
right for  a  glass  of  rum,  have  now  washed  themselves  and  thrown  aside  their 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  487 

rags,  appearing  at  all  public  places  in  borrowed  finery.  They  now  never  leave 
their  habitations  without  Adooley's  sword,  which  they  have  with  them,  and  a 
host  of  followers.  This  morning  they  attended  the  celebration  of  the  games,  in 
showy  apparel,  with  silk  umbrellas  held  over  their  heads,  and  .imong  other 
articles  of  dress,  the  principal  of  them  wore  an  immense  drab-colored  Quaker's 
hat,  of  the  coarsest  quality.     They  will  scarcely  deign  to  speak  to  a  poor  man. 

We  learn  with  regret  that  all  the  horses  of  the  late  governor  of  Jenna  were 
interred,  according  to  custom,  with  the  corpse  of  their  master;  and  we  begin  to 
be  apprehensive  that  we  shall  be  oI)liged  to  walk  the  whole  of  the  w^ay  to  Ka- 
tunga,  as  the  present  ruler  is  not  the  owner  of  a  single  beast  of  burden.  This 
piece  of  ill  news  was  carefully  withheld  from  us  till  after  the  presents  had  all 
been  duly  delivered  to  the  governor  and  his  head  men ;  but  the  latter  alone  are 
to  blame  in  this  instance.  Matters  being  in  this  unpleasant  state,  we  have  sent 
a  messenger  to  the  chief  of  Larro,  to  inform  him  of  the  circumstance,  and  en- 
treat him  to  rec'ejm  his  promise  of  lending  us  a  horse  or  a  mule ;  and  another  to 
Adooley,  requesting  him  lO  despatch  immediately  one  of  our  horses,  at  least, 
from  Badagry,  tor  that  we  have  found  it  impossible  to  do  without  him.  But 
w^hether  the  latter  will  accede  to  it  or  not  remains  to  be  seen.  We  do  not  think 
that  he  will ;  and  yet  we  can  hardly  imagine  he  vv'iil  carry  his  chic^lnery  so  far, 
beca'.ise  he  wnfsf  tear  that  the  variety  of  orders  we  have  given  him  to  receive 
valu:'i'>Ig  presents  from  England  will  never  be  honored  by  our  countrymen  if  he 
refuses  to  fulfil  his  engagements  to  us. 

This  evening  a  corpse  was  interred  at  a  short  distance  from  our  dwelUng,  and 
the  friends  of  the  deceased  have  been  employed  more  than  an  hour  in  bewailing 
their  loss.  The  low  plaintive  noise  they  make  sounds  dolefully  in  our  hut,  and 
it  has  a  very  sorrowful  and  depressing  efiect  on  our  spirits. 

We  have  been  pretty  busily  engaged  during  the  whole  of  the  afternoon  in 
writing  letters  and  despatches  for  England.  They  will  be  forwarded  by  Adoo- 
ley, as  soon  as  possible,  to  Cape  Coast  Castle.  The  Badagrian  guides  and  car- 
riers will  return  home  to-morrow,  to  our  great  relief,  for  they  have  been  a  con- 
stant trouble,  and  have  harrassed  us  from  morning  till  night. 

Friday,  April  \)th. — Since  the  demise  of  the  late  governor,  it  is  calculated  that 
Jenna  has  lost  more  than  five  hundred  of  its  population,  chiefly  by  wars,  intes- 
tine broils,  &c.,  and  for  want  of  a  ruler.  It  must  not  be  imagined,  however, 
that  because  the  people  of  this  country  are  almost  perpetually  engaged  in  con- 
flicts with  their  neighbors,  the  slaughter  of  human  beings  is  therefore  very  .'^reat. 
They  pursue  war,  as  it  is  called,  partly  as  an  amusement,  or  to  ''keep  their 
hands  in;"  and  partly  to  benefit  themselves  by  the  capture  of  slaves.  As  we 
were  sailing  down  the  coast,  we  were  told  that  the  natives  of  Cape  La  Hoc 
and  Jack-a-Jack  had  been  warring  for  three  years  previously,  and  were  still  at 
variance  ;  but,  during  that  long  period,  only  one  single  decrepit  old  w  oman,  who 
found  it  no  easy  matter  to  run  as  fast  as  her  countrymen,  was  left  behind,  and  be- 
came the  solitary  victim  of  a  hundred  engagements.  Much  after  the  same  fash- 
ion are  the  bloodless  wars  of  Jenna.  Success  depends  much  more  on  the  cun- 
ning and  address  of  the  parties,  than  on  any  extraordinary  display  of  intrepidi- 
ty ;  and  living,  not  dead,  subjects  are  sought  after;  so  that  it  is  their  interest  to 
avoid  hard  blows,  and  enrich  themselves  by  the  sale  of  their  prisoners.  Per- 
haps the  extraordinary  decrease  in  the  population  of  Jenna  has  arisen  from  the 
desertion  of  slaves,  who  embrace  the  opportunity,  while  their  masters  are  from 
home  engaged  in  predatory  excursions,  of  running  away ;  thus  the  latter  fre- 
quently become  losers,  instead  of  gainers,  by  their  unnatural  passion  for  steal- 
ing their  fellow-creatures.  The  individuals  captured  are  sent  to  the  coast,  and 
the  chiefs  of  those  unsettled  and  barbarous  tribes  that  inhabit  it  are  appointed 
agents  to  regulate  the  sale  of  them,  for  which  they  receive  half  the  profits. 

Late  in  the  evening  the  youngFalatah,  mentioned  in  yesterday's  journal,  paid 
us  a  visit,  and  ottered  his  horse  for  sale.  He  is  a  Mohammedan  priest,  and 
was  accompanied  by  a  countryman  of  the  same  persuasion;  but  neither  of  the 
holy  men  appeared  in  their  dealing  to  understand  the  meaning  of  truth  or  jus- 
tice. An  agreement  was  made,  and  we  paid  thirty  dollars.  The  merchant  im- 
plored U£  not  to  tell  his  father,  who  was  tiie  real  owner  of  the  horse,  that  he  had 


488  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  v^ 

sold  him  for  less  money  than  he  had  received;  and  in  this  request  he  was  sec- 
onded by  his  more  venerable  friend ;  because,  he  said,  he  wanted  a  small  sum 
for  his  private  use,  which  he  knew  his  parent  would  refuse  him.  The  words 
were  hardly  out  of  their  mouths  before  tlie  two  Mussulmans  publicly  went 
through  their  ablutions  in  front  of  our  house,  turning  their  faces  to  the  ea^it,  they 
seemed  to  pray  very  devoutly  to  the  founder  of  their  faith.  When  this  was 
concluded,  they  sang  us  an  Arabic  hymn  with  very  great  solemnity,  and  the 
whole  had  an  immediate  and  wonderful  effect  on  the  feelings  of  many  of  their 
followers  in  the  yard,  who,  mistaking  loudness  of  voice  for  fervor,  and  hypo- 
critical seriousness  for  piety,  made  the  two  worshippers  a  present  of  money. 

The  women  of  Jenna  employ  themselves  generally  in  spinning  cotton  or  pre- 
paring Indian  corn  for  food.  Much  of  the  former  material  grows  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  town,  but  the  cultivation  of  the  plant  is  not  carried  on  with  the  spirit  it 
deserves.  Silk,  which  is  brought  over  land  from  Tripoli,  the  inhabitants  some- 
times interweave  in  their  cotton  garments,  but  such,  being  very  expensive,  are 
only  worn  by  the  higher  class  of  people.  They  have  abundance  of  bullocks, 
pigs,  goats,  sheep,  and  poultry,  but  they  prefer  vegetable  food  to  animal;  their 
diet,  indeed,  is  what  we  should  term  poor  and  watery,  consisting  chiefly  of  pre- 
parations o#the  yam  and  of  Indian  corn ;  notwithstanding  which  a  stronger  or 
more  athletic  race  of  people  is  no  where  to  be  met  with.  Burdens  with  them, 
as  with  the  natives  of  many  parts  of  the  continent,  are  invariably  carried  on  the 
head;  which,  it  is  more  than  likely,  occasions  that  dignilied  uprightness  of  form 
and  stateliness  of  walk  so  often  spoken  of  by  those  acquainted  with  the  pleasing 
peculiarities  of  the  African  female.  The  weight  of  a  feaiher  is  borne  on  tlie 
head  in  preference  to  its  being  carried  in  the  hand;  and  it  not  unfrequently  re- 
quires the  united  strength  of  three  men  to  lift  a  calabash  of  goods  irom  the 
ground  to  the  shoulder  of  one ;  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  does  the  amazing 
strength  of  the  African  appear.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jenna 
have  the  hair  of  their  heads  and  their  eyebrows  shaven;  but  the  governor's  wiu- 
isters  and  servants  wear  their  hair  in  the  shape  of  a  horse  shoe,  as  a  mark  of  dis- 
tinction. It  is  confined  to  the  crown  of  tlie  head  by  large  daubs  of  indigo,  and, 
none  of  the  people  presuming  to  imitate  it,  answers  the  purpose  of  a  livery. 

It  is  the  custom  here,  when  a  governor  dies,  for  two  of  his  favorite  wives  to 
quit  the  world  on  the  sdme  day,  in  order  that  he  may  have  a  little  pleasant  social 
company  in  a  future  state ;  but  the  late  governor's  devoted  wives  had  no  ambi- 
tion or  inclination  to  follow  their  venerable  husband  to  tlie  grave,  and  went  and 
hid  themselves  before  the  funeral  ceremonies  were  performed,  and  have  re- 
mained concealed  ever  since,  with  the  remainder  cf  his  women.  To-day,  liow- 
ever,  one  of  these  unfortunates,  (she  to  whom  our  house  belongs,)  was  discov- 
ered in  her  hiding  place  at  the  present  governor's,  and  the  alternative  of  a  poi- 
soned chalice,  or  to  have  her  head  broken  by  the  club  of  the  fetish  priest,  was  of- 
fered her.  She  has  chosen  the  Ibnner  mode  of  dying,  as  being  the  less  terrible 
of  the  two,  and  has  come  to  our  yard  to  spend  her  last  hours  in  the  society  of 
her  faithful  slaves.  These  address  their  mistress  by  the  endearing  name  of 
mother.  Poor  creatures!  as  soon  as  they  learned  her  misfortune  they  dropped 
their  spinning ;  tlie  grinding  of  corn  was  also  rehnquished;  their  sheep,  goats, 
and  poultry,  were  suffered  to  roam  at  large  without  restraint;  and  tliey  abandon- 
ed themselves  to  tlie  most  excessive,  most  poignant  grief ;  but  now  the  arrival  of 
tlieir  mistress  ha:s  added,  if  possible,  to  then-  atiliction.  There  is  not  to  be  found 
in  the  world,  perhaps,  an  object  more  truly  sorrowful  than  a  lonely,  del'enceless 
woman  in  tears;  and  on  such  an  occasion  as  this  it  may  easily  be  conceived,  the 
distress  is  more  peculiarly  cutting.  A  heart  that  could  not  be  touched  at  a  scene 
of  this  nature,  nmst  be  unfeeling  indeed.  Females  have  been  coming  all  day  to 
condole  with  the  old  lady,  and  to  weep  with  her;  so  that  we  have  heard 
nothing  but  sobbing  and  crying  from  morning  till  the  setting  sun.  The  princi- 
pal males  in  the  town  have  likewise  been  here  to  pay  tlieir  last  nspects  to  their 
mistress;  and  so  has  her  gravedigger,  who  has  just  risen  from  prostrating  him- 
self on  the  ground  betbre  lier.  JNoiwithstanding  the  representaUons  and  remon- 
strances of  tlie  priest,  and  the  prayers  of  the  venerable  victim  to  her  gods  for 
fortitude  to  undergo  the  dreadful  ordeal,  her  resolution  has  forsaken  her  more 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  489 

than  once.  She  has  entered  our  yard  twice  to  expire  in  the  arms  of  her  women, 
and  twice  has  she  laid  aside  the  fatal  poison  in  order  to  take  another  walk,  and 
gaze  once  more  on  the  splendor  of  the  sun  and  the  glory  of  the  heavens;  for 
she  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  losing  sight  of  them  forever.  "She  is  still  restless  and 
uneasy,  and  would  gladly  run  away  from  death,  if  she  durst ;  for  that  imaginary 
being  appears  to  her  in  a  more  terrible  light  than  our  pictures  represent  him, 
with  his  shadowy  form  and  fatal  dart.  Die  she  must,  and  she  knows  it ;  never- 
theless she  will  tenaciously  cling  to  life  to  the  very  last  moment.  Meanwhile 
her  grave  is  preparing,  and  preparations  are  making  for  a  wake  at  her  funeral. 
She  is  to  be  buried  here  in  one  of  her  own  huts,  the  moment  after  the  spirit  has 
quitted  her  body,  which  will  be  ascertained  by  striking  the  ground  near  which  it 
may  be  lying  at  the  time ;  when,  if  no  motion  or  struggle  ensues,  the  old  woman 
will  be  considered  as  dead.  The  poison  used  by  the  natives  on  this  occasion 
destroys  life,  it  is  said,  in  fifteen  minutes. 

The  reason  of  our  not  meeting  with  a  better  reception  at  Laatoo,  when  we 
slept  there,  was  the  want  of  a  chief  to  that  town,  the  last  having  followed  the 
old  governor  of  Jenna  to  the  eternal  shades,  for  he  was  his  slave.  Widows  are 
burnt  in  India,  just  as  they  are  poisoned  or  clubbed  here ;  but  in  the  former  coun- 
try, I  believe,  no  male  victims  are  destroyed  on  such  occasions.  The  origin  of 
this  abominable  custom  is  understood  to  have  arisen  from  a  dread  on  the  part 
of  the  chiefs  of  the  country,  in  olden  time,  that  their  principal  wives,  who  alone 
were  in  possession  of  their  confidence,  and  knew  where  their  money  was  con- 
cealed, might  secretly  attempt  their  life,  in  order  at  once  to  establish  their  own 
freedom,  and  become  possessed  of  the  property.  That,  far  from  having  any 
motives  to  destroy  her  husband,  a  woman  might,  on  the  contrary,  have  a  strong 
inducement  to  cherish  him  as  long  as  possible,  the  existence  of  the  wife  was 
made  to  depend  entirely  on  that  of  her  lord ;  and  this  custom  has  been  handed 
down  from  father  to  son,  even  to  the  present  time.  But  why  men  also,  who 
can  have  no  interest  to  gain  on  the  death  of  their  prince,  should  be  obliged  to 
conform  to  the  same  rite  is  not  near  so  easily  accounted  for.  The  present  gov- 
ernor of  Jenna  must  of  necessity  go  down  to  the  grave  on  the  first  intelligence 
of  the  demise  of  the  King  of  Yarriba;  and  as  that  monarch  is  a  very  aged  man, 
the  situation  of  the  former  is  not  the  most  enviable  in  the  world. 

Previous  to  her  swallowing  the  poison,  the  favorite  wife  of  the  deceased  chief 
or  ruler  destroys  privately  all  the  wealth,  or  rather  money,  of  her  former  part- 
ner, in  order  that  it  may  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  successor.  The  same  cus- 
tom is  observed  at  Badagry  also  ;  and  although  the  king's  son  may  be  of  age  at 
the  period  of  his  father's  death,  he  inherits  his  authority  and  influence  only.  He 
is  left  to  his  own  sagacity  and  exertions  to  procure  wealth,  which  can  seldom  be 
obtained  without  rapine,  enslavement,  and  bloodshed. 

Whenever  a  town  is  deprived  of  its  chief,  the  inhabitants  acknowledge  no 
law — anarchy,  troubles,  and  confusion  immediately  prevail,  and  till  a  successor 
is  appointed,  all  Jabor  is  at  an  end.  The  stronger  oppress  the  weak,  and  con- 
summate every  species  of  crime,  without  being  amenable  to  any  tribunal  for 
their  actions.  Private  property  is  no  longer  respected  ;  and  thus,  before  a  per- 
son arrives  to  curb  its  hcentiousness,  a  town  is  not  unfrequently  reduced  from 
a  flourishing  state  of  prosperity  and  of  happiness  to  all  the  horrors  of  desolation. 
Sunday,  April  llth. — This  being  Easter-day,  we  have  devoted  it  exclusively 
to  religious  purposes.  The  messenger  whom  we  sent  to  Badagry  for  our  horse 
is  not  yet  returned,  although  he  promised  to  be  back  in  four  days  from  the  time 
of  his  departure.  He  has  exceeded  the  given  time  by  a  whole  day,  and  as  the 
man  is  a  native  of  Badagry,  we  have  given  up  all  hopes  of  again  seeing  either 
him,  or  the  horse,  or  the  message-sword  we  lent  him  as  a  token  that  he  had  been 
sent  by  us.  We  have  received  positive  assurances  that  leave  will  be  granted  us 
to  depart  hence  on  Tuesday  next ;  but  as  we  have  one  horse  only,  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  take  it  in  turns  to  ride,  or  procure  a  hammock,  which  will  be  a  difli- 
cult  thing  to  get,  and  very  expensive. 

The  old  queen-dowager,  like  Prior's  thief, 

"  Often  takes  leave,  but  seems  loath  to  depart." 
42 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Although  her  doom  is  inevitably  sealed,  she  has  been  more  cheerful  to-day  than 
yesterday,  and  seems  determined  to  spin  out  her  thread  of  life  to  its  utmost  hmit. 
Spies  are  now  set  over  her,  and  she  is  not  permited  to  go  out  of  the  yard. 

Monday,  April  12t/t. — Nothing  deserving  particular  notice  has  occurred  to- 
day. We  had  the  customary  visit  to  our  yard  of  a  long  hue  of  women,  who 
come  every  morning,  with  rueful  countenances  and  streaming  eyes,  to  lament 
the  approaching  death  of  the  old  widow.  They  weep,  they  beat  their  breasts 
and  tear  their  hair,  they  moan,  and  exhibit  all  mamier  of  violent  affliction  at  the 
expected  deprivation.  Perhaps  their  sorrorw  is  sincere,  perhaps  it  is  feigned. 
At  all  events,  their  transports  are  ungoverned  and  outrageous;  the  first  woman 
in  the  line  begins  the  cry,  and  it  is  instantly  followed  by  the  other  voices ;  the 
opening  notes  of  the  lamentation  are  rather  low  and  mournful,  the  last  wild  and 
piercing. 

The  principal  people  of  the  place,  finding  the  old  lady  still  obstinately  bent 
on  deferring  her  exit,  have  sent  a  messenger  to  her  native  village  to  make  known 
to  her  relatives  that  should  she  make  her  escape,  they  will  take  all  of  them  into 
slavery,  and  burn  their  town  to  ashes,  in  conformity  to  an  established  and  very 
ancient  law.  They  would  therefore  strongly  advise  the  relatives  of  the  old 
woman,  for  their  own  sakes,  and  the  sake  of  the  public,  to  use  all  their  endeav- 
ors to  prevail  upon  her  to  meet  her  fate  honorably  and  with  fortitude.  A  dep- 
utation is  expected  from  the  village  to-morrow,  when,  no  doubt,  after  a  good 
deal  of  crying,  and  condohng,  and  talking,  and  persuading,  the  matter  will  even- 
tually be  decided  against  the  old  lady.  It  is  understood  that  she  has  bribed  a 
few  of  the  most  opulent  and  influential  inhabitants  of  Jenna,  with  large  sums  of 
money,  to  induce  them  to  overlook  her  dereliction  from  the  path  of  duty,  and 
that,  by  their  representations,  she  has  obtained  the  tacit  consent  of  the  liing  of 
Katunga  to  live  out  the  full  term  of  her  natural  life.  But  the  people,  for  many 
miles  round,  horror-struck  at  such  impiety  and  contempt  of  ancient  customs, 
have  risen  to  enforce  the  laws  of  the  country  against  her. 

Tuesday,  April  \Wi. — Last  night  we  were  visited  by  one  of  those  terrific  thun- 
der storms  which  are  so  prevalent  in  these  latitudes.  Our  thatched  hut  afforded 
but  an  insecure  and  uncertain  asylum  against  its  fury ;  part  of  the  roof  wa3  swept 
away,  and  the  rain  admitted  freely  upon  our  beds,  whence  the  most  awful  light- 
ning-flashes could  be  seen,  making,  as  Milton  says,  "  the  darkness  visible."  It 
seemed  as  if  the  genius  of  the  storm  was  driving  through  the  murkv  clouds  in 
his  chariot  of  fire,  to  awaken  the  slumbering  creation,  and  make  them  feel  and 
acknowledge  his  power.  It  is  indeed  a  grand  lesson  to  human  pride,  to  con- 
template the  terrors  of  a  tornado  through  the  trembling  walls  and  roof  of  a 
gloomy,  dilapidated  hut  in  Africa.  In  civihzed  coimtries,  when  men  are  visited 
by  an  awful  calamity  of  this  kind,  the  distinctions  of  ranlv  are  levelled,  and  num- 
bers flock  together  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  each  other  in  countenance,  and 
strengthening  each  other's  nerves ;  but  here  all  is  naked,  lonely,  and  desolate. 

We  passed  the  night,  as  may  be  supposed,  uncomfortably  enough.  The  roof 
of  our  dwelling  had  long  been  infested  with  numbers  of  rats  and  mice,  and  these 
vermin,  being  dislodged  from  their  haunts  by  the  violence  of  the  wind  and  rain, 
sought  immediate  shelter  between  our  bedclothes,  and  to  this  very  serious  incon- 
venience was  added  another  still  greater,  viz.  the  company  of  lizards,  ants,  and 
mosquitoes,  besides  worms  and  centipedes,  and  otlier  crawhng,  creeping,  and 
noxious  things,  which  the  tempest  seemed  to  renovate  with  fresh  life  and  mo- 
tion. After  a  long,  long  night,  the  morning  at  length  appeared,  and  the  terrors 
of  the  storm  were  forgotten. 

Not  long  after  sunrise  two  fresh  legions  of  women  entered  our  yard  to  mourn 
with  their  old  mistress,  and  the  shrieks  and  lamentations  of  these  visiters  were 
more  violent  than  any  of  tlieir  predecessors.  It  made  us  shudder  to  hear  them. 
Their  eyes  were  red  with  weeping,  their  hands  were  clasped  on  the  crown  of 
the  head,  their  hair  was  in  frightful  disorder,  and  two  channels  of  tears  were 
plainly  seen  flowing  down  over  the  naked  bosom  of  each  of  the  women.  In 
this  manner  they  passed  before  the  threshold  of  our  hut,  m  two  close  lines,  and 
in  this  manner  we  observed  them  bend  tlie  knee  to  the  venerable  matron,  with- 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  491 

out  uttering  a  word.     They  then  rose  and  departed,  and  we  could  hear  their 
cries  long  after  they  had  been  out  of  sight. 

Matters  were  arranged  for  our  departure  in  good  time  this  morning,  and  after 
breakfast  we  went  to  pay  our  last  respects  to  the  good  governor.  Of  course 
we  were  obliged  to  wait  a  tiresome  length  of  time  outside  his  residence  before 
admittance  could  be  obtained;  but  when  the  doors  were  opened,  the  band  that 
was  in  attendance  inside  played  a  native  tune  as  a  token  of  welcome.  We 
observed  a  greater  number  of  drummers  assembled  than  on  any  former  occa- 
sion. Some  of  their  instruments  were  something  in  the  shape  of  a  cone,  and 
profusely  ornamented  with  plates  and  figures  of  brass.  On  one  of  these  were 
represented  the  busts  of  two  men,  with  a  tortoise  eating  out  of  the  mouth  of  one 
of  them.  The  tortoise  had  a  cock  by  its  side,  and  two  dogs  standing  as  guardi- 
ans of  the  whole.  These  figures  were  all  ingeniously  carved  in  solid  brass. 
Both  ends  of  the  larger  drums  were  played  on  with  the  palms  of  the  hand ;  hun- 
dreds of  little  brass  bells  were  suspended  round  their  edges  for  ornament  rather 
than  use,  for  being  without  clappers  they  could  produce  no  sound.  The  com- 
mon uStive  drum  is  beaten  on  one  of  its  ends  only,  and  with  a  stick  shaped  like 
a  bo\^^. 

After  a  little  conversation,  the  chief  and  his  principal  people  shook  us  affec- 
tionately by  the  hand,  and  wished  us  every  blessing,  and  as  soon  as  we  got  out- 
side the  yard  we  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  out  of  town.  The  chief  of  Lar- 
ro  had  broken  his  promise,  but  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  and 
purchase  another  horse  this  morning,  so  that  we  cared  little  about  it.  Our  path- 
way lay  through  a  champaign  country,  partially  wooded,  and  after  a  pleasant 
ride  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  we  entered  the  small  village  of  Bidjie. 

Hawks  and  vultures  are  exceedingly  numerous  both  at  Jenna  and  this  place; 
the  former  are  bold  and  disgusting  birds,  but  the  latter  are  so  hungry  and  rapa- 
cious, that  they  pounce  fearlessly  in  the  midst  of  the  natives  when  at  their  meals. 
This  evening  one  of  them  darted  at  a  piece  of  meat  which  one  of  our  men  held 
between  his  fingers,  and  snatched  it  from  him  while  he  was  conveying  it  to  his 
mouth. 

Wednesday,  April  lAth. — At  an  early  hour  this  morning,  to  our  infinite  sur- 
prise and  pleasure,  the  man  from  Badagry  made  his  appearance  with  one  of  our 
horses  and  an  EngUsh  saddle. 

We  set  of!'  from  Bidjie  while  the  morning  was  yet  cool  and  pleasant,  and  ar- 
rived at  Chow  before  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  The  natives  have  an  un- 
accountable fancy  that  white  men  are  fond  of  poultry  to  excess,  insomuch  that 
whenever  we  enter  a  village  or  town,  all  the  fowls  are  immediately  seized,  and 
confined  in  a  place  of  security  till  our  departure. 

The  chief  of  Chow  who  received  and  entertained  the  last  mission  has  been, 
dead  some  time,  and  is  succeeded  by  an  humble,  good-natured,  and  active  indi- 
vidual, who  has  treated  us  more  like  demi-gods  than  men.  At  the  time  of  our 
arrival  he  was  engaged  in  superintending  the  slaves  at  his  corn  and  yam  planta- 
tions, but  hastened  to  us  the  moment  he  was  informed  of  the  circumstance.  He 
has  a  number  of  horses,  among  which  is  one  of  the  smallest  and  most  beautiful 
we  have  ever  beheld. 

In  the  evening  the  chief  visited  us  again,  with  a  present  of  provisions  and  a 
few  goora-nuts.  My  brother  took  the  opportunity  of  playing  on  a  bugle  horn 
in  his  presence,  by  which  he  was  violently  agitated,  under  the  supposition  that 
the  instrument  was  nothing  less  than  a  snake. 

For  the  first  time  since  our  landing  we  have  observed  the  loom  inactive  ope- 
ration. The  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth  is  carried  on  here  exclusively  by 
women. 

Thursday,  April  IZth. — The  path  to-day  has  wound  through  a  country  charm- 
ingly diversified  by  hill  and  dale,  woods  and  open  glades,  and  watered  by  streeims 
flowing  over  beds  of  fine  white  sand.  A  horseman  from  Katunga  met  us  about 
ten  in  the  morning,  whose  dress  and  accoutrements  were  highly  grotesque.  He 
neither  stopped  nor  spoke,  but  couched  his  lance  as  he  galloped  past  us.  We 
found  numbers  of  people  of  both  sexes  in  the  path,  who  were  returning  from 
Egga  to  Chow,  and  several  nalced  boys  on  their  way  to  the  coast,  under  the  care 


492  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

of  guardians.  These  are  slaves,  and  will  be  sold,  most  likely,  at  Badagiy. 
Women  bore  burdens  on  their  heads  that  would  tire  a  mule,  and  children,  not 
more  than  five  or  six  years  of  age,  trudged  after  them,  with  loads  that  would 
give  a  full-grown  person  in  Europe  the  brain  fever. 

We  departed  from  Chow  before  sunrise;  a  surprising  dew  had  fallen  during 
the  night,  and  distilled  from  the  leaves  and  branches  in  large  drops.  We  pas.s- 
ed,  during  the  forenoon,  over  three  or  four  swampy  places  covered  with  reeds, 
rushes,  and  rank  grass,  which  were  inhabited  by  myriads  of  frogs  of  prodigious 
size.  On  crossing  streams  we  were  invariably  saluted  by  a  loud  and  unaccount- 
able hissing,  as  if  from  a  multitude  of  serpents.  We  could  not  account  for  this 
extraordinary  noise  in  any  other  way  than  by  supposing  it  to  proceed  from  some 
species  of  insects  whose  retreats  we  had  invaded. 

Many  women  with  little  wooden  figures  of  children  on  their  heads  passed  us 
in  the  course  of  the  morning — mothers,  who,  having  lost  a  child,  carry  such  rude 
imitations  of  them  about  their  persons,  for  an  indefinite  time,  as  a  symbol  of 
mourning.  None  of  them  could  be  induced  to  part  with  one  of  these  little  affec- 
tionate memorials. 

We  enterred  Egga,  which  is  a  very  large  town,  in  the  early  part  of  the  after- 
noon. On  our  arrival,  we  were  introduced  into  the  house  occupied  by  Captain 
Clapperton  in  the  last  mission,  in  the  yard  of  which  repose  the  remains  of  an 
Englishman  named  Dawson,  who  died  here  of  a  fever,  when  that  officer  was 
passing  through  the  country.  Both  hut  and  yard  are  filled  with  people,  and  are 
in  a  slate  of  filth  which  defies  description.  We  cannot  rid  ourselves  of  sheep, 
goats,  and  fowls,  with  their  train;  they  will  be  our  companions  in  spile  of  us, 
and  this  grievance,  with  the  tongues  of  a  hundred  visiters,  makes  our  situation 
all  but  intolerable. 

Egga  is  the  principal  market  town  in  this  part  of  Africa,  and  is  attended  by 
buyers  and  sellers  for  many  miles  round.  Women  here  are  the  chief,  if  not  the 
only,  traders ;  most  of  them  are  of  graceful  and  prepossessing  exterior,  and  they 
all  practice  those  petty  tricks  and  artifices  in  tlieir  dealings  with  which  the  mar- 
ket women  in  more  civilized  countries  are  not  unacquainted. 

Friday,  ApiiL  Wth. — Yesterday  was  comparatively  cool,  owing  to  the  thick 
dark  clouds  which  obscured  the  sky ;  but  on  our  setting  out  this  morning,  as  if 
to  make  amends  for  his  partial  concealment,  the  sun  showed  liis  broad  burning 
face  with  unconunon  clearness,  and  the  day  was  one  of  the  hottest  we  ever  re- 
member  to  have  felt.  .  We  found  the  path  in  much  better  condition  than  those 
behind  it,  and  it  lay  almost  entirely  through  plantations  of  yams,  calavances,  and 
pumpkins,  and  three  or  four  difterent  varieties  of  corn,  which  a  number  of  la- 
bourers were  employed  in  weeding,  «fec.  The  hoe  is  the  only  implement  of 
husbandry  in  use,  and  indeed  they  can  well  dispense  with  every  other,  because 
the  soil,  during  the  rainy  months,  is  so  soft  and  light  that  but  very  little  manual 
exertion  in  working  it  is  required.  Population  is  abundant;  labourers  may  be 
hired  to  any  number ;  and,  in  our  opinion,  the  introduction  of  the  plough  would 
scarcely  be  a  blessing,  but,  on  the  contrary,  furnish  new  encouragement  to  the 
besetting  sjn  of  sloth. 

Having  crossed,  at  noon,  a  small  but  agreeable  river,  flowing  from  ea.st  to 
west,  in  which  several  females  were  bathing,  and  washing  clothes,  we  shortly 
afterwards  entered  the  capacious  and  populous  town  of  Jadoo.  Here  we  were 
inibrmed  that  the  chief  had  been  in  the  grave  more  than  a  twelvemonth,  and 
that  Ho  one  having  yet  been  nominated  to  succeed  him,  every  thing  continued 
in  a  state  of  confusion  and  misrule.  We  were  conducted,  after  we  had  waited 
a  little,  into  a  large  yard  belonging  to  the  late  governor,  and  presently  received 
a  visit  from  his  brother,  in  company  with  all  the  elders  of  tlie  place  :  but  their 
conversation  was  unpleasant,  and  their  whole  behaviour  much  cooler  than  was 
agreeable,  the  more  so  as  such  a  reception  had  been  entirely  unexpected. 

The  yard  wherein  we  reside  is  perliectly  round,  and  walled  with  huts,  all  ten- 
anted by  the  late  chief's  widows,  who  employ  their  time  and  earn  their  liveli- 
hood by  spiiming  and  weaving.     Not  less  tlum  a  hundred  of  the  King  of  Ka- 
tunga's  ladies  are  lodging  in  the  yard  with  them.     They  have  all  passed  the 
•  bloom  of  life,  and  arrived  here  lately  with  loads  of  trona  and  country  cloth^  which 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  40? 

they  barter  for  salt,  and  various  articles  of  European  manufacture,  particular! v 
beads;  with  these  they  return  home,  and  expose  them  for  sale  in  the  market,  anc 
afterwards  the  profits  are  taken  to  their  husbands.  These  royal  ladies  are  dis- 
tinguished from  their  countrywomen  only  by  a  peculiar  species  of  cloth,  whict 
is  wrapped  round  their  goods,  and  which  no  one  dares  to  imitate,  on  pain  a< 
perpetual  slavery.  This  severe  punishment  is  often  inflicted;  for,  as  the  king'i 
wives  pay  no  tribute  or  turnpike  dues  whatever,  and  must  besides  be  entertain- 
ed by  the  chiefs  of  every  town  through  which  they  pass,  strong  inducements  are 
offered  for  others  to  attempt  to  deceive  by  using  the  forbidden  cloth,  and  henc« 
examples  are  necessary.  As  a  contrast  to  the  afiiicted  females  of  Jenna,  the 
wives  of  the  King  of  Katunga  all  fell  to  crying  for  joy,  this  evening,  on  recog- 
nizing a  few  old  acquaintances  in  the  yard,  who  soon  joined  them  in  the  melan- 
choly music.  It  was  laughable  enough  to  see  them ;  yet  after  the  first  burst  had 
subsided,  they  began  to  chat  with  a  garruhty  far  beyond  that  of  the  most  talka- 
tive of  their  European  sisters.  The  conversation  lasted  more  than  an  hour,  till 
at  last  it  resolved  itself  into  a  violent  quarrel,  which  has  not  yet  terminated. 

It  is  now  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  the  women  are  sitting  in  groups  round  the 
several  wood  fires.  We  ourselves  occupy  only  a  verandah,  which  is  simply  the 
projection  of  the  roof  of  a  thatched  hut;  our  horses  are  fastened  to  stakes  in 
the  centre  of  the  yard ;  our  men  lying  round  them,  warming  themselves  at  their 
own  fires.  Sheep,  beautiful  sheep,  with  tinkling  bells  hung  round  their  necks, 
are  chewing  their  cud  in  peace  and  happiness.  But,  although  it  is  the  hour  of 
repose,  the  tongues  of  our  female  fellow-travellers  are  making  a  clatter  which  all 
the  graces  of  BiUingsgate  could  not  rival,  and,  together  with  the  squalling  of 
brats  innumerable,  it  spoils  the  emotions  which  the  wild  and  pleasing  scene 
around  us  would  otherwise  awaken  in  our  breasts.  Sheep  here  are  regarded 
with  as  much  partiality,  and  treated  much  in  the  same  manner,  as  ladies'  lapdogs 
are  in  England.  Great  care  is  taken  to  keep  them  clean  and  in  good  condition  • 
they  are  washed  every  morning  in  soap  and  water ;  and  so  greatly  are  they  attach- 
ed to  their  masters  or  mistresses,  that  they  are  constantly  at  their  heels,  follow- 
ing them  in-doors  and  out,  from  town  to  town,  and  in  all  their  peregrinations. 
Goats,  sheep,  swine,  and  poultry,  are  in  great  plenty  here,  and  in  every  one's 
possessiott,  notwithstanding  which  they  are  always  excessively  dear,  because  the 
people  take  a  pride  in  displaying  the  number  and  quahty  of  their  domestic 
animals. 

The  inhabitants  of  Jadoo  are,  generally  speaking,,  very  tidily  clad  in  cotton 
dresses  of  their  own  manufacture.  ,  In  their  persons  they  are  much  more  agree- 
able than  those  who  reside  nearer  the  sea.  European  goods  are  brought  hither 
from  Dahomey  and  Badagry,  but  more  especially  from  Lagos;  and  are  daily  ex- 
posed for  sale  in  the  markets  of  Jadoo  and  Egga.  Several  chiefs  on  the  road 
have  asked  us  why  the  Portuguese  do  not  purchase  as  many  slaves  as  former- 
ly ;  and  make  very  sad  complaint  -of  the  stagnation  in  this  branch  of  traffic. 
Hippopotami  abound  in  the  rivers  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town;  when  youn*' 
the  flesh  and  skin  of  these  animals  is  sold  as  food;  and  whips  and  other  articles 
are  made  of  the  skins  of  the  old  ones. 

Saturday,  April  17  th— At  the  usual  hour  this  morning  we  quitted  Jadoo  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  arrived  at  a  clean,  pretty  little  village  called  Pooya  '  The 
appearance  of  the  country  between  these  places  is  extremely  fine,  and  resembles 
a  magnificent  orchard.  On  our  way  we  met  many  hundreds  of  people  of  both 
sexes  and  all  ages,  with  vast  quantities  of  bullocks,  sheep,  and  goats  to"-ether 
with  fowls  and  pigeons,  which  were  carried  on  the  head  in  neat  wicker  baskets' 
Several  of  the  travellers  were  loaded  with  packages  of  country  cloth,  and  indigo 
in  large  round  balls.  They  are  all  slaves,  and  were  proceeding  to  the  coast  from 
the  interior,  to  sell  the  goods  and  animals  under  their  charge.  One  old  woman 
had  the  misfortune  to  let  a  large  calabash  of  palm  oil  fall  Irom  her  head:  on  ar- 
riving at  the  spot  we  found  a  party  of  females,  her  companions  in  slavery,  wring- 
ing their  hands  and  crying ;  the  old  woman's  own  afiliction  was  bitter  indeed  as 
she  dreaded  the  punishment  which  awaited  her  on  her  return  to  her  master's 
house.  I  compassionated  her  distress,  and  gave  her  a  large  clasp  knife  which 
would  more  than  recompense  her  for  the  loss  of  the  oil,  whereat  the  women 
42* 


494  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

wiped  away  their  tears,  and  fell  down  on  the  dust  before  us,  exhibiting  counte- 
nances more  gladsome  and  animated  than  can  be  conceived. 

The  mortality  of  children  nmst  be  immense  indeed  here,  for  almost  every 
woman  we  met  with  on  the  road  had  one  or  more  of  those  little  wooden  images 
we  have  before  spoken  of.  Whenever  the  urt)thers  stopped  to  take  refreshment, 
a  small  part  of  their  food  was  invariably  presented  to  tlie  lips  of  these  inanimate 
memorials. 

Sunday,  April  18th. — Our  reception  had  been  so  truly  inhospitable  at  Engua, 
that  we  arose  at  a  much  earlier  hour  this  morning  than  we  generally  do,  and 
proceeded  on  our  way  by  starlight.  In  place  of  the  iron-stone  of  yesterday,  the 
country  over  which  we  have  travelled  to-day  is  partially  covered  with  large  and 
unshapely  masses  of  granite.  Mountains  and  elevated  hills  were  observed  to  the 
right  of  us,  whose  sides  were  thickly  wooded,  and  their  summits  reaching  above 
the  clouds.  At  9  A.  M.  we  passed  through  a  neat  and  cleanly  village,  named 
Chakka,  which  has  lately  lost  its  chief;  and  an  hour  afterward  crossed  a  small 
river  called  Akeeny,  which  is  full  of  sharp  and  rugged  -granite  rocks,  and  is  said 
to  fall  into  tlieLagos.  We  were  carried  over  on  men's  shoulders  witliout  much 
difficulty,  but  the  horses  were  a  long  time  in  getting  across.  From  hence  the 
path  wound  up  a  high  and  steep  hill,  which  we  ascended,  and  entered  the  town 
of  Afoora  about  midday.  The  governor  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome,  and  said  it 
made  him  extremely  happy  to  see  us,  which  the  joy  and  animation  olhis  counte- 
nance also  expressed.  The  best  hut  in  the  town,  which  is  the  most  airy  and 
commodious  of  any  we  had  seen,  was  presently  got  ready  for  us,  and  shortly 
after  we  had  taken  possession  of  it  we  received  a  quantity  of  excellent  provisions 
from  the  chief. 

This  is  the  first  day  of  his  govenwuent.  His  father,  the  late  chief,  has  been 
dead  some  time,  but  from  motives  of  delicacy  he  refused  to  Uike  upon  himself 
his  authority  till  this  morning.  In  honour  of  tlie  event,  a  large  number  of 
women  have  been  dancing,  rejoicing,  jmd  malting  merry  all  the  evening  outside 
our  hut.  It  is  somewhat  strange  tliat  tlie  chief  or  governor  of  almost  every 
town  through  which  we  have  passed  since  leaving  Badagry,  who  was  ahve  and 
well  on  my  return  to  the  coast  tliree  years  ago,  has  been  either  slain  in  war,  or 
has  died  from  natural  causes.     Scarcely  one  of  them  is  now  alive. 

Monday,  April  19th. — An  easy  pleasant  ride  of  three  hours  brought  us  to  tlie 
first  walled  town  we  have  seen,  wliich  is  called  Assinara. 

Tuesday,  April  '20th. — ^The  acting  governor  visited  us  to-day  with  a  long  fiice, 
and  entreated  us  earnestly  to  discover  a  certain  wizard,  whom  he  imagined  to 
be  concealed  somewhere  in  tlie  town.  By  this  sorcerer's  influence  numbers  of 
people,  it  is  said,  pine  away  and  die ;  and  women  with  child  are  more  especially 
the  objects  of  his  malevolence.  These  victims  drop  suddenly,  witliout  the 
slightest  warning;  and  tlie  deaths  have  lately  been  so  numerous  tliat  the  old  man 
himself  is  grievously  alaimed,  and  begs  a  charm  to  preserve  him  and  his  family. 

To-day  (April  23)  we  left  Assinara,  luid  after  passing  through  the  town  of 
Accodoo,  tiie  village  of  Eddy,  we  arrived,  Saturday,  April  24th,  at  tlie  town  of 
Choucou. 

Since  leaving  Jenna,  we  have  met  an  incredible  number  of  persons  visited 
witli  the  loss  of  one  eye.  They  assign  no  other  reason  for  tlieir  misfortune  than 
the  heat  imd  glare  of  the  sun's  "rays. 

Sunday,  April  25//!. — It  rained  heavily  during  tlie  whole  of  last  uiiriit ;  but 
our  hut,  although  of  tlie  very  worst  description,  had  a  pretty  good  tliatched  roof, 
iuid  sheltered  us  much  better  than  we  had  expected.  There  are  periods  and 
seasons  in  our  lifetime  in  which  we  feel  a  happy  complacency  of  temper  and  im 
inward  satisfaction,  cheerfulness,  and  joy,  for  which  we  cannot  very  well  ac- 
count, but  which  constrains  us  to  be  Jit  peace  with  ourselves  and  our  neighbours, 
and  in  love  with  all  the  works  of  God.  In  this  truly  enviable  frame  of  mind  1 
awoke  this  morning  to  proceed  onward  on  horseback :  it  was  a  morning  which 
was  fairly  entitled  to  tiie  epithet  of "  incense-breathing;"  for  the  v;u-iety  of 
sweet-smelling  perfume  whicii  exhaled  after  the  rain  from  forest  flowers  and 
flowering  shrubs  was  delicious  and  almost  overpowering.  The  scenery  of  to-day 
has  been  more  interesting  and  lovely  than  any  we  have  heretofore  beheld.    The 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  495 

path  circled  round  a  magnificent  cultivated  valley,  hemmed  in  almost  on  every 
.side  with  mountains  of  granite  of  the  most  grotescjue  and  irregular  shapes,  the 
Hummits  of  which  are  covered  with  stunted  trees,  and  the  hollows  in  their  slopes 
occupied  by  clusters  of  huts,  whose  inmates  have  tied  thither  as  a  place  of  secu- 
rity against  the  ravages  of  the  war-men  that  infest  the  plains.  A  number  of  strange 
birds  resort  to  this  valley,  many  of  whose  notes  were  rich,  full,  and  melodious, 
while  others  were  harsh  and  disagreeable ;  but,  generally  speaking,  the  plumage 
was  various,  splendid,  and  beautiful.  The  modest  partridge  appeared  in  compa- 
\iy  with  the  magnificent  Balearic  crane,  with  his  regal  crest ;  and  delicate  hum- 
ming-birds hopped  from  twig  to  twig  with  others  of  an  unknown  species  ;  some 
of  them  were  of  a  dark  shining  green ;  some  had  red  silky  wings  and  purple 
bodies ;  some  were  variegated  with  stripes  of  crimson  and  gold ;  and  these  chirped 
and  warbled  from  among  the  thick  foliage  of  the  trees.  It  is  the  contemplation  of 
such  beautiful  objects  as  these,  all  so  playful  and  so  happy — or  the  more  sublime 
ones  of  dark  waving  forests,  plains  of  vast  extent,  or  stupendous  mountains — 
that  gives  the  mind  the  most  sensible  emotions  of  deUght  and  grandeur,  leading 
it  insensibly 

•'  To  look  from  nature  up  to  nature's  God." 

For  myself,  I  am  passionately  fond  of  them,  and  have  regretted  a  thousand  times 
over,  that  my  ignorance  incapacitates  me  from  giving  a  proper  representation 
of  them,  or  describing  the  simplest  flower  that  adorns  the  plains,  or  the  smallest 
insect  that  sparkles  in  the  air.  This  consideration  gives  me  at  times  many  un- 
happy reflections,  although  my  defective  education  arose  from  circumstances 
over  which  my  boyhood  had  no  control. 

Monday,  April  2Gth. — A  thick  mist  obscured  the  horizon  this  morning,  and  hid 
in  deep  shade  the  mountains  and  hills;  every  object  indeed  was  invisible  except 
the  pathway,  and  the  trees,  &c.  growing  on  each  side,  which  we  could  barely 
distinguish  as  we  passed  along.  It  continued  hazy  for  two  hours  after  leaving 
Gwendekki,  when  the  mist  dispersed,  and  the  atmosphere  became  clear.  Pre- 
paratory to  ascending  a  steep  granite  hill,  we  halted  to  refresh  our  horses  under 
the  branches  of  a  high  spreading  tree,  near  a  town  called  Eco.  Here  we  were 
visited  by  several  of  the  inhabitants,  who,  as  soon  as  they  were  informed  of  our 
arrival,  came  flocking  to  the  spot.  They  formed  themselves  into  a  line  to  pay 
their  respects,  and  entreated  us  to  waita  little  for  the  coming  of  their  chief,  who 
was  momentarily  expected.  But,  after  staying  as  long  as  we  conveniently  could, 
and  no  chief  appearing,  we  mounted  our  beasts  and  began  the  toilsome  ascent. 
On  attaining  the  summit  of  the  hill,  the  coup  (Vail  was  magnificent  indeed,  and 
the  fog  having  been  dispersed  by  the  sun,  tlie  eye  was  enabled  to  range  round 
an  extensive  horizon,  bounded  by  hills  and  mountains  of  wonderful  shapes. 
Some  of  them  bear  a  very  striking  resemblance  to  the  Table  Mountain  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  another  is  not  unlike  the  "  Lion's  Head  and  Rump," 
of  the  same  place.  Our  course  was  north-east,  and  those  two  mountains  bore 
due  west  of  us.  There  was  no  continued  range  of  hills,  but  numbers  of  single 
unconnected  ones,  with  extensive  valleys  between  them.  In  some  places  several 
were  piled  behind  each  other ;  and  those  most  distant  from  us  appeared  like 
dark  indistinct  clouds.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  singularity,  perhaps  I  may 
say  the  sublimity,  of  the  whole  view  from  the  top  of  the  granite  hill  which  we 
had  ascended  ;  and  we  contemplated  it  in  silence  for  a  few  seconds  with  emo- 
tions of  astonishment  and  rapture. 

Descending  the  hill,  we  continued  ouf  journey  over  a  noble  plain,  watered 
with  springs  and  rivulets ;  and  in  the  afternoon  entered  Dufo,  which  is  a  most 
extensive  and  populous  town.  The  inhabitants  appear  to  be  industrious  and 
very  opulent,  as  far  as  regards  the  number  and  variety  of  their  domestic  animals, 
having  abundance  of  sheep,  goats,  swine,  pigeons,  and  poultry ;  among  the 
latter  of  which  we  observed,  for  the  first  time,  turkeys  and  Guinea  fowl.  They 
have  likewise  horses  and  bullocks.  The  chief  did  not  make  his  appearance  for  a 
long  while;  but  as  .soon  as  he  had  introduced  himself,  he  desired  us  to  follow  him 
into  a  cleanly-swept  square,  a  house  in  wliich  he  desired  us  to  occupy.    Present- 


496  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

ly  after  his  departure,  he  sent  us  a  quantity  of  yams,  a  basket  of  ripe  bananas, 
and  a  calabash  of  eggs,  which  we  soon  discovered  to  be  good  for  nothing,  al- 
though sand  had  been  mixed  with  them,  that  they  might  feel  heavier  than  they 
really  were. 

Tuesday,  April  27th. — We  were  on  horseback  early  this  morning,  and  at  six 
o'clock,  preceded  by  the  carriers  of  our  luggage,  we  rode  out  of  the  town  of 
Dufo.  The  country  seemed  inferior  indeed  as  to  the  boldness  and  beauty  of  its 
scenery  to  that  traversed  yesterday ;  but  still  it  possesses  features  of  no  common 
interest.  Another  "Table  Mountain"  was  observed  to  the  left  of  our  path  in 
the  course  of  the  morning,  and  another  "  Lion's  Head  and  Rump."  Ponderous 
maBses  of  granite  rock  overhang  the  roadway ;  these  were  almost  black,  and 
seem  to  have  been  washed  by  the  rains  of  thousands  of  years;  in  many  of  them 
were  deep  and  gloomy  caverns,  which,  were  they  in  Cornwall  instead  of  Africa, 
would,  I  am  sure,  be  pointed  out  as  the  scenes  of  dark  and  bloody  stories  of  the 
elder  time.  Hundreds  of  the  natives  followed  us  a  long  while,  and  annoyed  us 
80  much  by  their  noises  and  curiosity,  that  we  were  compelled  to  resort  to  vio- 
lent measures  to  drive  them  away ;  but  this  is  a  line  of  conduct  which  we  rarely 
adopt  towards  them,  and  never  without  extreme  reluctance.  We  at  length 
frightened  them  away,  and  we  saw  them  no  more.  About  eight  miles  from 
Dufo,  we  arrived  at  a  large  straggling  village,  called  Elekba,  where  we  halted  a 
little,  as  the  path  had  been  so  stony,  rugged',  and  irregular,  that  a  few  minutes' 
rest  was  absolutely  necessary  to  recruit  ourselves.  From  this  place  the  road  be- 
came excellent,  not  at  all  inferior  to  a  drive  round  a  gentleman's  park  in  Eng- 
land ;  and  continued  to  be  good  till  we  came  in  sight  of  a  capacious  walled  town 
called  Chaadoo,  which  we  entered  about  middaiy.  Outside  the  wall  is  a  litde 
Falatah  village,  the  huts  of  which  are  constructed  in  the  circular  or  coozie  form. 
Its  inhabitants  employ  themselves  solely  in  the  breeding  of  catde — an  occupation 
to  which  they  are  pa.ssionately  addicted.  They  are  simple  in  their  manners,  and 
extremely  neat  in  their  dress  and  appearance. 

Not  long  after  our  arrival,  three  or  four  young  Falatah  shepherdesses  from  the 
village  came  to  our  hut  to  pay  their  respects.  We  felt  much  pleased  with  their 
society,  for  they  were  extremely  well  behaved  and  intelligent;  but  they  remained 
with  us  a  very  little  time,  their  customary  avocations  not  permitting  a  longer 
stay.  The  hair  of  these  females  was  braided  in  a  style  peculiarly  tasteful  and  be- 
coming ;  and  the  contour  of  their  oval  faces  was  very  far  from  disagreeable. 
Their  manners  also  were  innocent  and  playful;  the  imaginary  shepherdesses 
of  Fenton  are  not  more  modest,  artless,  and  engaging  in  description,  than  these 
in  reality ;  and  they  left  behind  them  an  impression  very  favourable  both  as  re- 
gards their  n\on\\»,  naivete,  and  rustic  simplicity. 

On  the  road  from  Dufo,  my  brother  unthinkingly  fired  at  and  shot  a  crane, 
which  fell  in  an  adjoining  field.  The  report  of  his  gun  brought  out  a  number 
of  natives  from  the  ',  bush,"  who,  being  in  continual  dread  of  an  attack  from  the 
"war-men  of  the  path,"  imagined  it  to  be  a  signal  of  one  of  these  marauders. 
They  were  all  armed,  like  their  countrymen,  with  bows  and  arrows ;  and  with  a 
threatening  aspect,  would  have  lodged  a  few  shafts  in  the  person  of  my  brother, 
if  it  had  not  been  for  the  timely  interference  of  one  of  our  Jenna  messengers 
that  fortunately  happened  to  be  with  him  at  the  time,  and  who  gave  an  immedi- 
ate and  satisfactory  explanation.  The  head  of  the  party  then  sought  for  and 
picked  up  the  bird ;  but  my  brother  took  it  from  him,  after  he  had  rewarded  him 
liberally  tor  his  trouble.  The  man,  however,  was  neither  satisfied  nor  pleased, 
but  roughly  denianded  the  bird  Jis  his  own,  because  it  had  fallen  on  his  land.  As 
there  are  no  game  laws  here,  my  brother  would  not  admit  his  claim,  and  was 
going  away,  when  the  fellow  begged  with  much  importunity  that  the  head  and 
legs  of  the  animal  at  least  might  be  given  hinj,  to  make  a  fetish  of  This  was 
likewise  objected  to,  at  which  he  was  out  of  all  patience,  and  went  off  foaming 
with  passion.  In  the  evening  the  crane  was  dressed  for  supper,  and  a  similar 
request  was  made  by  a  eunuch  from  Katunga,  who  being  a  good-natured  fellow, 
we  readily  complied  with  his  wish.  The  chief  of  Chaadoo,  however,  presently 
sent  a  messenger  to  request  the  said  precious  head  and  legs ;  and  to  him  tliey 


I 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  497 

were  finally  committed  by  the  disappointed  eunuch,  who  could  hardly  forbear 
weeping  on  the  occasion  :  these  relics  are  extremely  valuable  as  a  charm. 

The  chief  sent  us  a  goat  and  a  quantity  of  bananas,  a  dish  of  pounded,  or 
rather  mashed  yam  with  gravy,  and  a  large  basket  of  caffas.  These  are  a  kind 
of  pudding,  made  into  little  round  balls,  from  bruised  Indian  com,  which  is  first 
boiled  to  the  consistence  of  thick  paste.  From  being  made  entirely  of  coarse 
flour  and  water,  they  have  an  insipid  taste  when  new,  but  when  kept  for  a  day 
or  two,  they  become  sour,  and  in  this  state  are  eaten  by  the  natives.  There  are 
several  deep  wells  in  the  town,  but  most  of  them  are  dried  up,  so  that  water  is 
exceedingly  scarce,  and  it  is  sold  in  the  market-place  to  the  inhabitants. — We  are 
daily  accosted  on  the  road  with  such  salutations  as  these:  "I  hope  you  go  well 
on  the  path;"  "Success  to  the  king's  work;"  "God  bless  you,  white  men;" 
"A  blessing  on  your  return,"  &c. 

Wednesday,  April  28th. — Being  in  want  of  money  we  sent  needles  this  mor- 
ning to  the  market  to  sell.  It  is  a  custom  in  Yarriba,  that  after  a  buyer  has 
agreed  to  pay  a  certain  sum  for  an  article,  he  retracts  his  expressions,  and  affirms 
that  he  only  promised  to  give  about  half  the  sum  demanded.  This  has  occasion- 
ed violent  altercations  between  our  people  and  the  natives ;  but  it  is  an  established 
custom,  from  which  there  is  no  appeal.  The  governor's  mother  was  buried  this 
afternoon  at  a  neighbouring  village,  and  the  funeral  was  attended  by  all  his  wives 
or  women,  as  mourners.  They  were  dressed  in  their  holyday  attire  ;  and  look- 
ed tolerably  smart.  The  mourners  exhibited  no  signs  of  grief  whatever ;  on  the 
contrary,  they  were  as  lively  as  a  wedding  party.  Attended  by  a  drummer,  they 
passed  through  our  yard  four  hours  ago,  on  their  return  to  the  governor's  house, 
which  is  only  a  few  steps  from  ours,  and  there  they  have  been  singing  and  danc- 
ing to  the  noise  of  the  drum  ever  since. 

Thursday,  April  2^3th. — It  commenced  raining  this  morning  at  a  very  early 
hour,  and  continued  with  uncommon  violence  till  between  ten  and  eleven 
o'clock,  when  it  suddenly  ceased  and  we  quitted  Chaadoo.  Before  this,  how- 
ever, the  credulous  governor,  who  in  common  with  his  people  imagines  that 
white  men  influence  the  elements,  paid  us  a  visit,  with  a  calabash  of  honey  as  a 
present,  to  thank  us,  he  said,  for  the  rain  that  had  fallen,  of  which  the  country  is 
greatly  in  want,  and  invoked  blessings  on  us.  The  kindness  of  this  good  old 
man  is  remarkable.  He  never  seemed  weary  of  obliging  us,  regretted  his  ina- 
bility to  do  more,  and  sohcited  us  very  pressingly  to  remain  with  him  another 
day. 

We  traversed  a  mountainous  country,  intersected  with  streams  of  excellent 
water ;  and  at  noon  entered  a  small  but  pleasant  and  picturesque  village,  which 
is  ornamented  with  noble,  shady  trees.  Here  we  waited  a  very  short  time,  but 
continuing  our  route,  arrived  towards  evening  at  a  capacious  walled  town  called 
Row,  wherein  we  shall  pass  the  night. 

The  governor  of  the  town  is  a  morose,  surly,  and  ill-natured  man.  He  sent 
us  only  a  few  banan;  s  this  evening,  and  a  calabash  of  eggs,  which  were  all  stale 
and  unfit  to  be  eaten,  so  that  our  people  were  obliged  to  go  supperless  to  bed. 
He  ascribed  the  badness  of  his  fare  to  extreme  poverty ;  yet  his  vanity  exacted 
from  our  Jerma  messengers  the  most  abject  method  of  salutation  we  are  ac- 
quainted with.  These  men  walked  backwards  from  him  several  yards,  to  throw 
dirt  on  their  heads,  and  with  the  dust  and  filth  stiU  clinging  to  their  hair,  they 
were  compelled  to  address  the  chief  with  their  faces  to  the  ground.  Our  apart- 
ment unfortunately  communicates  with  his,  and  the  restless  tongues  of  his  nu- 
merous wives  prevented  either  my  brother  or  self  from  closing  our  eyes  long 
after  sunset.  In  the  centre  of  our  yard  grows  a  tree,  round  which  several  staves 
are  driven  into  the  ground.  This  tree  is  a  fetish-tree,  and  these  staves  also  fetish, 
and  therefore  we  received  a  strong  injunction  not  to  tie  our  horses  to  either  of 
them.  Calabashes,  common  articles  of  earthenware,  and  even  feathers,  egg- 
shells, and  the  bones  of  animals — indeed,  any  kind  of  inanimate  substance,  is 
made  fetish  by  the  credulous,  stupid  natives ;  and  like  the  horse-shoe  which  is  still 
nailed  to  the  doors  of  the  more  superstitious  of  the  peasantry  in  England,  these 
fetishes  are  supposed  to  preserve  tijem  from  ghosts  and  evil  spirits.  It  is  sacri- 
lege to  touch  them,  and  to  ridicule  them  would  be  dangerous. 


498  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

After  passing  through  several  towns  of  no  very  considerable  importance  and 
without  any  occurrence  of  much  interest,  our  travellers  oh  Tuesday  the  4th  of 
May,  entered  a  town  of  prodigious  extent,  called  Bohoo,  which  is  fortified  with  a 
triple  wall  and  moats.  Without  being  exposed  to  the  customary  formalities, 
they  say,  we  were  immediately  conducted  to  the  residence  of  the  governor. 
The  usual  conversation  passed  between  us,  and  after  we  had  returned  to  our 
hut,  a  bullock  was  sent  us,  with  yams,  bananas,  and  a  huge  calabash  of  new 
milk,  which  did  not  contain  less  than  six  gallons;  and  our  people  sat  down  to 
enjoy  themselves  in  perfect  good-humour. 

In  the  afternoon  a  message  was  delivered  to  us,  signifying  that  the  governor's 
"  head  minister"  would  be  very  glad  to  see  us,  and  would  thank  us  to  visit  him 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  But  having  experienced  a  relapse,  my  sufferings 
were  such  as  to  prevent  my  leaving  the  hut,  and  my  brother  was  therefore  obli- 
ged to  go  alone.  He  afterward  informed  me  that  a  pleasant  walk  of  rather  more 
than  two  miles  conducted  him  to  the  habitation  of  the  minister,  by  whom  he  was 
very  kindly  received.  The  compliments  of  the  day  only  were  exchanged  be- 
tween them ;  and  the  numerous  wives  and  large  family  of  the  master  of  the 
house,  who  are  on  these  occasions  generally  exhibited  to  a  stranger,  having  am- 
ply gratified  their  cliriosity  by  an  examination  of  his  person,  the  interview  ter- 
minated ;  and  he  presently  returned  to  our  abode,  after  promising  to  visit  the 
minister  again  to-morrow.  Boltoo  lies  north-east  of  Acboro,  and  is  built  on  the 
slope  of  a  very  gentle  and  fertile  hill,  at  whose  base  flows  a  stream  of  milk-white 
water;  and  behind  which,  on  a  rising  ground,  is  the  Falatah  hamlet  already 
mentioned.  Its  immense  triple  wall  is  little  short  of  twenty  miles  in  circuit ;  but 
besides  huts  and  gardens,  it  encloses  a  vast  number  of  acres  of  excellent  meadow 
land,  on  which  bullocks,  sheep,  and  goats  indiscriminately  feed.  By  the  hasty 
view  obtained  of  it,  the  town  is  not  much  unlike  Kano  ;  but  there  is  no  large 
swamp  like  t  hat  which  intersects  the  latter  city.  Bohoo  was  formerly  the  metro- 
polis of  Yarriba;  but  about  half  a  century  ago,  the  reigning  prince  preferring 
the  plain  at  Katunga,  the  seat  of  government  was  transferred  there,  since  which 
time  Bohoo  has  considerably  declined  in  wealth,  population,  and  consequence, 
although  it  is  still  considered  a  place  of  great  importance,  and  the  second  town  in 
the  kingdom.  It  is  bounded  on  all  sides  by  hills  of  gradual  ascent,  which  are 
prettily  wooded,  and  commands  an  extensive  horizon.  The  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  town  presents  a  most  inviting  appearance,  by  no  means  inferior  to  any 
part  of  England  in  the  most  favourable  season  of  the  year.  It  seems  to  be  duly 
appreciated  by  the  Falatahs,  so  great  a  number  of  whom  reside  with  their  flocks 
in  different  parts,  that  the  minister  candidly  declared  he  could  not  inform  us  of 
their  amount.  These  foreigneis  sell  their  rnilk^ butter,  and  cheese  in  the  market 
at  a  reasonable  rate.  The  latter  is  made  into  little  cakes  of  about  an  inch  square, 
and  when  fried  in  butter  is  very  palatable.  It  is  of  the  consistence  and  appear- 
ance of  the  white  of  an  egg  boiled  hard. 

I  ha,ve  been  very  ill  all  the  evening  with  fever,  accompanied  by  excruciating 
pains  in  the  bowels,  but  my  spirits  are  cheerful,  and  I  hope  soon  to  recover.  We 
are  thankful  that  we  have  not  been  both  thjis  afflicted  at  tlie  same  time.  As 
soon  as  one  of  us  has  in  a  measure  regained  his  strength,  his  assistance  has  been 
required  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  other. 

Wednesday,  May  bth. — Agreeably  to  the  promise  my  brother  made  yesterday, 
he  left  me  to  the  care  of  Pascoe  and  his  wife  this  morning,  and  hastened  to  pay 
his  respects  to  the  chief 's  head  man,  or  minister,  as  he  is  called.  It  appears  that 
this  man  has  been  placed  in  his  present  situation  by  the  King  of  Katunga  as  a 
kind  of  spy  on  the  actions  of  the  governor,  who  can  do  nothing  of  a  public  na- 
ture without  in  the  first  place  consulting  him,  and  obtaining  his  consent  to  the 
measure.  Yet  he  conducts  himself  so  well  in  his  disagreeable  office,  that  he  has 
won  the  good  will,  not  only  of  the  governor  of  the  town,  but  also  of  its  inhabitants. 
A  kind  of  rivalry  exists  between  the  minister  and  his  master ;  but  then  it  is  a  ri- 
valry in  good  and  not  in  bad  actions.  Hearing  that  the  governor  had  given  us  a 
bullock,  and  something  besides,  he  presented  my  brother  with  a  similar  one,  and  a 
large  calabash  oi' pitta  (country  beer,)  which  he  distributed  among  those  who  had 
accompanied  him.    A  bottle  of  honey  completed  the  list  of  presents,  and  they 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  499 

were  forthwith  forwarded  to  our  habitation,  but  my  brother  remained  a  consid- 
erable time  afterward  with  the  chief  He  was  filled  with  amazement  at  the  for- 
mation and  ticking  of  my  brother's  watch,  which  he  gazed  on  and  listened  to 
with  transport ;  his  spurs  also  excited  his  eager  curiosity,  and  he  examined  them 
with  the  minutest  attention.  He  hoped,  he  said,  that  God  would  bless  us  both, 
and  that  we  had  his  best  wishes  for  our  safety.  He  remarked,  further,  that  white 
men  worshipped  the  Great  God  alone,  and  so  did  black  men  also ;  and  that  every 
blessing  of  lite  was  derived  from  thai  source. 

On  my  brother's  return  I  was  very  ill;  I  had  been  so  faint  and  sick  during  his 
absence  that  my  recovery  seemed  doubtful,  but  a  few  hours  after  I  became  bet- 
ter. In  the  afternoon  I  sent  to  the  governor  and  his  minister,  who  had  behaved 
so  handsomely  to  us,  three  yards  of  fine  red  cloth,  a  common  looking  glass,  to- 
bacco pipe,  a  pair  of  scissors,  snulFbox,  and  a  large  clasp  knife.  The  tobacco 
pipe  w  as  much  admired,  but  the  red  cloth  was  most  valued ;  with  the  whole,  how- 
ever, they  were  boih  perfectly  well  pleased,  and  were  extravagant  in  expressions 
of  gratiude.  One  of  the  bullocks  was  slaughtered  this  morning,  and  about  two- 
thirds  of  it  distributed  by  the  governor  and  his  chief  man  to  the  poor  of  the  town ; 
the  remainder  of  the  carcass  was  dividedly  equally  among  our  attendants,  who 
are  in  no  hurry  to  leave  the  place  while  their  present  unusually  good  fare  is  to 
be  had. 

Last  evening  two  female  acquaintances,  who  had  been  separated  from  each 
other  for  a  short  time  only,  met  in  the  yard  adjoining  ours,  wherein  one  of 
them  constantly  resides.  The  women  burst  into  tears  directly  as  they  saw  each 
other,  and  cried  loud  enough  to  be  heard  distinctly  by  us  during  the  whole  of  the 
night ;  nor  did  they  cease  giving  vent  to  their  feeUngs  till  some  time  after  sun- 
rise this  morning. 

Thursday  May  6th. — We  were  visited  this  morning  by  a  party  of  Falatahs  of 
both  sexes.  They  difier  but  little,  either  in  colour  or  feature,  from  the  original 
natives  of  the  soil.  In  dress  and  ornaments,  however,  there  is  a  slight  distinction 
between  tliem.  They  display  more  taste  in  their  apparel,  and  wear  a  greater 
number  of  ornaments  round  the  neck  and  wrists ;  they  pay  greater  attention  also 
to  their  hair,  which  tlie  women  plait  with  astonishing  ingenuity.  Like  that  of 
the  young  woman  we  met  at  Jenna,  their  heads  exactly  resemble  a  dragoon's 
helmet.  Their  hair  is  much  longer,  of  course,  than  that  of  the  negro,  which  en- 
ables the  Falatahs  to  weave  it  on  both  sides  of  the  head  into  a  kind  of  queue, 
which,  passing  over  each  cheek,  is  tied  under  the  chin.  Another  company  of 
Falatahs  came  to  us  in  the  evening,  for  they  had  never  beheld  a  white  man,  and 
curiosity  had  led  them  to  our  habitation.  They  brought  us  a  present  of  a  httle 
thick  milk,  which  they  begged  us  to  accept,  and  tlien  went  away  highly  gratified 
with  the  interview.  The  behaviour  of  the  whole  of  them  was  extremely  reserv- 
ed and  respectful ;  nothing  in  our  persons  excited  their  merriment ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  seemed  silently  to  admire  our  dress  and  complexion ;  and  having  look- 
ed well  at  us,  from  a  little  distance,  seemed  grateful  for  the  treat.  The  kindness 
and  generosity  of  the  governor  of  Bohoo  continues  unabated;  instead  of  dimin- 
ishing, it  seems  to  strengthen ;  he  literally  inundates  us  with  milk,  and  is  equally 
lavish  with  other  things. 

Friday,  May  7th. — After  we  had  retired  to  rest  last  night  a  Falatah  woman 
came  to  our  dwelling,  bringing  with  her  a  quantity  of  eggs  of  the  Guinea-hen, 
and  a  large  bowl  of  milk  fresh  from  the  cow,  as  a  return  for  a  lew  needles  we 
had  given  her  in  the  afternoon.  We  relate  this  little  circumstance  simply  to 
show  the  diiFerence  between  the  Falatahs  and  the  Yarribeans,  in  point  of  grati- 
tude for  favours  they  may  have  received.  The  latter  are  very  seldom  thankful, 
and  never  acknowledge  gratitude  as  a  virtue;  the  indift'erence,  unconcern,  and 
even  contempt  which  they  often  evince  on  receiving  our  presents,  is  a  proof  of 
this;  and,  with  very  few  exceptions,  we  never  observed  a  Yarribean  to  be  sin- 
cerely thankful  for  any  thing. 

In  the  morning  I  was  able  to  sit  on  horeback ;  and  as  we  were  setting  off,  the 
governor  came  out  to  wish  us  farewell,  and  to  present  us  with  two  thousand 
cowries  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  us  on  our  journey.  We  have  said  that 
Pohoo  is  about  twenty  miles  in  circumference :  perhaps  we  guessed  considera- 


500  RICHARD    AND    JOHN  LANDER. 

bly  within  bounds,  for  as  we  rode  out  of  the  city  we  were  astonished  at  its  vast 
extent. 

On  the  8lh  of  May  our  travellers  set  out  from  Bohoo  on  their  way  towards 
Katunga,  the  metropolis  of  the  kingdom  of  Yarriba,  where  they  arrived  on  tlie 
13th  of  the  same  month.  Stopping  at  the  town  of  Leoquadda,  they  put  up  in 
a  yard  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  circular  enclosure  without  a  roof,  within 
which  was  an  alligator  which  had  been  confined  there  keven  years.  It  was  fed 
with  rats  only,  and  generally  devoured  five  a  day.  On  approaching  Katunga, 
an  escort  was  sent  to  meet  them.  As  this  escort  came  up,  Lander  sounded  his 
bugle,  at  which  the  natives  were  astonished  and  pleased  ;  but  a  black  trumpeter, 
jealous  of  the  performance,  challenged  a  contest  which  terminated  in  his  entire 
defeat.  He  was  hooted  and  laughed  at  by  his  companions  for  his  presumption, 
and  gave  up  the  trial  in  despair.  He  hung  down  his  head,  remained  silent,  look- 
ed extremely  silly,  and  did  not  venture  to  put  his  horn  to  his  mouth  agam  until 
he  imagined  his  defeat  was  forgotten. 

The  leader  of  the  escort  is  described  as  a  strange  looking,  powerful  fellow,  of 
gigantic  stature,  with  eyes  large,  keen,  piercing,  and  ever  in  motion,  with  broad 
nose  squatted  on  both  cheeks,  his  lips  immensely  large,  exposing  a  fine  set  of 
teeth;  the  beard  was  black,  thick,  grisly,  and  covering  all  the  lower  part  of  his 
face  reached  to  his  bosom;  the  famous  Blue  Beard  was  nothing  to  him  ;  and  in 
gazing  on  his  features  one  would  almost  be  inclined  to  believe  that  all  the  most 
iniquitous  and  depraved  passions  of  human  nature  were  centered  in  his  heart. 
Yet  with  so  unlovely  and  forbidding  an  appearance,  he  was  in  reality  as  inno- 
cent and  docile  as  a  lamb.  He  wore  on  his  head  a  small  rush  hat,  in  shape  like 
a  common  earthen  ware  pan  inverted ;  liis  breast  was  enveloped  in  a  coarse 
piece  of  blue  cloth;  from  his  left  shoulder  hung  a  large  quiver  of  arrows;  and 
in  his  right  hand  he  held  a  bow,  which  he  brandished  like  a  lance ;  a  short  pair  of 
trowsers  covered  his  thighs,  and  fantastically  made  leathern  boots  incased  his 
feet  and  legs.  His  skin  was  of  jetty  blackness,  his  forehead  high;  but  his  tre- 
mendous beard,  which  was  slightly  tinged  with  gray,  contributed,  perhaps,  more 
than  any  thing  else,  to  impart  that  wildness  and  fierceness  to  his  looks  which  at 
first  inspired  us  with  a  kind  of  dread  of  our  leader. 

Thus  escorted,  our  travellers  entered  the  gates  of  Katunga.  As  is  the  cus- 
tom, they  staid  under  a  tree  just  inside  the  walls,  till  the  king  and  his  eunuchs 
were  inibrmed  of  their  arrival,  and  then,  after  a  wearisome  delay,  rode  to  the 
residence  of  £60,  the  chief  eunuch,  who.  next  to  the  king,  was  the  most  influen- 
tial man  in  the  place. 

We  found  this  personage,  they  say,  a  great,  fat,  round,  oily  man,  airing  him- 
self under  the  verandah  of  his  dwelling.  Other  eunuchs  of  a  similar  appearance 
were  sitting  on  the  ground  with  him.  After  conversing  together  for  a  long 
time,  we  walked  together  to  tlie  king's  house. 

Information  of  our  coming  had  been  previously  sent  to  the  monarch,  and  we 
waited  with  much  patience  for  a  considerable  period  till  he  had  put  on  his  robes 
of  state.  Meantime,  to  amuse  us  and  beguile  the  hour  away,  the  head  drummer 
and  his  assistants,  with  the  most  benevolent  intention,  commenced  a  concert  of 
the  most  bewitching  melody;  and  long  drums,  kettle  drums,  and  horns  were 
played  with  little  intermission  till  Mansolali  made  his  appearance,  when  all  noises 
were  suddenly  hushed,  and  we  were  desired  to  draw  nearer  to  pay  our  respects 
to  his  majesty.  We  did  so  after  the  English  manner,  much  to  tlie  entertainment 
and  diversion  of  the  king,  who  endeavoured  to  imitate  us,  but  it  was  easy  to 
perceive  that  he  is  but  a  novice  in  the  European  mode  of  salutation,  bowing  and 
shaking  hands.  We  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  owing  to  the  rusticity  and  awk- 
wardness of  our  address  that  Mansolah's  risible  faculties  were  so  strongly  excit- 
ed ;  but  he  laughed  so  long  and  heartily,  and  his  wives,  and  eunuchs,  and  sub- 
jects of  all  sorts,  joined  him  with  such  good  will,  and  such  power  of  lungs,  tliat 
we  were  constrained  to  unite  our  voices  to  die  general  burst  of  kindly  feeling, 
although  if  we  had  been  asked  tlie  cause  of  such  jollity  and  obstreperous  mirth, 
we  should  have  been  at  a  loss  lor  an  answer. 

Mansolah's  headpiece  was  something  like  a  bishop's  mitre,  profusely  orna- 
mented with  strings  of  coral,  one  of  wliich  answered  the  purpose  of  a  riband, 
for  it  was  tied  under  the  cbiii  to  prevent  the  cap  from  blowing  off.    His  tobe 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  501 

was  of  green  silk,  crimson  silk  damask,  and  green  silk  velvet,  which  were  all  sewn 
together  like  pieces  of  patchwork.  He  wore  English  cotton  stockings,  and  neat 
leathern  sandals  of  native  workmanship.  A  large  piece  of  superfine  hght  blue 
cloth,  given  the  chief  by  Captain  Clapperton,  he  used  for  a  carpet.  The  eu- 
nuchs, and  other  individuals  who  were  present  at  the  interview,  prostrated  them- 
selves before  their  prince,  agreeably  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  rubbed 
their  heads  with  earth  two  separate  times,  retreating  at  some  distance  to  perform 
this  humiliating  and  degrading  ceremony,  and  then  drawing  near  the  royal  per- 
son, to  lie  again  with  their  faces  in  the  dust.  They  saluted  the  ground  also  near 
which  he  was  sitting,  by  kissing  it  fervently  and  repeatedly,  and  by  placing  each 
cheek  on  it.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  with  their  heads,  and  faces,  and  lips,  and 
breasts,  stained  with  the  damp  red  soil,  which  still  clung  to  them,  they  were  al- 
lowed to  seat  themselves  near  their  monarch,  and  to  join  in  the  conversation. 
Two  or  three  of  the  inferior  eunuchs,  not  satisfied  with  the  servile  prostration,  be- 
gan to  sport  and  roll  themselves  on  the  ground;  but  this  could  not  be  effected 
without  immense  labour  and  difficulty,  and  panting  and  straining,  for,  like  Sir 
John  Falstaff",  they  could  be  compared  to  nothing  so  appropriately  as  huge  hills 
of  flesh.  There  they  lay  wallowing  in  the  mire,  like  immense  turtles  flounder- 
ing in  the  sea,  till  Ebo  desired  them  to  rise.  We  observed,  among  the  individ- 
uals present,  a  very  considerable  number  of  bald  headed  old  men,  their  hair,  or 
rather  wool,  having  most  likely  been  rubbed  off*  by  repeated  applications  of 
earth,  sand,  gravel,  filth,  or  whatever  else  may  be  at  hand,  when  the  prince  hap- 
pens to  make  his  appearance. 

The  conference  having  ended,  a  kid,  a  calabash  of  caffas,  and  two  thousand 
cowries  in  money  were  presented  to  us;  and,  cheered  by  a  flourish  of  music,  we 
laughed  in  concert,  and  shook  hands  with  the  king,  and  walked  away  tov.'ards 
our  own  dwelling,  which  had  been  repaired  and  thoroughly  cleaned  out  for  our 
sole  use.  Here  we  lay  down  to  repose  our  aching  limbs.  In  the  evening  the 
king  returned  our  visit,  and  immediately  took  a  fancy  to  my  brother's  bugle 
horn,  which  was  readily  given  him.  He  was  vastly  pleased  with  the  present, 
and  by  smiles  and  words  returned  us  many  thanks  for  it;  said  that  he  was  quite 
delighted  ;  and  that  it  made  his  heart  glad  to  see  us;  hoped  we  should  make  our- 
selves comfortable  while  we  remained  in  Katunga ;  shook  hands,  made  a  bow, 
and,  "smiling  in  heart  and  soul  content,"  the  sovereign  departed,  followed  by  a 
suite  of  wives,  eunuchs,  and  other  attendants. 

The  Landers,  having  advised  with  Ebo,  did  not  think  it  best  to  inform  the  king 
of  their  intended  journey  to  the  Niger,  and  only  stated  to  him  that  the  King  of 
England,  anxious  to  procure  the  restoration  of  certain  papers  which  belonged  to 
a  countryman  of  theirs,  who  perished  at  Boossa  about  twenty  years  before,  which 
papers  were  supposed  to  be  in  possession  of  the  Sultan  of  Yaoorie,  had  de- 
spatched them  thither  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  papers  and  taking  them 
back  to  England.  Mansolah,  without  expressing  any  surprise  at  this  informa- 
tion, very  promptly  observed  that  he  would  send  a  messenger  to  Kiama,  Wow- 
wow,  Boossa,  and  Yaoorie,  to  acquaint  the  rulers  of  those  provinces  with  their 
intentions  to  pay  them  a  visit,  and  that  on  the  man's  return  they  shoiild  have 
leave  to  depart. 

Their  stay  at  Katunga  was  comparatively  pleasant :  they  were  not  disturbed 
by  the  jarring  noise  of  women's  tongues,  which  had  annoyed  and  followed  them 
at  every  stage  of  their  journey  from  Badagry,  since  the  apartments  of  the  wives 
of  Ebo,  at  whose  residence  they  put  up,  were  at  some  distance  from  theirs. 
Our  male  visiters  too,  they  say,  are  few  and  select,  and  do  not  remain  with  us 
any  very  considerable  time  together.  An  order  has  been  issued  by  the  king,  that 
if  any  impertinent  individual  troubles  us  at  any  time  with  his  company  when  it 
is  not  desired,  Ebo  is  at  liberty  to  behead  him ;  and  no  one  shall  have  the  effront- 
ery, says  Mansolah,  to  tax  the  eunuch  with  injustice  or  cruelty  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duties.  This  proclamation  has  had  the  desired  effect;  for  dreading 
the  even-handed  Efco,  who  is  public  executioner,  as  well  as  chief  eunuch,  the 
inhabitants  of  Katunga  have  hitherto  repressed  their  curiosity,  and  have  confin- 
ed themselves  to  their  own  abodes. 

The  city  of  Katunga  was,  at  this  time,  in  a  declining  condition;  whole  streets 
43 


502  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

were  almost  deserted ;  the  walls  were  gone  to  decay ;  and  every  thing  portend- 
ed approaching  ruin.  Still  it  was  no  inconsiderable  city,  as  tlie  following  ac- 
count of  its  markets  may  serve  to  show. 

A  market  is  held  daily  in  different  parts  of  Katunga,  but  twice  a  week  it  is 
much  larger  and  better  attended  tlian  on  either  of  the  other  days.  I  visited  one 
of  the  latter  this  morning,  which  is  styled  the  "  Queen's  market;"  but  as  it  is 
shifted  to  another  place  towards  evening,  it  is  then  called  the  "  King's  market." 
The  sellers  were  by  far  more  numerous  than  the  buyers ;  and,  on  the  whole,  the 
articles  exposed  for  sale  by  no  means  realized  the  expectations  which  we  had 
formed  of  them.  Among  them  we  observed  three  or  four  diflerent  kinds  of 
corn;  beans,  peas,  and  vegetables  in  abundance;  the  mi-cadania  butter ;  ground 
or  Guinea  nuts;  country  cotton  cloths,  indigo,  red  clay,  salt,  and  difierent  varie- 
ties of  pepper;  besides  trona,  snuff  and  tobacco,  knives,  barbs,  hook:*,  and  nee- 
dles, the  latter  of  the  rudest  native  manufacture.  There  were  also  finger-rings 
of  tin  and  lead  ;  and  iron  bracelets  and  armlets;  old  shells,  old  bones,  and  other 
venerable  things,  which  European  antiquaries  would  gaze  on  with  rapture;  be- 
sides nfitive  soap,  little  cakes  of  cheese  and  butter;  an  English  common  blue 
plate,  a  great  variety  of  beads  both  of  native  and  European  manufacture,  among 
the  former  of  which  we  noticed  the  famous  Agra  bead,  which  at  Cape  Coast 
Castle,  Accra,  and  other  places,  is  sold  for  its  weight  in  gold,  and  which  has  vain- 
ly been  attempted  to  be  imitated  by  the  Italians  and  our  own  countrymen.  Pro- 
visions also  were  offered  for  sale  in  abundance;  and  besides  beef  and  mutton, 
which  were  made  up  into  little  round  balls,  weighiirg  about  an  ounce  and  tivree- 
quarters  each,  and  presented  not  the  most  delicate  or  tempting  appearance,  we 
observed  an  immense  quantity  of  rats,  mice,  and  lizards,  dressed  and  undressed, 
all  having  their  skins  on,  and  arranged  in  rows. 

I  met  with  and  purchased  a  very  singular  kind  of  stone  in  the  market.  Tl.e 
na;ivc  s  ;nf  me.;  u-s  that  it  was  dug  from  the  earth,  in  a  country  called  Iffie,  whkh 
is  stated  m  be  •'  four  moons"  journey  liom  Katunga,  where,  according  to  their 
tradition,  their  first  parents  were  created,  and  from  whence  all  Africa  has  been 
peopled.  Ignorant  of  mineralogy,  as  I  am  of  most  other  sciences,  I  am  unac- 
quainted with  the  nature  and  properties  of  the  stone  alluded  to,  and  therefore  I 
grieve  to  say  I  am  incapable  of  giving  a  scientific  description  of  it.  It  consists 
of  a  variety  of  little  transparent  stones,  white,  green,  and  every  shade  of  blue, 
all  imbedded  in  a  species  of  clayey  earth,  resembling  rough  mo.-aic  work. 

Our  travellers  remained  at  Katunga  liom  the  13th  of  May  until  the  21^t  of 
the  same  month.  During  this  time  they  had  several  interviews  with  Mansolah. 
The  object  of  one  of  these  interviews  seems  not  a  little  singular. 

I  was  desired  by  a  messenger  this  morning,  says  John  Lander,  to  visit  the 
king  at  his  residence,  and  on  my  arrival  there,  found  a  great  number  of  people 
assembled  together.  The  object  of  this  summons  was  explained  by  Lbo,  who 
said  I  had  been  sent  for  to  see  tl  at  the  present  he  (the  eunuch)  had  received 
should  be  shown  to  the  people  vvitl  out  any  reservation  whatever.  It  was  ac- 
cordingly spread  out  on  the  Hoor,  togelher  with  the  king's.  Even  a  bit  of  Eng- 
glish  brown  soap,  which  we  had  just  before  given  Ebo,  was  exhibited  along  with 
2ie  other  things ;  for  so  great  a  degree  of  jealousy  exists  among  the  eunuchs  and 
others,  arising  from  the  apprehension  that  one  might  have  received  more  than 
anotlier,  tliat  Ebo  himself,  powerful  as  he  is,  would  dread  the  effects  of  it  on  his 
own  person,  should  he  be  ibund  to  have  concealed  a  single  thing.  They  all,  in 
fact,  endeavour  to  disarm  censure  by  an  appearance  of  openness  and  sincerity. 

On  Friday,  the  21st  of  May,  our  travellers  visited  Mansolah  for  \he  last  time. 
Instead  of  a  visit  from  the  king  (to  adopt  their  own  words,)  which  we  were  yes- 
terday told  he  was  to  honour  us  with,  we  were  requested  this  morning  to  repair 
to  his  residence.  Accordingly,  having  first  saddled  our  horses  and  packed  up 
tlie  luggage,  between  six  and  seven  o'clock,  A.  M.  we  walked  together  to  the 
royal  premises.  On  our  arrival  we  were  introduced  without  any  ceremony,  into 
a  private  yard,  wnorein  the  king  had  been  patiently  waiting  our  coming  for 
some:  time  previou.sly.  He  was  rather  plainly  dressed  in  the  costume  of  the 
country,  namely,  a  tobe,  trousers,  and  sandals,  with  a  cap  very  nuich  resembling 
in  slK.pe  those  which  were  worn  by  elderly  ladies  in  the  time  of  (.^ujen  Eliza- 


I 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  503 

beth,  and  still  retained  by  some  in  the  more  remote  parts  of  England.  On  his 
right  the  eunuchs  were  reposing  their  huge  limbs  on  the  ground,  with  several 
of  the  elders  of  the  people ;  and  his  left  was  graced  by  a  circle  of  his  young 
wives,  behind  whom  sat  the  widows  of  more  than  one  of  his  predecessors,  many 
of  whom  appeared  aged.  A  performer  on  a  whistle  was  the  only  musician 
present,  so  that,  during  a  very  long  interview,  a  little  whistling  now  and  then 
was  the  only  amusement  which  the  prince  could  afford  us.  A  good  deal  of  dis- 
cussion ensued,  and  much  serious  whispering  between  the  monarch  and  his 
wives,  in  the  course  of  which  both  parties  quitted  the  yard  two  or  three  times  to 
hold  a  private  conference,  followed  by  the  eunuchs  with  their  hands  clasped  on 
their  breasts.  Mansolah  at  length  scraped  together  two  thousand  cowries  (about 
three  shilhngs  and  sixpence  of  our  money,)  which  he  presented  to  the  four  men 
that  had  accompanied  us  from  Badagry  and  Jenna,  as  messengers,  guides,  &c., 
to  enable  them  to  purchase  provisions  on  their  journey  homeward.  This  sum 
had  been  collected  from  the  king's  wives,  each  having  contributed  a  portion,  be- 
cause their  lord  and  master  did  not  happen  to  be  in  a  liberal  mood.  Poor  souls! 
they  possess  scarcely  the  shadow  of  royalty,  much  less  the  substance ;  the  exte- 
rior forms  of  respect  which  they  receive  from  the  male  portion  of  the  people 
alone  distinguishing  them  from  their  less  illubtrious  countrywomen.  They  are 
compelled  to  work  in  order  to  provide  themselves  food  and  clothing,  and  besides 
which  part  of  the  earnings  is  apphed  to  the  king's  use.  To  effect  these  objects 
they  are  necessitated  to  make  long  and  painful  journeys  to  distant  parts  of  the 
empire,  for  the  purpose  of  trading.  They  have,  however,  the  privilege  of  trav- 
elling from  town  to  town  without  being  subjected  to  the  usual  duty,  and  can 
command  the  use  of  the  governor's  house  wherever  they  go.  The  boasted  in- 
dustry of  ancient  queens  and  princesses  in  more  classic  regions  sinks  into  noth- 
ing when  compared  to  the  laborious  life  which  is  led  by  the  female  branch  of 
the  royal  family  of  Yarriba. 

Mansolah,  after  some  lime,  beckoned  us  to  draw  near  him,  for  we  were  sit- 
ting at  some  distance  on  a  bundle  of  sticks,  and,  with  a  most  benevolent  smile 
playing  upon  his  wrinkled  features,  placed  a  goora-nut  in  the  right  hand  of  each 
of  us,  and  then  asked  our  Christain  names.  "Richard  and  John,"  we  replied. 
"Richard-ee  and  John-ee,"  said  the  king,  for  he  was  unable  to  pronounce  our 
Christian  names  without  affixing  a  vowel  to  the  end  of  them,  "you  may  sit 
down  again."  We  did  so,  and  remained  in  that  position  till  we  were  both  com- 
pletely wearied,  when  we  desired  Ebo  to  ask  the  king's  permission  for  us  to  go 
home  to  breakfast,  which  was  granted  without  reluctance.  So,  having  shaken 
hands  heartily  with  the  good  old  man,  and  wished  him  a  very  long  and  happy 
reign,  we  bid  him  farewell  for  the  last  time,  bowed  to  the  ladies,  and  retired  with 
all  haste  to  our  hut. 

On  leaving  Katunga,  our  travellers'  route  lay  through  the  towns  of  Lesquad- 
da,  Atoopa,  and  Keshee.  Besides  their  own,  carriers  tj-om  Ketunga  accompani- 
ed them  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  carrying  the  luggage.  They  all  suffered 
.severely  v>'ith  the  weight  of  their  burden^,  particularly  their  own  carriers,  who 
were  more  heavily  laden  than  those  from  Katunga.  Our  travellers,  therefore, 
had  recourse  to  an  artifice  for  the  more  equal  distribution  of  the  burdens.  We 
lightened  (they  say)  the  burdens  on  our  own  men,  and  distributed  a  portion  of 
what  we  had  taken  out  of  them  into  the  boxes  &c.  of  their  already  overladen 
Katunga  associates,  without,  however,  permitting  the  latter  to  know  any  thing  of 
the  circumstance.  Among  the  carriers  v/as  a  very  little  man  called  Gazlicrie, 
(small  man,)  on  account  of  his  diminutive  stature ;  he  was,  notwithstanding,  very 
muscular,- and  possessed  uncommon  strength,  activity,  and  vigour  of  body,  and 
bore  a  package  containing  our  tent,  which,  though  very  heavy,  was  yet  by  far 
the  lightest  load  of  the  whole.  Conceiving  that  corporeal  strength,  rather  than 
bulk  or  height,  .sliould,  in  this  case,  be  taken  into  the  account,  a  bag  of  shot, 
weighing  2S  lbs.,  was  extracted  from  Jowdie's  burden,  and  clandestinely  added 
to  his.  The  little  man  trudged  along  merrily  without  dreaming  of  the  fraud  that 
had  been  practised  upon  him,  till  we  arrived  within  a  short  distance  of  Les- 
quadda,  when,  imagining  that  one  end  of  the  tent  was  heavier  than  the  other,  he 
was  induced  to  take  it  from  his  head,  and  presently  discovered  the  cheat.    He 


504  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

was  much  enraged  at  being  thus  deceived,  and  called  his  companions  around 
him  to  witness  the  fact,  and  said  he  was  resolved  to  proceed  no  farther  than 
Lesquadda.  The  consequence  of  all  this  was,  a  combination  was  formed  be- 
tween the  carriers,  and  they  afler  coming  at  Lesquadda,  furiously  resolved  not 
to  stir  another  step.  We  tried  gentle  means  at  first,  but  these  having  no  effect, 
we  resorted  to  their  own  mode  of  argument,  namely,  fierce  looks,  violent  action, 
vociferous  bawling,  and  expressive  gesture,  which  intimidated  them  so  much, 
that  they  snatched  up  their  burdens  without  saying  a  word,  and  ran  away  with 
alacrity  and  good  humour. 

An  extraordinary  spectacle  presented  itself  on  the  way  to  Atoopa — a  middle 
aged  woman  sitting  on  the  road  side,  the  colour  of  whose  skin  was  naturally  as 
bright  a  red  as  a  piece  of  our  own  scarlet  cloth.  We  were  informed  that  she 
was  in  good  health ;  but  we  were  in  too  great  hurry  to  ask  her  any  questions ;  or 
take  a  nearer  view  ofherj^erson;  indeed  our  guide  seemed  much  disinclined  to 
go  within  a  hundred  yards  of  her.     She  was  a  most  singular  looking  being. 

On  arriving  at  Keeshee,  the  governor  .sent  us  a  present  of  a  fine  young  bullock, 
a  quantity  of  yams,  and  more  than  a  gallon  of  excellent  strong  beer.  In  the 
centre  of  the  town  there  is  a  high  stony  hill,  almost  covered  with  trees  of  stunted 
growth,  to  which  in  case  of  invasion  the  inhabitants  fly  for  refuge.  As  soon  an 
they  have  reached  its  summit,  it  is  borne,  say  they,  by  a  supernatural  power,  be- 
yond the  clouds,  where  it  remains  till  the  danger  is  over.  Some  years  have 
elapsed  since  this  miracle  last  took  place,  yet  the  story  is  told  with  a  serious  belief 
of  its  truth,  and  with  the  most  amusing  gravity. 

A  great  number  of  emigrants  from  different  countries  reside  here.  In  no  town 
have  we  seen  so  many  fine  tall  men  and  good  looking  women,  as  at  this  place;  yet 
several  individuals  of  both  sexes  are  to  be  met  with  who  have  lost  the  sight  of  one 
eye,  and  others  who  have  unseemly  wens  on  the  throat,  as  large  as  cocoanuts. 
We  likewise  saw  a  cripple  here  for  the  first  time,  and  a  female  dwarf  whose 
height  scarcely  exceeds  thirty  inches,  and  whose  appearance  bespeaks  her  to  be 
between  thirty  and  forty  years  of  age.  Her  head  is  disproportionably  large  to 
the  size  of  her  body;  her  features,  like  her  voice,  are  harsh,  masculine,  and  un- 
pleasant in  the  extreme.  It  would  be  ridiculous  to  be  afraid  of  such  a  diminutive 
thing ;  yet  tliere  was  an  expression  in  her  countenance,  so  peculiarly  repulsive, 
unwomanly,  and  hideous,  that  on  her  approaching  our  hut,  I  felt  a  very  unusual 
and  disagreeable  sensation  steal  over  me.  Descriptions  of  an  elf,  or  a  black 
dwarf  in  the  Arabian  Night's  Entertainments,  or  modern  European  romances, 
would  serve  well  to  portray  the  form  and  lineaments  of  this  singular  little  being. 

This  is  a  market  day  here,  and  I  took  a  walk  this  evening  to  the  place  where  the 
market  is  held  The  crowd  which  gathered  around  me  was  very  great.  If  I 
happened  to  stand  still  even  for  a  moment,  the  people  pressed  by  thousands  to 
get  close  to  me ;  and  if  I  attempted  to  go  on,  they  tumbled  one  over  another  to 
get  out  of  my  way,  overturned  standings  and  calabashes,  threw  down  their  own- 
ers and  scattered  their  property  about  in  all  directions.  Smiths  welcomed  me  by 
clashing  their  iron  tools  against  each  other,  and  drummers  by  thumping  violent- 
ly upon  one  end  of  their  instruments.  A  few  women  and  children  ran  from  me 
in  a  fright ;  but  the  majority  less  timid,  approached  as  near  as  they  could  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  first  white  man  they  had  ever  seen.  My  appearance  seemed  to 
interest  them  amazingly,  for  they  tittered  and  wished  me  well,  and  turned  about 
to  titter  again.  On  returning,  the  crowd  became  more  dense  than  ever,  and 
drove  all  before  them  like  a  torrent  Dogs,  goats,  sheep,  and  poultry,  were 
borne  along  against  their  will,  which  terrified  them  so  uuich  that  notliing  could 
be  heard  but  noises  of  the  most  lamentable  description;  children  screamed,  dogs 
yelled,  sheep  and  goats  bleated  most  piteously,  and  fowls  cackled  and  fiiUtercd 
from  among  the  crowd.  Happy  indeed  was  1  to  shelter  myself  from  all  this  uj)- 
roar  in  our  own  yard,  whither  the  nuiltitude  dared  not  follow. 

The  widows  of  the  deceased  chief  of  Keeshee  (this  chief  had  recently  died,)  set 
apart  a  portion  of  the  twenty-four  hours  to  cry  for  their  bereavement,  and  pray 
to  their  gods.  They  began  this  evening  in  the  same  sad,  mournful  tone  which 
is  commonly  heard  on  similar  occasions,  all  over  the  country.  We  asked  our 
interpreter  why  the  women  grieved  so  bitterly.     He  answered  quickly,  '*  What 


KICIIARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  505 

matter?  they  laugh  directly."  So  I  suppose  they  cry  from  habit  rather  than 
from  feeling ;  and  that  they  can  shed  tears  and  be  merry  in  the  same  breath 
whenever  they  please. 

On  one  occasion  the  crowd  of  visiters,  at  this  place,  which  thronged  upon  our 
travellei-s,  was  so  great  and  so  irksome  that  they  had  recourse  to  the  expedient 
of  smoking  them  otF,  by  kuidling  a  fire  at  the  door  of  their  hut.  It  succeeded 
agreeably  to  their  wishes. 

A  party  of  more  agreeable  visiters,  which  came  to  see  them,  consisted  of  Fa- 
latah  women  and  girls  from  the  village  ofAcba.  These  females,  they  say,  are  so 
modest  and  so  retii*ing,  and  evince  so  much  native  delicacy  in  their  whole  beha- 
viour that  they  excited  in  us  the  highest  respect.  Their  personal  attractions  are 
no  less  winning.  They  have  fine  sparkling  jetty  eyes,  with  eyelashes  dark  and 
glossy  as  the  raven's  plume.  Their  features  are  agreeable  although  their  com- 
plexions are  tawny.  Their  general  form  is  elegant;  their  hands  small  and  deli- 
cate ;  and  the  peculiar  cleanliness  of  their  persons,  and  neatness  of  di-ess  added 
to  these,  rendered  their  society  altogether  as  desirable  as  that  of  their  neighbours 
was  disagreeable.  On  a  second  visit,  these  engaging  female  friends  came  with 
bowls  of  milk  and  foorah.  This  was  in  the  morning.  In  the  evening  they  came 
again  with  a  few  of  their  male  companions,  and  remained  a  considerable  time. 
Both  sexes  deported  themselves  in  the  most  modest  and  respectful  manner.  It 
appears  that  the  Falatahs  inhabiting  Acba,  though  very  numerous  are  but  one 
family,  for  we  are  told  that  their  ancestor  separated  himself  from  his  friends, 
relatives  and  acquaintances,  and  exiling  himself  forever  from  his  native  country, 
travelled  hither  with  his  wives  and  children,  his  flocks  and  herds.  The  sons  and 
daughters  of  his  descendants  intermarry  only  among  their  own  kindred ;  and 
they  are  betrothed  to  each  other  in  infancy  and  childhood.  They  appear  to  be 
a  superior  race. 

The  governor  of  Keeshee  toM  many  wonderful  stories  of  the  towns  under  his 
sway,  his  amazing  power,  great  influence,  and  of  the  entire  subjection  in  which 
his  own  people  were  kept  by  his  own  good  government,  of  which  latter,  he  gave 
.  a  specimen  by  bawling  to  a  group  of  children  that  had  followed  our  steps  into 
the  yard,  to  go  about  their  business.  Every  one  in  this  country  displays  this 
ridiculous  vanity;  and  in  most  of  the  towns  vve  have  visited,  it  was  the  first  great 
care  of  their  chiefs  to  impress  on  our  minds  an  idea  of  their  vast  importance, 
which  in  many  instances  was  refuted  by  their  ragged  tobes  and  squalid  appear- 
ance. The  governor  was  so  old  and  infirm  that  he  could  not  have  many  years  to 
live.  We  gave  him  a  lotion  for  a  swelled  foot  which  greatly  elated  one  or  two 
of  his  attendants,  and  their  animated  looks  and  gestures  bespoke  hearts  over- 
flowing with  gratitude.  The  cau^^e  of  this  was  soon  explained.  The  next 
morning  a  young  man,  one  of  the  number,  visited  us  with  a  countenance  so 
rueful,  and  spoke  in  a  tone  so  low  and  melancholy,  that  his  whole  appearance 
was  completely  altered,  insomuch  that  we  were  desirous  to  learn  what  evil  had 
befallen  him.  He  informed  us  that  he  would  be  doomed  to  die  with  two  com- 
panions as  soon  as  their  governor's  dissolution  should  take  place ;  and  as  the  old 
man  has  already  one  foot  in  the  grave,  the  poor  fellow's  sadness  was  not  to  be 
wondered  at.  When  this  same  individual  and  his  associates  observed  me  giving 
the  lotion  to  their  master  yesterday  they  imagined  it  would  prolong  his  existence, 
and  consequently  their  own ;  and  hence  arose  that  burst  of  feeling.  The  people 
here  imagine  we  can^o  any  thing,  but  more  especially  that  we  are  acquainted 
with  and  can  cure  all  the  complaints  and  disorders  to  which  man  is  liable.  The 
governor  solicited  a  charm  of  us  to  preserve  his  house  from  the  efiTects  of  fire 
and  to  cause  him  to  become  rich. 

On  the  day  of  departure  from  Keeshee,  May  26th,  we  arose  before  sunrise, 
and  having  taken  a  hasty  breakfast,  went  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  governor, 
and  thank  him  for  his  hospitality  and  kindness.  On  returning  to  our  lodgings, 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  the  morning  salutation  of  our  fair  friends  the 
Falatahs  on  bended  knee.  Resolved  to  have  another  and  a  last  chat  with  the 
white  strangers,  these  females  had  come  for  the  purpose  of  oflering  us  two  cala- 
bashes of  new  milk.  This  and  former  little  acts  of  kindness,  which  we  have 
received  from  these  dark-eyed  maidens,  effectually  won  our  regard,  because  we 
43* 


506  ,      RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

knew  they  were  disinterestedly  given ;  and  the  few  minutes  we  had  the  happi- 
ness of  spending  in  their  company  and  that  of  their  countrymen,  redeemed 
many  hours  of  listlessness  and  melancholy,  which  absence  from  our  native 
country,  and  thoughts  of  home  and  friends,  hut  too  often  excite  in  our  breasts. 
It  was  therefore  not  without  a  feeling  of  sorrow  that  we  bade  them  adieu.  For 
my  own  part,  (says  John  Lander,)  when  they  blessed  me  in  the  name  of  Alia 
and  their  prophet,  and  implored  blessings  on  my  head,  and  when  I  gazed  upon 
the  faces  of  the  .simple  hearted  and  innocem  females  who  had  so  piously  and 
fervently  invoked  the  benediction,  with  the  consciousness  of  beholding  them  no 
more  in  this  life,  my  heart  was  touched  with  son'ow;  for  of  all  reflections,  this 
is  certainly  the  most  melancholy  and  dispiriting ! 

"Ye who  liavc  known  what  'tis  to  doto  upon 
A  few  dear  objects,  will  in  sadness  feel 
Such  partings  break  the  heart  they  fondly  hoped  to  heal !" 

Although  we  left  Keeshee  between  six  and  seven  in  the  morning,  vi^e  were 
obliged  to  seat  ourselves  on  a  green  turf  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  wait 
there  till  a  quarter  after  nine,  before  the  carriers  with  the  luggage  made  their 
appearance.  Here  we  were  joined  by  the  Borgoo  fatakie,  (a  company  of  mer- 
chants,) and  our  ears  were  saluted  with  the  hoarse,  dull  sounds  of  their  drum, 
which  was  played  by  a  ragged  one-eyed  Yarribean  loTig  after  we  were  on  our 
journey.  A  company  of  merchants  trading  through  the  country  has  always  a 
drummer  in  their  pay,  who  walks  at  the  head  of  the  party,  and  performs  on  his 
instrument  continually,  be  the  journey  ever  so  long,  for  the  purpose  of  anima- 
ting the  slaves  to  quicken  their  steps. 

Our  route  lay  through  a  vast  and  lonely  forest,  infested  by  bands  of  robbers, 
and  in  which  there  is  not  a  single  human  habitation.  My  brother  went  unarmed 
before  the  fatakie,  and  travelled  alone,  while  I  remained  behind  to  defend  the 
carriers  in  case  of  necessity.  He  had  already  rode  some  distance  in  advance  of 
us,  when  about  twenty  very  suspicious  looking  fellows,  armed  with  lances  and 
bows  and  arrows,  suddenly  made  their  appearance  from  behind  the  trees  where 
they  had  concealed  themselves,  and  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  path  before  the 
men  with  the  luggage,  who  were  so  terrified,  that  they  were  preparing  to  drop 
their  burdens  and  run  away.  My  gun  being  loaded,  I  levelled  it  at  them,  and 
had  nearly  discharged  it  at  the  leader^  which  intimidated  them  all  so  much,  that 
they  retreated  again  into  the  heart  of  the  fore5t.  When  the  people  of  Yarriba 
observe  any  one  approaching  tliem  on  the  road  whose  appearance  inspires  tliem 
with  apprehensions  as  to  the  honesty  of  his  intentions,  they  fling  off"  their  loads 
without  waiting  the  result  of  the  meeting,  and  take  to  their  heels  without  ventur- 
ing to  look  behind  them.  The  robbers,  therefore,  when  they  saw  our  peoplt 
no  doubt,  expected  to  obtain  an  easy  booty ;  not  anticipating  to  find  a  whii 
man  among  them,  nor  thinking  that  our  carriers  would  have  made  a  stand. 

We  journeyed  fifteen  miles  through  this  dreaded  forest,  which  occupied  us 
five  hours  and  three  quarters,  owing  to  the  weakness  of  our  horses  and  want 
of  water,  but  above  all,  to  the  oppressive  heat  of  the  weather,  from  which  we 
all  suflered  more  or  less.  We  then  arrived  at  the  Moussa,  which  is  a  rivulet 
.separating  the  kingdom  of  Yarriba  from  Borgoo.  Having  satisfied  our  thirst 
and  bathed,  v/e  crossed  the  stream,  and  entered  a  httle  village  on  the  northern 
banii,  where  we  halted  for  the  day. 

The  crossing  of  the  Moussa  introduced  our  travellers  into  a  country  very  dif- 
ferent from  Yarriba — inhabited  by  a  diflerent  people,  who  speak  a  diflerent 
language,  profess  a  diflerent  rehgion,  and  whose  maimers,  customs,  amusements, 
and  pursuits  are  altogether  diflerent.  The  route  now  led  towards  Kiama,  which 
even  in  the  approach  presented  a  complete  change  of  scene.  Instead  of  smiling 
plains  and  cultivated  hills  jt  consisted  of  a  huge  tract  of  mountain-forest,  crowded 
with  wild  animals  of  every  description,  and  infested  with  numerous  bands  of 
robbpr/3,  Kiama  belongs  to  the  Kingdom,  or  rather  cluster  of  states,  called 
Borgoo.  The  former  mission  had  understood  Borgoo  to  comprise  also  Boussa 
and  VVavya,  This  is  stated  by  the  Landers  to  be  a  mistake ;  and  indeed  these 
countries  jresemble  much  more  the  fertile  plain  of  Eyeo  or  Yarriba.     Borgoo, 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  '  507 

on  the  contrary,  though  diversified  by  beautiful  and  fertile  valleys,  is  generally 
mountainous  and  rugged,  tenanted  by  a  people  bold  and  brave,  warm  both  in 
friendship  and  enmity,  and  often  addicted  to  lawless  and  predatory  exploits. 
The  narrative  enumerates,  as  belonging  to  Borgoo,  eight  different  states,  among 
which  Niki  takes  the  lead.  Its  capital  is  described  as  one  of  the  largest  cities  in 
Central  Africa,  and  the  sovereign  as  having  seventy  other  towns  dependant  upon 
him;  which,  however,  if  we  may  believe  the  report  made  to  our  travellers,  pay 
no  other  tribute  besides  one  beautiful  maiden  during  the  lifetime  of  each  of  their 
chiefs. 

While  resting  at  a  litde  village  yet  at  some  distance  from  Kiama,  our  travellers 
were  met  by  an  escort  sent  by  the  king  to  conduct  them  to  the  city.  The  musi- 
cal jingling  of  htde  bells  (they  say)  announced  the  approach  of  a  body  of  horse- 
men, who  in  less  than  a  minute  galloped  up  to  our  hut,  and  saluted  us  one  after 
another  with  a  martial  air,  by  brandisliing  their  spears,  to  our  great  discomfiture, 
within  a  few  feet  of  our  faces.  To  display  their  horsemanship  the  more  eftectu- 
ally,  they  caused  their  spirited  steeds  to  prance  and  rear  in  our  presence  ;  and 
when  they  imagined  we  were  convinced  of  their  abilities,  they  dismounted  to 
prostrate  themselves  before  us,  and  acquaint  us  with  the  welfare  of  their  prince. 
Setting  out  under  the  conduct  of  this  escort,  the  path  lay  through  a  forest.  At 
one  place  we  remarked  two  immensely  large  trees,  springing  up  almost  close 
together ;  their  mighty  trunks  and  branches  were  firmly  twisted  and  clasped 
round  each  other,  like  giants  in  the  act  of  embracing,  and  presented  an  appear- 
ance highly  novel  and  singular.  Ant-hills  were  numerous  on  the  road  ;  and  a 
few  paces  from  it,  we  observed,  as  we  rode  along,  little  cone-shaped  mud  build- 
ings, erected  by  the  natives  for  the  purpose  of  smelting  iron  ore,  which  is  found 
in  abundance  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  At  sunset  we  arrived  at  a  village 
called  Benikenny,  which  means  in  the  language  of  the  people  a  cunning  man ; 
and  found  there  three  women  waiting  our  arrival,  with  corn  and  milk  from  the 
King  of  Kiama:  this  was  very  acceptable,  for  we  had  been  without  food  thirteen 
hours. 

Although  the  sun  had  gone  down  on  leaving  Benikenny,  the  moon  and  stars 
supplied  us  with  a  cooler  and  more  agreeable  light;  and  we  journeyed  on 
through  the  forest  more  slowly  than  before.  In  spite  of  our  fatigue,  we  could 
not  help  admiring  the  serenity  and  beauty  of  the  evening,  nor  be  insensible  to 
the  delicious  fragrance  shed  around  from  trees  and  shrubs.  The  appearance  of 
our  warlike  and  romantic  escort  was  also  highly  amusing-  They  were  clad  in 
the  fashion  of  tlie  East,  and  sought  their  way  between  the  trees  on  our  right  and 
left ;  but  sometimes  they  fell  in  our  rear,  and  then  again  dashed  suddenly  by  us 
with  astonishing  swiftness,  looking  as  wild  as  the  scenery  through  which  their 
chargers  bounded.  The  effect  was  rendered  more  imposing  by  the  reflection  of 
the  moonbeams  from  their  polished  spears,  and  the  pieces  of  silver  which  are 
affixed  to  their  caps,  while  the  luminous  firefly  appeared  in  the  air  hke  rising  and 
falling  particles  of  tlame. 

About  8  o'clock  Kiama  appeared  before  us,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  entered 
the  city,  and  rode  directly  to  the  king's  house  He  came  out  to  receive  us  after 
we  had  been  waiting  outside  a  very  short  time,  and  welcomed  us  with  much 
satisfaction  and  good-will.  He  is  an  elderly  man,  almost  toothless,  and  has  a 
beard  as  white  as  wool.  We  observed  nothing  remarkable  in  his  dress  or  ap- 
pearance. His  first  question  was  concerning  the  health  of  our  sovereign,  and 
his  second  and  last  respecting  oUr  own  welfare.  He  seemed  to  be  exceedingly 
well  pleased  at  seeing  me  again.  We  then  took  our  leave,  and  were  conducted 
by  one  of  his  slaves  to  a  hut,  or  rather  an  assemblage  of  huts,  adjoining  his  own 
residence.  But  they  were  not  entirely  to  our  satisfaction,  for  many  of  them  had 
only  one  aperture  in  each,  which  was  scarcely  three  feet  square ;  so  that  we 
could  not  get  into  them  excepting  on  our  hands  and  knees.  They  were,  besides, 
so  very  close  and  warm,  that  we  found  great  difficulty  inbreathing;  and  we 
prefered  a  hut  which  was  cooler  and  better  ventilated,  though  it  had  the  inconve- 
nience of  a  thoroughfare.  No  sooner  were  we  securely  housed,  than  half  a 
dozen  of  the  king's  wives  introduced  themselves  with  huge  calabashes  of  sour 
milk,  fried  pancakes,  and  beef  stewed  in  rice,  the  first  we  have  yet  seen.     Vari- 


508  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

0U3  coloured  mats  of  excellent  workmanship  were  afterward  brought  for  our 
use  :  and  with  thankful  hearts  and  comfortable  feelings  we  lay  down  to  rest. 

The  day  after  their  arrival  at  Kiama,  the  travellers,  having  selected  a  present 
for  the  king,  repaired  to  his  residence.  The  king's  name  was  Yarro.  Yarro, 
(we  again  adopt  the  words  of  their  journal,)  professes  the  Mohammedan  faith, 
yet  it  is  easy  to  perceive  the  very  slender  acquaintance  he  has  obtained  of  the 
jprecepts  of  the  Koran,  by  the  confidence  which  he  still  places  in  the  religion  of 
his  fathers,  in  placing  fetishes  to  guard  the  entrance  of  his  houses,  and  adorn 
tlieir  half-naked  walls.  In  one  of  the  huts  we  observed  a  stool  of  very  curious 
workmanship.  The  form  of  it  is  nearly  square ;  the  two  principal  sides  are 
each  supported  by  four  lilUe  wooden  figures  of  men ;  and  another  of  large  di- 
mensions, seated  on  a  clumsy  representation  of  a  hippopotamus,  is  placed  be- 
tween them.  These  images  were  subsequently  presented  to  us  by  Yarro,  and 
we  learned  that  the  natives,  before  undertaking  any  water  excursion,  applied  for 
protection  from  the  hippopotami  and  other  dangers  of  the  river  to  the  principal 
figure,  which  is  represented  as  mounted  on  one  of  those  creatures.  This  impor- 
tant personage  is  attended  by  his  musicians,  and  guarded  by  soldiers,  some  arm- 
ed with  muskets,  and  others  with  bows  and  arrows,  who  formed  the  legs  of  the 
stool. 

In  an  inner  apartment  we  discovered  Yarro  sitting  alone  on  buffalo  hides ;  and 
we  were  desired  to  place  ourselves  near  him.  The  walls  of  this  apartment  were 
adorned  with  very  good  prints  of  our  most  gracious  sovereign  George  the 
Fourth,  his  late  royal  brother  the  Duke  of  York,  Lord  Nelson,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  on  horseback,  together  with  an  ofiicerin  the  light  dragoons,  in  com- 
pany with  a  smartly  dressed  and  happy  looking  English  lady.  Opposite  to  them 
were  hung  horse  accoutrements ;  and  on  each  side  were  dirty  scraps  of  paper 
containing  select  sentences  from  the  Koran.  On  the  floor  lay  muskets,  several 
handsomely  ornamented  lances,  and  other  weapons,  all  confusedly  heaped  to- 
gether by  the  side  of  a  large  granite  stone  used  for  pounding  pepper.  These 
were  the  most  striking  objects  we  observed  in  the  king's  hut ;  adjoining  which 
were  others,  through  whose  diminutive  doors  Yarro's  wives  were  straining  their 
eyes  to  catch  a  ghmpse  of  our  persons. 

The  folio  whig  incidents  may  serve  to  illustrate  still  farther  the  manners  and 
habits  which  prevail  at  the  court  of  this  prhice. 

Our  travellers' say  they  were  obliged  to  violate  the  Sabbath,  by  cleaning  and 
polishing  a  sword  and  pistol,  sent  tliem  for  that  purpose  by  the  king,  to  be  used 
at  the  approaching  Mohammedan  festival.  Yarro  ishortly  afterward  sent  us 
(they  say)  a  turkey,  and  one  of  his  women  presented  us  with  a  roasted  badger,  a 
quantity  of  yams,  &:.c.,  for  the  use  of  one  of  our  people.  This  evening  the 
king's  wives  unanimously  bestowed  a  severe  reprimand  on  their  husband  for 
neglecting  to  ofier  them  a  portion  of  a  bottle  of  rum  which  we  gave  him  yester- 
day ;  and  they  scolded  so  lustily  tliat  the  noise  was  heard  outside  the  wall  sur- 
rounding their  huts,  which  led  us  to  make  the  discovery.  To  appease  the  indig- 
nation of  these  ladies,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  their  loss,  I  presented  them  with 
a  few  beads  and  some  other  trifles  ;  but  we  much  doubt  their  ethcacy. 

We  receive  frequent  visits  from  a  number  of  Mohammedan  mallams  (priests) 
residing  at  Kiama.  This  afternoon  they  sent  two  young  boys  to  pray  for  us. 
The  boys  dropped  on  their  knees,  and  recited  the  lesson  tliat  Uiey  had  been 
taught  without  committing  a  blunder ;  but  a  few  needles  was  the  only  recom- 
pense we  thought  proper  to  make  them,  so  that'it  is  not  likely  their  masters  will 
desire  any  more  prayers  to  be  offered  at  the  shrine  of  tlieir  prophet  for  Christians 
so  illiberal  and  irreligious.  Of  all  the  vices  of  which  JNIohamuiedan  priests  are 
guilty,  (and  by  all  accounts  tliey  are  not  a  few,)  slander  and  defamation  of  charac- 
ter appear  to  be  by  far  the  most  general.  Never  do  we  hear  a  maUam  speak  of 
his  neighbours  in  terms  of  common  respect.  By  his  account  they  are  all  tlie 
vilest  creatures  under  the  sun,  not  one  escaping  the  lash  of  his  censure.  "Avoid 
that  man,"  said  a  complacent  and  comfortable-looking  old  Mohammedan  last 
night,  pointing  to  one  of  his  companions  as  he  quitted  the  hut,  (he  had  just 
blessed  him  in  the  name  of  Alia,)  "  for,  believe  me,  he  will  take  every  opportu- 
nity of  deceiving  you ;  and  if  you  go  so  far  as  to  trust  him  with  any  of  your 


r 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  509 

property,  he  will  cheat  you  of  every  cowrie."  The  venerable  speaker  had  a 
quantity  of  gilt  buttons,  nearly  new  in  his  possession,  which  we  had  given  him 
to  sell,  for  we  are  frequently  obliged  to  make  such  shifts  for  a  meal,  and  when  his 
invective  was  finished,  he  arose  to  take  his  leave  :  but  the  self-righteous  priest 
had  neglected,  in  the  hurry  of  discourse,  to  secure  a  few  buttons  which  he  had 
purloined,  for  as  he  stood  up  they  dropped  from  the  folds  of  his  garment  on  the 
floor.  The  man's  confusion  was  immediately  apparent,  but  we  did  not  wish  to 
push  him  further  by  increasing  his  shame,  and  we  suffered  him  to  go  about  his 
business,  in  the  belief  that  the  circumstance  had  wholly  escaped  our  observation. 
Gilt  buttons  fetch  a  high  price  here  (from  two  to  three  hundred  cowries  each;) 
and  as  we  have  a  great  quantity  of  them,  it  is  likely  from  henceforth  they  will  be 
of  infinite  service  to  us.  Women  use  buttons  to  ornament  their  necks,  fingers, 
and  wrists ;  and  they  imagine  that  the  brightest  of  them  are  made  of  gold. 

The  celebration  of  the  "  Bebun  Salah,"  or  "  Great  Prayer  day,"  by  the  Mus- 
sulmans of  Kiama  took  place  during  our  travellers'  stay  there.  All  the  Mussul- 
mans with  the  king  at  their  head  repaired  to  a  convenient  spot  about  a  mile 
without  the  city.  The  custom  is  to  set  out  about  .^uurise,  but  on  this  occasion, 
owing  to  the  threatening  appearance  of  the  weather,  they  did  not  assemble  until 
between  nine  and  ten  o'clock.  The  worshipers  arranged  themselves  in  six  lines 
or  rows,  the  women  forming  the  last,  and  sat  down  on  as  many  ridges  of  earth, 
which  had  apparently  been  thrown  up  for  the  purpose.  The  chief  mallam  no 
sooner  began  a  prayer,  than  the  talking  and  noise  of  the  multitude  immediately 
ceased,  and  the  deepest  attention  seemed  to  be  paid  by  every  one,  though  the 
substance  of  what  he  said  could  only  be  guessed  at,  because  it  was  in  Arabic, 
which  none  of  them  understood.  The  ceremony  much  resembled  that  which 
was  performed  at  Badagry ;  and  the  forms  which  are  generally  practised,  I  be- 
lieve, on  all  public  religious  meetings  in  Mohammedan  countries,  such  as  ablution 
prostration,  &c.,  were  observed  on  this  occasion.  The  king,  however,  did  not 
rise,  as  he  should  have  done,  when  the  worshippers  stood  up,  but  satisfied  himself 
by  uttering  the  name  of  Alia,  and  by  simple  prostration  only.  When  the  usual 
form  of  prayer  had  been  gone  through,  the  head  mallam  placed  himself  on  a 
hillock,  and  for  about  five  minutes  read  to  the  people  a  few  loose  pages  of  the 
Koran,  which  he  held  in  his  hand.  While  thus  engaged,  two  priests  of  inferior 
order  knelt  beside  him  to  hold  the  hem  of  his  tobe,  and  a  third,  in  the  same  posi- 
tion, held  the  skirts  from  behind.  After  he  had  finished  reading,  the  priest  de- 
scended from  the  hillock,  and  with  the  help  of  his  assistants,  slaughtered  a  sheep 
which  had  been  bound  and  brought  to  him  for  t^^acrif  C3.  The  blood  of  the  ani- 
mal was  caught  in  a  calabash ;  and  the  king,  and  the  more  devoted  of  his  subjects 
washed  their  hands  in  it,  and  sprinkled  some  of  it  on  the  ground.  This  conclu- 
sion of  the  ceremony  was  announced  by  the  discharge  of  a  few  old  muskets ; 
and  with  drums  beating  and  fifes  playing,  the  people  returned  to  their  respective 
homes.  Most  of  them  were  smartly  dressed  in  all  the  finery  they  could  procure. 
About  a  hundred  of  the  men  rode  on  horseback,  vvith  lances  and  other  weapons 
in  their  hands,  which,  with  the  gay  trappings  of  their  horses,  gave  them  a  respect- 
able appearance. 

In  the  afternoon,  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  many  from  the  little 
villages  in  its  neighbourhood,  assembled  to  witness  the  horse-racing,  which  takes 
place  always  on  the  amiiversary  of  the  "  Bebun  Salah,"  and  to  which  every  one 
had  been  looking  forward  with  impatience.  Previous  to  its  commencement,  the 
king,  with  his  principal  attendants,  rode  slowly  round  the  town,  more  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  the  admiration  and  plaudits  of  his  people,  than  to  observe 
where  distress  more  particularly  prevailed,  which  was  his  avowed  intention.  A 
hint  from  the  chief  induced  us  to  attend  the  course  with  our  pistols,  to  salute 
him  as  he  rode  by ;  and  as  we  felt  a  strong  inclination  to  witness  the  amusements 
of  the  day,  we  were  there  rather  sooner  than  was  necessary,  which  afibrded  us, 
however,  a  fairer  opportunity  of  observing  the  various  groups  of  people  which 
were  flocking  to  the  scene  of  amusement. 

The  race-course  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  low  granite  hills ;  on  the  south 
by  a  forest;  and  on  the  east  and  west  by  tall  shady  trees,  among  which  were 
habitations  of  the  people.    Under  the  shadow  of  these  magnificent  trees  the 


510  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

spectators  were  assembled,  and  testified  their  happiness  by  their  noisy  mirth  and 
animated  gestures.  When  we  arrived  the  king  had  not  made  his  appearance  on 
the  course  ;  but  his  absence  was  fully  compensated  by  the  pleasure  we  derived 
from  watching  the  anxious  and  animated  countenances  of  the  multitude,  and  in 
passing  our  opinions  upon  the  t^wte  of  the  women  in  the  choice  and  adjustment 
of  their  fanciful  and  many-coloured  dres.-;es.  The  chief's  wives  and  younger 
children  sat  near  us  in  a  group  by  themselves ;  and  were  distinguished  from  their 
companions  by  their  superior  dress.  Manchester  cloths  of  inferior  quality,  but 
of  the  most  showy  patterns,  and  dresses  made  of  common  English  bed-furniture, 
were  fastened  round  the  waist  of  several  sooty  maidens,  who,  for  the  sake  of 
fluttering  a  short  hour  in  the  gaze  of  their  countrymen,  had  sacrificed  in  clothes 
the  earnings  of  a  twelvemonth's  labour.  All  the  women  had  ornamented  their 
necks  with  strings  of  beads,  and  their  wrists  with  bracelets  of  various  patterns, 
some  made  of  glass  beads,  some  of  brass,  others  of  copper,  and  some  again  of  a 
mixture  of  both  metals:  their  ankles  also  were  adorned  with  different  sorts  of 
rings,  of  neat  workmanship. 

The  distant  sound  of  drums  gave  notice  of  the  king's  approah,  and  every 
eye  was  immediately  directed  to  the  quarter  from  whence  he  was  expected. 
The  cavalcade  shortly  appeared,  and  four  horsemen  first  drew  up  in  front  of  the 
chief's  house,  which  was  near  the  centre  of  the  course,  and  close  to  the  spot 
where  his  wives  and  children  and  ourselves  were  sitting.  Several  men,  bearing 
on  their  heads  an  immense  quantity  of  .arrows  in  huge  quivers  of  leopard's  skin, 
came  next,  followed  by  two  persons,  who,  by  their  extraordmary  antics  and 
gestures  we  concluded  to  be  buffoons.  These  last  two  were  employed  in 
throwing  sticks  into  the  air  as  they  went  on,  and  adroitly  catching  them  in  falling, 
besides  performing  many  whimsical  and  ridiculous  feats.  Behind  these,  and 
immediately  preceding  the  king,  a  group  of  little  boys  nearly  naked,  came 
dancing  merrily  along,  flourishing  cows'  tails  over  their  heads  in  all  directions. 
The  king  rode  onwards,  followed  by  a  number  of  fine-looking  men  on  handsome 
steeds ;  and  the  motley  cavalcade  all  drew  up  in  front  of  his  house,  where  they 
awaited  his  further  orders  without  dismounting.  This  we  thought  was  the  proper 
time  to  give  the  first  salute,  so  we  accordingly  fired  three  rounds ;  and  our  ex- 
ample was  iuunediately  followed  by  two  soldiers,  with  muskets  which  were 
made  at  least  a  century  and  a  half  ago. 

Preparations  in  the  mean  time  had  been  going  on  for  the  race,  and  the  horse.? 
with  their  riders  made  their  appearance.  The  men  were  dressed  in  caps  and 
loose  tobes  and  trousers  of  every  colour ;  boots  of  red  morocco  leather,  and 
turbans  of  white  and  blue  cotton.  The  horses  were  gayly  caparisoned :  strings 
of  little  brass  bells  covered  their  heads ;  their  breasts  were  ornamented  with 
bright  red  cloth  and  tassels  of  silk  and  cot  on ;  a  large  quilted  pad  of  neat  em- 
broidered patchwork  was  placed  under  the  saddle  of  each ;  and  little  charms, 
enclosed  in  red  and  yellow  cloth,  were  attached  to  the  bridle  with  bits  of  tinsel. 
The  Arab  saddle  and  stirrup  were  in  common  use  ;  and  the  whole  group  pre- 
sented an  imposing  appearance. 

The  signal  lor  starting  was  made,  and  the  impatient  animals  sprang  forward 
and  set  off  at  full  gallop.  The  riders  brandished  their  spears,  the  little  boys 
flourished  their  cows'  tails,  the  buffoons  performed  their  antics,  muskets  were 
discharged,  and  the  chief  himself,  mounted  on  the  finest  horse  on  the  ground, 
watched  the  progress  of  the  race,  while  tears  of  delight  were  starting  from  his 
eyes.  The  sun  shone  gloriously  on  the  tobes  of  green,  white,  yellow,  blue,  and 
crimson,  as  they  fluttered  in  the  breeze  ;  and  with  the  fanciful  caps,  the  glittering 
spears,  the  jingling  of  the  horses'  bells,  the  animated  looks  and  warlike  bearing 
of  their  riders,  presented  one  of  the  inost  extraordinary  and  pleasing  sights  that 
we  have  ever  witnessed.  The  race  was  well  contested,  and  terminated  only  by 
the  horses  being  fatigued  and  out  of  breath  ;  but  though  every  one  was  emulous 
to  outstrip  his  companion,  honour  and  fame  were  the  only  reward  of  the  com- 
petitors. 

A  few  naked  boys,  on  ponies  without  saddles,  then  rode  over  the  course,  after 
which  the  second  and  last  heat  commenced.  This  was  not  by  any  means  so  good 
as  the  first,  owing  to  the  greater  anxiety  which  the  horsemen  evinced  to  display 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  51 1 

their  skill  iu  the  use  of  the  spear  and  the  management  of  their  animals.  The 
king  maintained  his  seat  on  horseback  during  these  amusements,  without  even 
once  dismounting  to  converse  with  his  wives  and  children,  who  were  sitting  on 
each  side  of  him.  His  dress  was  showy  rather  than  rich,  consisting  of  a  red  cap, 
enveloped  in  the  large  folds  of  a  white  muslin  tuiban ;  two  under  tobes  of  blue 
and  scarlet  cloth,  and  an  outer  one  of  white  muslin  ;  red  trousers,  and  boots  of 
scarlet  and  yellow  leather.  His  horse  seemed  distressed  by  the  weight  of  his 
rider,  and  the  various  ornaments  and  trappings  with  which  his  head,  breast,  and 
body  were  bedecked.  The  chief's  eldest  and  youngest  sons  were  near  his 
women  and  other  children,  mounted  on  two  noble  looking  horses.  The  eldest 
of  these  youths  was  about  eleven  years  of  age.  The  youngest,  being  not  more 
than  three,  was  held  on  the  back  of  his  animal  by  a  male  attendant,  as  he  was 
unable  to  sit  upright;  in  the  saddle  without  this  assistance.  The  child's  dress  was 
ill  suited  to  his  age.  He  wore  on  his  head  a  tight  cap  of  Manchester  cotton,  but 
it  overhung  the  upper  part  of  his  face,  and  together  with  its  ends,  which  flapped 
over  each  cheek,  hid  nearly  the  whole  of  his  countenance  from  view ;  his  tobe 
and  trousers  were  made  exactly  in  the  same  fashion  as  those  of  a  man,  and  two 
large  belts  of  blue  cotton,  which  crossed  each  other,  confined  the  tobe  to  his  body. 
The  little  legs  of  the  child  were  swallowed  up  in  clumsy  yellow  boots,  big 
enough  for  his  father  ;  and  though  he  was  rather  pretty,  his  whimsical  dress  gave 
him  altogether  so  odd  an  appearance,  that  he  might  have  been  taken  for  any 
thing  bui  what  he  really  was.  A  few  of  the  women  on  the  ground  by  the  side 
of  the  king  wore  large  white  dresses,  which  covered  their  persons  like  a  wind- 
ing-sheet. Young  virgins,  according  to  custom,  appeared  in  a  state  of  nudity ; 
many  of  them  had  wild  flowers  stuck  behind  their  ears,  and  strings  of  beads, 
&c.  round  their  loins  ;  but  want  of  clothing  did  not  seem  to  damp  their  pleasure 
in  the  entertainment,  for  they  appeared  to  enter  into  it  with  as  much  zest  as  any 
of  their  companions.  Of  the  different  coloured  tobes  worn  by  the  men,  none 
looked  so  well  as  those  of  a  deep  crimson  colour  on  some  of  the  horsemen ;  but 
the  clean  white  tobes  of  the  Mohammedan  priests,  of  whom  not  less  than  a 
hundred  were  present  on  the  occasion,  were  extremely  neat  and  becoming.  The 
sport,  terminated  without  the  slightest  accident,  and  the  king's  dimounting  was  a 
signal  for  the  people  to  disperse. 

We  then  paid  our  respects  to  the  chief  as  usual,  but  our  reception  was  formal 
and  chilling,  though  nothing  could  have  been  more  gratifying  to  him  than  our 
attendance  on  the  present  occasion.  We  had  l.a'f  a  mind  to  be  vexed  at  this 
mortifying  repulse,  but  consoled  ourselves  with  the  reflection  that  we  had  no 
right  to  expect  any  thing  more  than  common  courtesy  and  politeness.  Besides 
this,  he  was  surrounded  by  the  loveliest  of  his  women  and  the  most  warlilce  of 
his  subjects,  and  being  a  rigid  Mohammedan  when  it  suits  his  convenience,  he 
might  have  considered  us  as  the  enemies  of  his  religion.  To  have  shown,  there- 
fore too  great  familiarity  with  us  in  the  sight  of  his  people  would  perhaps  have 
been  unbecoming  the  Chief  of  Kiama. 

We  have  here  endeavoured,  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  to  describe  an  African 
horse-race ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  singular  and  fan- 
tastic appearance  of  the  numerous  groups  of  people  that  met  our  view  on  all 
sides,  or  to  describe  their  animation  and  delight ;  the  martial  equipment  of  the 
soldiers  and  their  noble  steeds,  and  the  wild,  romantic,  and  overpowering  interest 
of  the  whole  mass. .  Singing  and  dancing  have  been  kept  up  all  night,  and  the 
revellers  will  not  think  of  retiring  to  rest  till  morning. 

The  king  visited  us  at  our  hut  the  morning  before  our  departure,  attended  by 
three  or  four  of  his  younger  wives.  His  object  was  to  get  something  from  us; 
therefore  we  considered  it  no  compliment.  Like  the  King  of  Yarriba,  he  has 
seen  all  the  articles  which  we  ha^^e  given  to  his  people,  but  unhke  that  monarch, 
he  has  converted  to  his  own  use  whatever  pleased  him  best.  From  a  present 
intended  for  his  son,  he  took  the  only  piece  of  cloth  which  it  contained,  and 
which  we  are  unable  to  replace.  He  then  begged  a  httle  medicine  for  weak 
eyes  ;  and  was  presented  with  a  quantity  of  Epsom  salts  and  a  small  syringe. 
He  immediately  began  trying  experiments  on  the  instrument  by  spirting  water 
into  the  faces  of  his  wives,  who  did  not  appear  to  enjoy  the  diversion  so  well  as 
himself. 


512  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

On  Saturday  June  5th,  our  travellers  bade  adieu  to  Keama,  and  bent  their 
course  through  the  towns  of  Kakafungi,  Coobly,  and  Zalee  to  Boossa  on  the 
Niger.  When  they  were  atout  half  a  mile  from  Keama,  looking  behind  tliem, 
they  observed  a  great  fat  woman  running  after  them  at  her  full  speed.  She 
soon  overtook  them,  almost  breathless  with  exertion.  We  then  found  (they 
say,)  that  the  object  of  her  care  was  to  present  us  with  a  bowl  of  new  milk, 
which  she  had  neglected  to  bring  in  time  for  us  to  drink  before  we  set  out. 
From  the  violence  of  her  exertions,  her  whole  person  was  thrown  into  the  ut- 
most disorder  imaghiable.  This  woman  is  a  favourite  singer  to  the  king,  and 
had  supplied  us  with  milk  and  provisions  two  or  three  days  before  our  depart- 
ure, for  which  we  gave  her  a  lew  triHing  articles  in  payment ;  these  it  appears 
had  produced  so  sensible  an  effect  upon  her,  that  when  taking  leave  of  us  last 
evening,  she  began  to  shed  tears  and  sobbed  aloud.  This  was  now  renewed, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  spur  on  our  horses  to  spare  our  feehngs.  We  were 
afterwards  told  that  the  woman's  sorrow  was  only  feigned  in  our  presence  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  reward,  and  that  she  always  has  abundance  of  tears 
at  comtnand. 

On  the  way  to  Coobly,  John  Lander  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  and  on  his 
arrival  there  was  exceedmgly  ill.  His  brother  Richard  administered  ten  grains 
of  calomel,  after  which  he  fell  into  a  kind  of  stupor  and  an  insensibility  to  sur- 
rounding objects,  and  though  after  a  time  his  reason  returned,  he  again  soon  be- 
came worse,  and  Richard  expected  every  moment  would  be  his  last.  He  says, 
my  brother,  during  the  few  intervals  he  had  from  delirium,  seemed  to  be  aware 
of  his  danger,  and  entered  into  arrangements  respecting  his  family  concerns.  At 
this  moment  my  feelings  were  of  too  painful  a  nature  to  be  described.  The  un- 
happy fate  of  my  late  master,  Captain  Clapperton,  came  forcibly  to  my  mind. 
I  had  followed  him  into  this  country,  where  he  perished  ;  I  had  attended  him  in 
liis  parting  moments  ;  I  had  performed  the  last  mournful  office  for  him  which 
our  nature  requires,  and  the  thought  that  I  should  have  to  go  through  the  same 
sad  ceremonies  for  my  brother  overwhelmed  me  with  grief. 

These  sad  ibrebodings,  happily,  were  not  realized.  The  disease  took  a  new 
turn,  and  John  was  soon  well  enough  to  proceed  on  the  journey  which  now  lay 
towards  Boossa.  Before  setting  out  the  messengers  arrived  from  Boossa,  with 
a  quantity  of  onions  as  a  present  from  tiie  queen,  and  with  orders  from  tlie  king 
to  escort  the  travellers  to  the  city  of  Boossa.  An  old  woman  applied  at  their 
lodgings  for  medicine  that  would  produce  her  an  entire  new  set  of  teeth;  or 
said  she,  "  If  I  can  only  be  supphed  with  two  large  and  strong  ones,  I  shall  be 
satisfied  with  them."  She  was  becoming  rather  impertinent  when  Richard 
Landar  recommended  her  to  procure  two  iron  ones  from  a  blacksmith,  which 
displeased  her  so  much  that  she  went  away  in  a  pet. 

The  city  of  Boossa  stands  on  the  Niger ;  it  was  supposed  by  Clapperton  to 
be  situated  on  an  island  in  this  river,  but  the  Landers  ascertained  this  opinion  to 
be  incorrect.  On  entering  the  city,  they  discharged  their  pieces  as  a  signal  of 
their  arrival,  and  soon  they  were  introduced  to  the  king,  whom  they  found  sit- 
ting in  an  inner  apartment  in  company  with  the  midikie,  his  principal  wife,  or 
queen.  They  welcomed  them  to  Boossa  with  every  appearance  of  cordiality, 
and  with  ruelul  countenances,  gravely  assuring  diem,  that  they  had  both  been 
weeping  in  tlie  morning  for  the  death  of  Captain  Clapperton  whose  untimely 
end  they  would  never  cease  to  lament. 

This  king  was  regarded  as  the  most  powerful  chief  of  Western  Africa,  as  the 
Sultan  of  Bornou  was  of  Northern  Africa. 

The  dress  of  the  king  and  queen  when  they  returned  our  travellers'  visit  at 
their  hut,  is  thus  described.  Tiie  king  wore  a  white  cotton  tobe  over  another  of 
blue  and  white,  a  cap  of  red  cloth,  and  leathern  sandals  of  the  same  colour.  The 
midikie  was  clad  in  a  common  check  shirt;  a  plain  piece  of  blue  cotton  was  fas- 
tened round  her  head,  wholly  concealing  the  hair;  a  larger  piece  of  tlie  same 
kind  was  thrown  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  a  tliird  lied  round  her  waist,  reached 
so  far  as  the  middle  of  the  leg.  Her  feet  were  bare,  as  were  likewise  her  arms 
up  to  the  elbow  ;  a  brass  ring  ornamented  each  great  toe,  and  eight  silver  brace- 
lets each  wrist,  the  least  of  them  weighing  little  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  pound. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER,  513 

Besides  these  ornaments,  the  queen  wore  a  necklace  of  coral  and  bits  of  gold, 
and  small  pieces  of  pipe  coral  were  stuck  in  the  lobe  of  each  ear. 

Boossa  is  celebrated  as  the  place  near  which  Park  and  his  companions  were 
destroyed,  while  sailing  down  the  Niger.  Our  tiavellers  say,  this  river,  here  in 
its  widest  part  is  not  more  than  a  stone's  throw  across  at  present.  The  rock  on 
which  we  sat  overlooks  the  spot  where  Mr.  Park  and  his  associates  met  their  un- 
happy fate ;  we  could  not  help  meditating  on  that  circumstance,  and  on  the 
immber  of  valuable  lives  which  have  been  sacrificed  in  attempting  to  explore 
this  river,  and  secretly  implored  the  Almighty  that  we  might  be  the  humble 
means  of  setting  at  rest  forever  the  great  question  of  its  course  and  termination. 

While  at  Boossa  the  Landers  entertained  hopes  of  being  able  to  recover  some 
of  the  effects  and  especially  the  journal  of  Park.  They  were  presented  with  a 
tobe,  which,  it  was  said,  belonged  to  a  white  man  who  came  from  the  north 
many  years  before,  and  had  been  purchased  by  the  king's  father.  It  was  made 
of  rich  crimson  damask,  and  was  very  heavy  from  the  immense  quantity  of 
gold  embroidery  with  which  it  was  covered.  As  the  time  when  the  late  king 
was  said  to  have  purchased  this  tobe  corresponded  very  nearly  to  the  supposed 
period  of  Park's  death,  and  as  no  other  white  mail  had  been  known  to  have  come 
from  the  north  so  far  south  as  Boossa,  the  Landers  believed  it  to  be  part  of  the 
spoil  obtained  from  the  canoe  of  that  ill-fated  traveller.  Whether  Mr.  Park  him- 
self wore  the  tobe,  or  whether  he  intended  it  as  apresent  to  a  native  chief  was 
uncertain.  The  chief  who  presented  it  to  them  had  never  worn  the  tobe,  nor 
had  his  predecessor,  from  a  superstitious  feeling ;  besides,  observed  the  king,  "it 
might  excite  the  cupidity  of  the  neighbouring  powers." 

The  king,  on  application  being  made  to  him  for  any  books  or  papers  of  Mr. 
Park  yet  in  his  possession,  returned  for  answer,  that  when  Mr.  Park  was  lost 
in  the  Niger,  he  was  a  very  little  boy,  and  that  he  knew  not  what  had  become  of 
his  effects  ;  that  the  deplorable  event  occurred  in  the  reign  of  the  late  king's  pre- 
decessor, who  died  shortly  after;  and  that  all  traces  of  the  white  man  had  been 
lost  with  him.  This  reply  seemed  to  end  the  matter,  but  by  repeating  their  re- 
quest to  the  king,  and  by  farther  inquiries,  the  Landers  at  length  thought  they 
had  attained  the  object  of  their  hopes.  One  afternoon,  (they  say,)  the  king 
came  to  see  us,  followed  by  a  man  with  a  book  under  his  arm,  which  was  said  to 
have  been  picked  up  in  the  Niger  after  the  loss  of  our  countryman.  It  was  en- 
veloped in  a  large  coUon  cloth,  and  our  hearts  beat  high  with  expectation  as  the 
man  was  slowly  unfolding  it,  for  by  its  size  we  guessed  it  to  be  Mr.  Park's  jour- 
nal ;  but  our  disappointment  and  chagrin  were  great,  when,  on  opening  the 
book,  we  discovered  it  to  be  an  old  nautical  publication  of  the  last  century.  The 
title-page  was  missing,  but  its  contents  were  chiefly  tables  of  logarithms.  It  was 
a  thick  royal  quarto,  which  led  us  to  conjecture  that  it  was  a  journal;  between 
the  leaves  we  found  a  few  loose  papers  of  very  little  consequence  indeed  ;  one 
of  them  contained  two  or  three  observations  on  the  height  of  the  water  in  the 
Gambia  ;  one  was  a  tailor's  bill  on  a  Mr.  Anderson ;  and  another  was  addressed 
to  Mr.  Mungo  Park,  and  contained  an  invitation  to  dinner, — the  following  is  a 
copy  of  it: — 

'  "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  would  be  happy  to  have  the  pleasure  of  Mr.  Park's 
company  at  dinner  on  Tuesday  next,  at  half-past  five  o'clock. 
"  An  answer  is  requested. 
"  Strand,  dth  Nov.  1804." 

The  king,  as  well  as  the  owner  of  the  book,  looked  as  greatly  mortified  as  oar- 
selves,  when  they  were  told  that  the  one  produced  was  not  that  of  which  we 
were  in  quest,  because  the  reward  promised  would  not  of  course  be  obtained. 
As  soon  as  our  curiosity  had  been  fully  satisfied,  the  papers  were  carefully  col- 
lected and  placed  again  between  the  leaves,  and  the  book  as  carefully  folded  in 
its  envelope  as  before,  and  taken  away  by  its  owner,  who  values  it  as  much  as  a 
household  god.  Thus  all  our  hopes  of  obtaining  Mr.  Park's  journal  or  papers, 
in  this  city,  are  entirely  defeated.  The  inquiry,  on  our  part,  has  not  been  pros- 
ecuted without  much  trouble  and  anxiety,  and  some  Uttle  personal  sacrifices 
44 


514  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

likewise,  which,  had  they  been  ten  times  as  great,  we  would  gladly  ha\  e  made 
while  a  single  hope  remained  of  their  being  ettectwal. 

On  the  •24th  of  June,  our  travellers  with  their  attendants  embarked  upon  the 
river  the  great  objectof  their  perilous  adventures,  in  a  canoe,  and  proceeded  up 
the  stream  to  Yaoorie,  the  extreme  point  of  their  journey  towards  the  nortti. 
Their  object  seems  to  have  been  both  to  conciliate  the  king  of  Yaooiie,  and  to 
obtain  intelligence,  if  possible,  of  the  papers  of  Mr.  Park.  The  Niger  is  descri- 
bed as  widening  from  half  a  mile,  (its  breadth  near  Boossa.)  first  to  a  mile,  and  at 
length  to  two  miles,  and  passing  through  a  rich  and  charming  country.  Beau- 
tiful, spreading,  and  spicy  trees,  adorned  like  a  park,  the  scene  on  each  side  of 
the  river  ;  com,  nearly  ripe,  waved  over  the  water's  edge  ;  large  open  villages 
appeared  every  half-hour ;  and  herds  of  spotted  cattle  were  observed  grazing 
and  enjoying  the  cool  of  the  shade.  The  appearance  of  the  river  for  several 
miles  was  no  less  enchanting  than  its  borders  ;  it  was  as  smooth  as  a  lake  ;  ca- 
noes, laden  with  sheep  and  goats,  were  paddled  by  women  down  its  almost  im- 
perceptible current;  swallows  and  a  variety  of  aquatic  birds  were  sporting  over 
its  glassy  surface,  which  w  as  ornamented  by  a  number  of  pretty  islands.  The 
heat  of  the  weather  was  veiy  distressing  until  the  approach  of  evening  wh.en  tiie 
travellers  landing,  fixed  their  tent  on  a  plot  of  rising  corn,  and  having  nothing  to 
eat  went  supperless  to  rest. 

On  re-embarking  the  next  day,  they  again  beheld  with  feelings  of  admira- 
tion, the  Niger  continuing  the  same  delightful  and  magnificent  appearance. 
They  say,  we  had  proceeded  only  a  few  hundred  yards  when  the  n\er  gradu- 
ally widened  to  two  miles,  and  continued  so  as  far  as  tlie  eye  could  reach.  It 
looked  veiy  much  like  an  artificial  canal ;  the  banks  having  tlie  appearance 
of  a  dwarf  wall,  with  vegetafion  beyond.  In  most  places  the  water  was  extreme- 
ly shallow,  but  in  others  it  was  deep  enough  to  float  a  frigate.  During  the  first 
two  hours  of  the  day  the  scenery  was  as  interesting  and  picturesque  as  cjin  be 
imagined.  The  banks  were  literally  covered  with  hamlets  and  villages ;  fine 
trees,  bending  under  the  weight  of  their  dark  and  impenetrable  foliage,  every- 
where reheved  the  eye  fiom  the  glare  of  the  sun's  rays,  and,  contrasted  with  the 
lively  verdure  of  the  little  hills  and  plains,  produced  the  most  pleasing  efiect. 
Afterward,  however,  there  was  a  decided  change  ;  the  banks,  which  belore  con- 
sisted of  dark  earth,  clay,  or  sand,  were  now  composed  oi  black  rigged  recks  ; 
large  sandbanks  and  islands  were  scattered  in  the  river,  which  diverted  it  into  a 
variety  of  little  channels,  and  efi"ectually  destroyed  its  appearance. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  dark  clouds  from  the  west  foretold  an  approaching 
storm  ;  and  our  boatmen  used  their  utmost  exertions  in  endeavouring  to  reach  a 
village,  or  some  place  of  security,  before  it  should  burst  upon  us;  but  in  this 
hope  we  were  disappointed,  for  in  a  very  few  minutes  it  blew  a  hurricane,  ac- 
companied by  thunder  and  lightning  of  tire  most  awful  description,  and  the  rain 
fell  in  torrents.  It  became,  besides,  so  dark,  that  nothing  could  be  clearly  dis- 
tinguished at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  yards.  We  were  wetted  to  the  skin  in 
a  moment;  and  our  canoe  was  in  danger  of  sinking  as  we  came  abreast  of  a 
little  fishing  village,  on  an  island,  close  to  the  water's  edge.  We  jumped  on 
shore  as  soon  as  possible,  and  ran  without  shoes  or  hats  into  tlie  first  hut\\. 
came  to  for  protection  from  the  storm.  Here  our  unlooked-for  intrusion  frigl. 
ened  away  a  poor  woman,  who  rushed  out  of  the  hut  as  we  enieied  it ;  but  v.  t 
commenced  throwing  olf  our  dripping  clothes,  and  displacing  a  pot  ol"  fish 
which  was  stewing  over  a  few  expiring  embers,  heaped  up  all  the  dry  wood  we 
could  find.  Not  till  then  did  we  discover  that  our  situation  was  little  better  tlian 
it  had  been  in  the  canoe  ;  the  hut  had  two  large  open  doorways  opposite  each 
other,  through  which  the  wind  swept  the  rain,  and  filled  it  w  ith  pools  of  water. 
This  was  loo  much  lor  us,  and  sallying  out  immediately,  half-dressed,  we  hurri- 
ed towards  a  hut  which  we  perceived  at  a  short  distance  ;  but  this  was  no  better 
than  that  which  we  had  left, — all  seemed  alike  ;  and  rushing  back  again  tlnough 
the  pelting  rain,  we  regained  our  deserted  hut,  and  resigned  ourf^^eives  to  all  its 
incorrveniences.  Our  people  shortly  afterward  came  up  to  us, quite  benumbed 
with  cold  and  wet;  and,  nolwitlistanding  their  distress  and  our  own  ccmlortless 
condition,  we  could  not  forbear  Icugliiug  at  their  comical  and  ragged  appear- 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  515 

p.nce.  Meantime  the  hostess  and  her  husband,  with  several  of  the  other  villagers, 
summoned  up  resolution  enough  to  visit  us;  and  by  w^ay  of  a  peace-offering, 
they  brought  with  them  firewood  and  a  small  quantity  of  provisions.  This  en- 
abled us  to  kindle  two  large  fires  in  the  hut,  which,  as  the  storm  was  abating, 
soon  dried  up  the  water ;  but  we  were  unavoidably  obliged  to  lie  down  in  damp 
clothes.  My  brother  and  I  sat  up  during  the  best  part  of  the  night,  for  we  found 
it  impossible  to  sleep,  not  only  on  account  of  myriads  of  mosquitoes,  but  the 
groanuig  and  snoring  of  inen,  the  barking  and  growling  of  dogs,  an  incessant 
drumming  at  an  adjacent  village,  and  the  startUng  roar  of  a  lion,  which  wias 
prowhng  about  our  quarters  near  the  whole  of  the  night. 

The  tempest  was  succeeded  by  a  cool  evening,  and  a  remarkably  clear  night. 
In  the  morning,  on  leaving  the  village,  we  were  followed  to  the  beach  by  a  few 
of  its  iniiabilants,  and  when  the  canoe  was  pushed  off  at  seven  o'clock,  they 
cheered  us  loudly.  These  people  are  harmless  and  good-naiured,  but  dirty  in 
their  persons  and  singular  in  their  manners.  Their  language  is  different  from 
that  s^poken  at  Boossa.  Most  of  the  villages  on  the  islands,  as  far  as  Yaoorie,  it 
is  said,  are  inhabited  by  the  same  race  of  people,  and  they  are  also  scattered  on 
the  banks  of  the  river.  The  women  daub  their  hair  with  red  clay,  but  they  are 
too  poor  to  purchase  many  personal  ornaments,  and  the  men  use  none  whatev* 
er.  They  appear  to  have  the  necessaries  of  life  in  abundance;  they  are  partial 
to  agriculture,  and  cultivate  large  portions  of  land  wiih  corn,  rice,  and  o;iions ; 
besides  which  fishing  is  carried  on  by  them  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  numbers 
of  the  men  go  three  days'  journey  up  the  Niger  to  catch  fish.  Most  of  their  huts 
are  supported  on  clay  pillars,  which  are  wonderfully  small ;  or  on  stone  slabs 
not  mo^e  tlian  an  incli  in  thickness.  The  walls  of  the  huts  are  only  two  or  three 
inches  in  thickness;  but  these  have  no  large  doorways  like  that  which  we  occu- 
pied ;  and  histead  of  them,  they  are  furnished  with  a  small  single  aperture  near 
the  roof,  to  which  their  owners  are  obliged  to  climb ;  and  even  then  they  can- 
not enter  without  great  exertion.  These  huts  approach  nearer  to  the  shape  of  a 
common  English  oven  than  any  thing  else  we  have  ever  seen. 

We  had  passed  the  island  whereon  we  slept  last  night  but  a  few  minutes,  and 
had  ju.st  entered  into  the  main  river,  when  we  came  to  a  spot  where  it  spreads 
again  into  branches,  and  each  channel  was  literally  filled  with  dangerous  rocks, 
sandbanks,  and  low  islands  covered  with  tall  rank  grass.  The  appearance  of 
them  was  extremely  disheartening.  We  were  conducted  up  the  main  branch  of 
the  river,  buc  were  soon  obliged  to  land  with  our  .people  in  order  to  lighten  the 
canoe,  which,  after  a  deal  of  exerUon,  was  lifted  over  a  ridge  of  rocks  into  deep- 
er water.  iJuring  the  greater  part  of  the  morning,  indeed,  our  canoe  was  con- 
tinually striking  against  concealed  rocks,  or  runnmg  on  hidden  sandbanks,  but 
sustained  no  apparent  damage  by  the  concussion ;  the  only  inconvenience  we 
experience i  irom  it  was  the  fatiguing  one  of  being  obliged  to  get  out  and  in 
whenever  it  was  tbund  necessary.  It  therefore  aftbrded  us  much  pleasure  to  be 
landed,  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  for  we 
were  heartily  tired  of  our  morning's  work,  and  felt  highly  gratified  that  it  was 
over. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  water's  edge  the  country  was  thickly  studded 
with  clusters  of  huts,  which  all  together  are  caUed  the  village  of  Sooloo ;  and  we 
took  up  our  quarters  in  a  large  one,  which  is  nearest  the  landing-place.  The 
inhabitants  resenule  very  much  .the  islanders  already  spoken  of;  they  culfivate 
much  land,  and  catch  vast  quantities  offish  ;  but  though  they  live  well,  tliey  are 
clothed  very  indifferently.  The  only  ornaments  they  wear  are  made  of  the 
back-bone  of  a  certain  species  offish,  which  are  tied  round  the  loins  and  other 
parts  of  the  body.  Besides  corn,  &c.,  the  inhabitants  also  grow  immense  quan- 
tities of  onions,  and  tliey  have  large  storehouses  full  of  these  ready  to  be  exported 
to  difterent  parts  of  the  continent.  The  price  of  an  onion  here  is  two  cowries ; 
at  KaUmga  Ibrty,  and  at  Badagry  they  fetch  so  high  a  price  as  a  hundred  cow- 
ries each. 

We  were  treated  this  afterrloon  with  much  hospitality  by  them,  and  they  did 
all  in  their  power  to  render  our  short  stay  as  agreeable  as  possible. 


516  RICHARD    AND    JOHN  LANDER. 

Both  of  us  awoke  in  the  morning  rather  unwell,  which  was  most  likely  occa- 
sioned by  our  exposure  to  the  tempest  of  Friday.  The  old  chief  of  the  village 
accompanied  us  to  the  water's  edge  when  we  quitted  our  hut  for  the  purpose 
of  embarking,  and  enjoined  the  "  king  of  the  canoe"  to  be  particularly  careful 
of  his  charge.  "Careful!"  answered  the  man;  "to  be  sure  I  will;  do  I  not 
know  that  white  men  are  more  precious  than  a  boat-load  of  eggs,  and  require  as 
much  care  to  be  taken  of  them  ?"  We  entreated  the  same  man  a  short  time 
afterward  to  be  more  active  and  diligent  in  the  management  of  his  canoe,  for  he 
was  rather  inclined  to  be  lazy,  and  suffered  every  one  to  go  before  ours ;  but  he 
replied  gravely,  "  Kings  do  not  travel  so  fast  as  common  men  ;  I  must  convey 
you  along  as  slowly  as  possible." 

We  had  heard  so  unfiivourable  an  account  of  the  state  of  the  river  at  one  par- 
ticular place  which  we  should  have  to  pass,  that  our  people  were  compelled  to 
disembark  and  walk  along  the  banks  a  considerable  way,  till  we -had  passed  it, 
when  we  took  them  in  again.  We  found  the  description  to  be  in  nowise  exag- 
gerated ;  it  presented  a  most  forbidding  ajipearance,  and  yields  only  to  the  state 
of  the  Niger  near  Boossa,  in  difficulty  and  danger.  On  our  arrival  at  this  formi- 
dable place,  we  discovered  a  range  of  black  rocks  rurming  directly  across  the 
stream,  and  the  water,  finding  only  one  narrow  passage,  rushed  through  it  with 
great  impetuosity,  overturning  and  carrying  away  every  thing  in  its  course. 
Our  boatmen,  with  the  assistance  of  a  number  of  the  natives,  who  planted  them- 
selves on  the  rocks  on  each  side  of  the  only  channel,  and  in  the  stream  at  the 
stern  of  the  canoe,  lifted  it  by  main  force  into  smoother  and  .safer  water.  The 
last  difficulty  with  respect  to  rocks  and  sandbanks  was  now  overcome,  and  in  a 
very  little  time  we  came  to  the  termination  of  all  the  islands,  after  which,  it  is 
said,  there  is  not  a  single  dangerous  place  up  the  Niger.  The  river  here  pre- 
sented its  noblest  appearance ;  not  a  single  rock  nor  sandbank  was  anywhere 
perceptible  ;  its  borders  resumed  their  beauty,  and  a  strong,  refreshing  breeze, 
which  had  blown  during  the  whole  of  the  morning,  now  gave  it  the  motion  of  a 
slightly-agitated  sea.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  passed  two  lovely  little 
islands,  clothed  in  verdure,  which  at  a  short  distance  looked  as  charming  as  the 
fabled  gardens  of  Hespena  ;  indeed  no  spot  on  earth  can  excel  them  in  beauty 
of  appearance.     These  islands  are  inhabited  by  a  few  individuals. 

About  eleven  A.  M.  we  landed  at  the  foot  of  a  little  village  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  river,  where  our  horses  and  men  had  arrived  before  us.  Here  a  httle  milk 
was  presented  to  us  by  a  Falatah  in  the  service  of  the  Sultan  of  Yaoorie,  and  we 
rested  under  a  large  tree  an  hour  or  two,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  carriers  from 
the  city  of  Yaoorie,  who  had  been  sent  for  yesterday  by  one  of  the  messengers 
that  had  charge  of  our  horses.  I'hese  men  arrived  at  the  village  between  one 
and  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  immediately  mounted  and  rode  on- 
wards. 

We  travelled  over  a  steril  country,  which  was  gradually  rising  at  every  step, 
and  abounded  plentifully  in  game.  The  weather  was  oppressively  warm,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  refresh  ourselves  by  halting  occasionally  and  resting  in  the 
shade.  The  soil,  which  at  first  was  so  indifierent  and  barren,  improved  greatly 
as  we  drew  near  Yaoorie  ;  and  immense  patches  of  land,  cultivated  with  a  vari- 
ety of  corn,  also  with  rice,  indigo,  cotton,  &c.,  were  visible  on  every  side. 
Labourers  were  employed  in  these  plantations,  attended  by  a  dnmimer,  that 
they  might  be  excited  by  the  sound  of  his  instrument  to  work  well  and  briskly. 
On  attaining  the  summit  of  a  steep  hill,  we  rode  over  a  very  narrow  pathway, 
so  much  overhung  by  an  impenetrable  thorny  shrub  that  there  was  not  rooia 
for  more  than  one  man  to  walk.  This  led  us  to  the  wall  of  Yaoorie,  and  we  en- 
tered the  city  through  an  amazingly  strong  p;issage,  in  which  was  an  immense 
door  covered  with  plates  of  iron,  rudely  fastened  to  the  wood-work.  We  were 
almost  exhau.sted  with  fiitigue  on  our  arrival,  insomuch  lliat  we  excused  our- 
selves from  visiting  and  paying  our  respects  to  the  sidum,  and  we  were  conduct- 
ed to  a  convenient  habitation,  which  had  been  prepared  for  us. 

The  city  of  Yaoorie  is  the  capital  of  Yaoorie,  a  large,  flourishing,  and  united 
kingdom,  under  tlie  dominion  of  an  hereditary  monarch,  whose  govermuent  is 


I 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  517 

an  absolute  despotism.  The  city  is  of  prodigious  extent,  and  is  supposed  to  be 
as  populous  <'is  any  other  on  the  whole  continent.  Its  wall  is  high  and  very  ex- 
cellent, though  made  of  clay  alone,  and  may  be  between  twenty  and  thirty 
miles  in  circuit;  and  it  has  eight  vast  entrance-gates  or  doors,  well  fortified  after 
the  manner  of  the  country.  Between  the  clusters  of  huts  in  the  city,  there  is  a 
considerable  quantity  of  fertile  land,  wrhich  is  left  for  cattle  to  graze  on,  or  for  the 
purposes  of  agriculture.  There  is  a  great  variety  of  trees  within  the  walls  of 
the  city,  consisting  of  thehme,  the  palm,  the  nii-cadania,  and  the  date  ;  but  the 
latter,  though  it  appears  very  luxuriant,  never  was  known  to  bear  fruit.  The 
palm  tree  adorns  the  banks  of  the  Niger,  and  increases  in  quantity  the  farther 
we  advance  up  the  river ;  yet  that  variety  of  it  which  bears  the  cocoanut  is  no 
where  to  be  seen,  owing  most  likely  to  the  distance  from  the  sea.  No  estima- 
tion can  be  formed  of  the  number  of  inhabitants,  but  it  is  surprisingly  great. 

The  sultan's  residence,  as  well  as  the  Ijouses  of  many  of  the  principal  inhabit- 
ants of  the  city,  are  two  stories  in  height,  have  thick  and  clumsy  stairs  of  clay 
leading  to  the  upper  apartments,  which  are  rather  lofty.  The  principal  part  of 
the  houses  are  built  in  the  circular  or  coozie  fashion.  The  natives  of  Western 
and  Central,  and  we  believe,  also  of  Northern  Africa,  moisten  the  floors  of  their 
huts  and  the  inside  of  their  walls  with  a  solution  of  cow-dung  and  water,  two  or 
three  times  a  day,  or  as  often  as  they  can  find  the  materials.  Though  disagreea- 
ble to  the  smell  of  a  European,  this  keeps  the  interior  of  a  dwelling  as  cool  as  it 
is  dark. 

The  inhabitants  have  some  few  manufactures,  and  grov/  indigo,  tobacco,  on- 
ions, different  kinds  of  grain,  and  rice  of  a  very  superior  quahty  ;  have  horses, 
bullocks,  goats,  &c.,  and  are  industrious,  yet  they  are  poorly  clad,  and  discon- 
tented with  their  condition. 

The  higher  class  of  women  wear  their  hair  plaited  very  ingeniously,  and  dyed 
blue  with  indigo  ;  their  lips  are  stained  yellow  and  blue,  which  gives  them  an 
inexpressibly  odd  appearance  ;  and  their  eyes  are  blackened  with  pow^dered  an- 
timony, or  something  of  ttie  same  nature  and  properties.  The  use  ofjiennahis 
as  general  at  Yaoorie  as  elsewhere  ;  the  more  opulent  females  make  use  of  this 
most  beautiful  dye  in  profusion ;  they  simply  apply  the  pounded  leaves  of  the 
plant  to  the  teeth,  and  to  the  finger  and  toe-nails ;  ibr  the  latter  it  is  made  into  a 
kind  of  poultice,  and  in  the  evening  is  put  on  tho>e  parts,  and  remains  till  next 
morning.  The  poorer  sort  of  females,  from  necessity  probably,  make  use  of 
neither  of  these  ornaments,  and  save  tattooing,  tliey  have  no  personal  embellish- 
ments whatever. 

Before  visiting  the  sultan,  the  chief  Arab  of  the  city,  or  the  sultan's  prime 
minister,  came  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  travellers.  »He  is  described  as  a  very 
old  man,  as  dark  as  a  native,  and  dressed  in  the  costume  of  the  country.  His 
beard  was  long,  and  white  as  snow,  and  a  singular  tuft  of  hair  which  was  direct- 
ly under  the  lower  lip  did  not  look  much  unlike  the  tail  of  a  white  mouse. 
Though  toothless,  the  old  man  was  yet  very  communicative — and  intelligent. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  after  their  arrival,  the  sultan  sent  the  travellers  a 
bullock,  a  fine  large  sheep  of  a  peculiar  species,  the  handsomest,  they  say,  we 
ever  saw  ;  a  great  quantity  of  milk,  and  several  hundred  weight  of  rice ;  and 
the  next  evening  they  received  a  large  turkey  and  a  bowl  of  rice  from  the  chief 
of  the  Arabs.  The  following  is  Lander's  description  of  their  first  visit  to  the 
sultan,  which  took  place  on  the  second  day  alter  their  arrival : — 

This  evening,  by  desire,  we  went  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  sultan.  We 
Koon  arrived  at  the  palace,  which  is  a  very  large  buildhig,  or  rather  a  group  of 
buildings  enclosed  by  a  high  wall ;  and  dismounting,  we  were  presently  coziduct- 
ed  through  a  low  avenue  formed  by  pillars,  which  was  as  dark  as  a  subterraneous 
passage.  This  led  to  a  large  square  yard,  which  we  entered,  and  found  it  to 
communicate  with  the  sultan's  apartments,  by  the  number  of  domestics  that 
were  hurrying  about.  Several  people  were  sitting  on  the  ground,  but  we  were 
obliged  to  stand  a  long  time,  during  which  a  prolbund  silence  was  preserved, 
and^no  one  was  polite  enough  to  offer  us  a  mat  to  sit  on.  At  length  we  receiv- 
ed a  summons  to  advance,  and  were  introduced  into  another  square,  very  much 
resembling  a  clean  fiirm-yard.  Here  we  discovered  the  sultan  sitting  alone  in 
44* 


518  RICHAKD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

the  centre  of  the  square,  on  a  plain  piece  of  carpeting,  with  a  pillow  on  each 
side  of  him,  and  a  neat  brass  pan  in  front.  His  appearance  v/as  not  only  mean, 
but  absolutely  squalid  and  dirty.  He  is  a  big-headed,  corpulent,  and  jolly- 
looking  man,  well  stricken  in  years ;  and  though  there  is  something  harsh  an  1 
forbidding  in  his  countenance,  yet  he  was  generally  smiling  duiing  the  confer- 
ence. The  conversation  commenced  in  the  usual  complimentary  way;  and 
then  our  object  in  visiting  Yaoorie  was  briefly  and  indirectly  hinted  at.  When 
we  asked  him  whether  he  did  not  send  a  letter  to  the  late  Captain  Clappertoa 
while  that  officer  was  at  Kooifu,  in  which  he  had  affirmed  that  he  had  certain 
books  and  papers  in  his  possession  which  belonged  to  Mr.  Park,  he  appeared 
very  much  confused.  After  thinking  and  hesitating  a  good  while,  he  answered 
with  an  affected  laugh.  "  How  do  you  think  that  I  could  have  the  books  of  a 
person  that  was  lost  at  Boossa'"  anil  this  was  all  he  said  on  the  subject.  Ho 
subsequently  wished  to  know  the  reason  that  Captain  Clapperton  refused  to 
visit  him  when  he  passed  through  the  country  ;  but  more  especially  why,  after 
his  death,  I  had  not  paid  him  that  mark  of  respect  on  my  return  to  the  coast 
from  Soccatoo.  My  reply  to  him  was,  that  I  had  been  told  he  was  the  greatest 
monarch  in  the  country,  and  therefore  I  should  have  felt  ashamed  to  have  visited 
him  with  the  trifling  present  which  I  had  to  offer,  as  he  might  consider  it  an  in- 
sult to  his  dignity.  A  frown  of  disapprobation  settled  on  his  countenance  at 
hearing  this,  and  he  sharply  rejoined,  that  he  was  perfectly  well  acquainted  with 
the  nature  and  value  of  the  presents  which  had  been  made  to, the  various  chiefs 
I  had  visited ;  but  that  if  I  had  nothing  to  offer  him,  it  was  my  duty,  and  should 
have  been  my  first  care,  to  have  paid  my  respects  to  him  at  Yaoorie.  Here 
the  conversation  was  abruptly  ended;  the  sultan  was  more  than  half-inclined 
to  be  angry  with  us ;  and  we  were  not  at  all  sorry  to  be  reconducted  to  the 
open  air. 

The  character  of  the  sultan  is  much  like  that  of  most  of  the  chiefs  in  AfVica. 
He  manifested  the  sq,me  childish  fondness  for  presents,  and  resorted  to  the  same 
petty  stratagems  and  tricks  to  obtain  them,  iie  received  his  presents  very  cold- 
ly, probably,  with  the  view  of  getting  somethmg  more,  purchased  goods  of  the 
travellers,  and  then  neglected  payment,  under  the  pretence  that  they  asked  too 
much  for  them,  and  on  one  occasion  when  having  made  application  for  the  sale 
of  some  powder  and  red  cloth,  they  were  sent  to  him  with  a  message  that  he  was 
at  liberty  to  give  what  he  thought  proper  for  them,  he  kept  the  goods  without 
making  the  slightest  acknowledgment,  and  also  sent  in  the  evening  of  the  same 
day  to  beg  a  few  needles.  He  deferred  giving  permission  for  their  departure 
from  day  to  day  and  week  to  week,  under  a  variety  of  nonsensical  excuses, 
with  the  intention  of  detaining  them  at  Yaoorie,  until  he  had  drained  them  of 
every  thing  they  had.  One  of  the  inducements  urged  upon  the  travellers  for 
their  longer  stay,  and  as  related  in  their  own  words,  was  as  follows : 

He  has  made  us  a  present  of  a  quantity  of  worthless  feathers,  which  he  had 
caused  to  be  plucked  from  the  body  of  a  live  ostrich ;  and  because  he  entertained 
an  opinion,  that  if  others  were  added  to  them  they  would  altogether  form  a  very 
acceptable  present  to  our  gracious  sovereign,  he  informed  us  that  it  would  be 
necessary  we  should  wait  till  such  time  as  the  ostrich  should  regain  its  plumage, 
in  order  for  that  part  of  its  body  which  had  not  been  previously  plucked  to  un- 
dergo a  similar  operation ;  for  the  weather,  he  asserted,  was  much  too  cold  for 
the  bird  to  lose  all  its  feathers  at  one  and  the  same  time.  And  further  to  en- 
courage their  growth,  he  would  order  that  two  thousand  cowries'  worth  of  but- 
ter (about  twelve  pounds  weight)  should  be  diligently  rubbed  into  the  skin  of  the 
animal.  This  money  has  actually  been  deducted  by  the  sultan  for  this  express 
purpose  from  the  sum  which  lie  was  indebted  to  us ;  because,  he  said,  he  did  not 
approve  of  paying  for  the  butter  from  his  own  pocket. 

The  sultan  was  guilty  of  similar  tricks  towards  his  own  subjects,  as  well  as 
towards  most  of  the  merchants  who  visit  Yaoorie.  He  however  at  last,  after 
complaining  .sadly  of  his  poverty,  begged  our  travellers  to  accept  a  female  slave 
in  lieu  of  the  money  he  owed  them,  and  which  he  declared  his  inability  lo  pay. 
After  a  good  deal  of  hesitaiioa,  they  took  the  girl,  and  she  beciune  the  wiJe  of 
one  of  their  attendants. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER,  519 

The  sultan's  daughters,  (say  our  travellers,)  are  very  numerous;  and  m Ac- 
cordance with  the  usual  custom  of  the  country,  we  have  been  obliged  to  make 
them  a  present  of  a  button,  or  a  string  of  beads,  or  some  such  trifle.  Many  of 
these  ladies  are  not  very  young,  for  tliey  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life  ;  but 
notwithstanding  their  seniority,  they  have  had  bitter  disputes  and  quarrels  with 
their  sisters  for  ihe  fancied  better  place  which  the  latter  have  in  our  good  graces, 
and  the  consequen.  kinder  treatment  which  they  have  experienced  at  our  hands. 
A  breach  is  tuus  made  in  the  atiections  of  the  r6yal  sisters  towards  each  other, 
and  it  may  be  years  before  domestic  harmony  is  re-established  among  them. 
One  or  otuer  of  these  females  complains  to  us  every  day  of  having  been  enga- 
ged in  wrangling  or  fighting  with  a  sister,  on  the  score  of  jealousy ;  and  we  are 
obliged  to  muster  all  our  patience  and  condole  with  them  in  their  little  misfor- 
tunes, witliout,  however,  having  the  ability  to  relieve  them. 

Two  or  three  of  these  daughters  are  our  daily  visiters,  and  they  trifle  away  a 
good  deal  of  time  in  our  company.  They  sometimes  bring  with  them  a  pleasant 
intoxicating  liquor  called  booza,  (a  kind  of  beer,)  which  they  ofler  us  to  drink; 
but  thay  contrive  to  get  tipsy  with  it  themselves.  These  ladies  are  occasionally 
so  troublesome  that  we  are  obliged  to  frighten  them  away  with  our  pistols. 

The  heir  apparent  on  one  occasion  paid  txie  travellers  a  visit,  but  the  chief  of 
the  Arabs  entering,  and  seeing  tne  young  man  in  conversation  with  them, 
seemed  surprised  and  displeased,  and  immediately  ordered  the  young  man  to 
quit  the  apartment  with  his  suite,  which  order  the  prince  instantly  obeyed,  with- 
out a  syllable  of  complaint  at  the  peremptory  command.  The  Arab  afterwards 
on  being  solicited  for  an  explanation  of  such  arbitrary  conduct,  said  that  it  was 
done  in  order  to  prevent  the  young  man  from  soliciting  poison  which  he  might 
employ  in  the  destruction  of  his  father's  life. 

The  traveUers  used  every  means  while  at  Yaoorie  that  might  possibly  enable 
them  to  discover  the  papers  of  Park,  or  which  might  disclose  additional  facts  in 
regard  to  his  melancholy  fate. 

Park  made  his  voyage  down  the  Niger  at  about  the  same  season  of  the  year — 
the  heat  was  excessive — the  river  low,  and  of  course  presenting  the  rocks  and 
islands  in  its  channel  to  obstruct  his  progress.  He  must  have  had  a  thousand 
difficulties  to  encounter ;  his  canoemen,  wiio  in  all  probability  were  his  slaves, 
were  said  to  be  chained  to  the  canoe,  in  order  to  prevent  their  running  away  ; 
his  piiot  was  unac  juainled  with  the  river  any  farther  than  Yaoorie,  and  was 
theretbre  discharged  there,  while  Park  with  a  companion,  imd  three  white  boys, 
continued  their  voyage  down  the  Niger,  without  any  person  whatever  to  point 
out  the  safest  channel,  or  warn  them  of  their  danger.  When  the  accident  hap- 
pened at  Boossa  by  which  they  lost  their  hves,  it  is  said  they  preferred  being 
drowned  to  avoid  as  they  imagined,,  a  more  dreadful  death. 

The  chief  of  the  Arabs  informed  our  travellers,  that  Park  did  not  visit  Yaoorie, 
but  remained  in  his  canoe,  and  despatched  a  messenger  in  his  stead  to  the  sultan 
with  a  suitable  present.  The  chief  of  the  Arabs  was  sent  to  Park  with  presents 
in  return,  and  by  his  description  of  Park's  dress,  he  must  have  worn  the  laced 
tobe  Which  the  travellers  obtained  at  Boossa.  He  was  said  to  have  been  drown- 
ed in  this  same  dress.  The  Arab  informed  the  Landers  that  he  had  in  his  pos- 
session a  cutlass  and  a  double-ban elled  gun  which  was  part  of  Mr.  Park's 
present  to  the  sultan.  They  expressed  a  wish  to  look  at  these  weapons,  and 
they  were  immediately  sent  for.  The  gun  was  very  excellent,  and  handsomely 
mounted  ;  and  we  ottered  our  own  fowling-piece  in  exchange  for  it,  which  was 
cheerfully  agreed  to. 

After  repeated  applications  to  the  sultan  for  the  lost  papers  of  Park,  without 
obtaining  any  satisiactory  reply,  the  travellers  sent  one  of  their  attendants  with  a 
message  that  they  wished  to  receive  a  final  and  decisive  answer  in  regard  to  the 
papers,  which  were  the  sole  object  of  tlieir  visit,  and  that  they  wished  to  quit 
Yaoorie  immediately.  This  bold  step  seemed  to  startle  the  sultan,  and  he  in- 
stantly despatched  tne  old  Arab  to  inform  them  that  "  he  declared  to  God,  in  the 
most  solemn  manner,  that  he  had  never  had  in  his  possession,  nor  seen,  any 
books  or  papers  of  the  white  travellers  that  perished  at  Boosa."  The  Arab 
likewise  assured  us  that  we  were  at  Uberty  to  proceed  on  our  journey  whenever 
we  should  think  proper. 


520  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Thus,  notwithstanding  all  the  false  hopes  which  the  sultan  artfully  held  out  to 
us  that  Mr.  Park's  papers  were  actually  in  his  possession,  his  letter  to  Captain 
Clapperton,  which  expressly  stated  this  to  be  the  case,  and  the  pitiful  shulfling 
which  he  has  displayed  to  keep  us  so  long  in  suspense  with  respect  to  any  true 
information,  it  appears,  without  doubt,  that  he  has  not,  and  never  has  had, 
a  single  book  or  paper  in  the  English  language.  His  only  motive  for  the  das- 
tardly conduct  he  has  displayed  could  have  been  neither  more  nor  less  than  the 
hope  of  getting  us  into  his  power  by  misrepresentation  and  falsehood,  in  order 
to  obtain  some  of  the  European  articles  which  we  had  in  our  possession.  The 
sultan  afterwards  sent  to  inform  us  that  he  should  be  occupied  three  days  in 
writing  to  the  King  of  England  an  explanation  of  his  conduct  with  respect  to 
Mr.  Park's  papers ;  and  he  would  therefore  thank  us  to  remain  in  Yaoorie  till 
the  expiration  of  that  period. 

At  last,  on  the  first  of  August,  after  having  been  detained  at  Yaoorie  about  five 
weeks,  shut  up  in  narrow  and  gloomy  apartment!-',  annoyed  by  night  by  my- 
riads of  gnats,  cockroaches,  black  ants,  and  bats,  and  vexed  by  day  by  human 
visiters,  whose  society  was  scarcely  less  tolerable,  the  travellers  received  the  joy- 
ful intelligence  that  they  were  at  hberty  to  depart.  Accordingly  they  paid  their 
respects  to  the  king,  took  their  leave  of  him,  and  the  next  morning  were  on  their 
return  to  Boossa. 

On  Monday,  the  2d  of  August,  our  travellers  left  Yaoorie,  and  proceeding 
through  the  river  Cubbie,  returned,  down  the  Niger,  by  a  diff'erent  channel,  to 
Boossa.     Their  departure  from  the  city  is  thus  described : 

All  was  hurry,  bustle,  noise,  and  confusion  at  a  very  early  hour  in  the  morning, 
in  getting  our  things  ready  for  starting  ;  but  in  spite  of  our  exertions  we  had  to 
wait  a  lonij  time  outside  our  house,  after  the  beasts  had  been  laden,  and  our  peo- 
ple had  their  burdens  on  tlieir  heads,  for  the  sultan's  long-expected  letter  to  our 
most  gracious  sovereign.  A  mallam  was  ai  length  perceived  hurrying  towards 
us  with  it;  and  after  him  came,  mounted  on  a  large  bony  horse,  and  extremely 
well  dressed  in  the  costume  of  his  country,  the  venerable  Arab  chief,  to  honour 
us  with  his  company  a  little  way  on  our  journey.  His  appearance  was  stately 
and  patriarchal  in  the  extreme.  But  this  crafty  old  man  was  not  our  friend,  for 
he  had  used  us  deceitfully,  arid  misrepresented  us  and  our  goods  to  his  master ; 
and  we  had  enjoyed  an  innocent  kind  of  revenge,  in  administering  to  him,  after 
repeated  apphcations,  a  powerful  dose  of  medicine,  which,  harmless  in  its  effects, 
had  yet  been  very  troublesome  to  him.  Indeed  it  was  not  till  we  had  "  jalaped" 
the  sultan,  his  sister,  and  all  the  royal  family,  that  we  were  permitted  to  take  our 
farewell  of  Yaoorie.  The  city  was  literally  covered  with  water  on  our  passing 
through  it,  and  the  deep  hollows  formed  by  the  rains  were  very  numerous,  and 
dangerous  by  being  invisible ;  nevertheless,  with  care  and  patience,  we  all  got 
outside  the  gates  in  safety. 

It  is  pleasant,  \ery  pleasant,  afler  an  imprisonment  of  five  weeks  in  a  close, 
dark,  and  unwholesome  chamber,  subject  to  every  kind  of  inconvenience  and 
much  anxiety,  to  be  set  at  liberty;  to  know  and  feel  that  one  is  free;  to  admire 
again  the  beauties  of  God's  creatiou,  and  enjoy  once  more  the  cheering  fresh- 
ness of  the  country.  It  is  only  in  health  that  such  feelings  can  either  be  excited 
or  indulged.  Objects  ever  so  charming  are  looked  on  witli  indifference  by  an 
'invalid.  For  our  parts,  we  had  entered  Yaoorie  in  sickness,  and  had  suffered 
much  in  that  city  ;  but  we  left  it  in  all  the  strength  and  vigour  of  health.  During 
our  residence  tliere,  the  growth  of  vegetation  had  been  astonishingly  rapid ;  the 
face  of  the  country  wore  an  aspect  entirely  diflerent  and  improved ;'  tiie  trees 
and  shrubs  had  put  on  a  greener  and  lovelier  "livery;"  the  grasses,  stunted  as 
they  were  before  lor  want  of  moisture,  had  sprung  up  to  the  surprising  height 
often  or  twelve  feet ;  and  the  corn  and  rice  had  grown  up  with  no  less  vigour. 

Owing  to  the  reputed  badness  of  the  path,  that  by  which  we  had  euicred 
Yaoorie  was  rejected  for  a  more  northerly  one,  leading  in  almost  a  direct  Ime  to 
tlie  river  Cubbie.  About  a  mile  or  two  from  the  walls  of  Yaoorie  the  old  Arab 
stopped  suddenly,  and  we  imitating  his  example,  he  offered  up  a  short  though 
animated  Moiiammedan  prayer  ior  our  success,  and  bidding  us  an  afiectiouate 
farewell,  he  turned  his  horse  about  uud  returned  to  the  city. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  521 

In  the  anticipation  of  journeying  to  Guarie,  we  had  purchased  an  ass  of  Ali, 
the  Arab ;  and  this  animal,  as  well  as  the  horses,  suffered  greatly  froiu  the  attacks 
of  a  species  of  large  fly,  which  is  to  them  by  day  what  mosquitoes  are  to  man- 
kind by  night;  and  this  evil,  combined  with  the  ruggedness  and  inequality  of  the 
road,  which  was  intercepted  by  deep  and  rapid  rivulets,  caused  us  much  delay 
and  annoyance.  About  mid-day  we  arrived  at  the  walls  of  a  pretty  con:<iderable 
town,  called  Guada,  and  halted  near  a  small  creek  of  a  river  flowing  from  Cub- 
bie,  and  entered  the  Niger  a  little  lower  down.  Here,  as  soon  as  we  had  taken 
a  slight  refreshment,  we  sent  our  beasts  across  the  Niger  to  proceed  by  land  to 
Boossa,  and  embarked  in  two  canoes,  which  were  each  paddled  by  i'our  men. 
These  canoes  are  about  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  long,  and  Ibrmed  from  a  single 
log  of  wood,  unlike  those  of  Coossa.  When  we  got  into  the  main  body  of  the 
Cubbie  river,  the  canoemen  kept  us  exposed  to  the  sun  for  a  considerable  time, 
waiting  the  arrival  of  two  companions,  because  the  men  with  whom  we  had 
been  supplied  were  unable  to  manage  both  canoes  by  themselves.  Though  we 
entreated  the  four  men  to  go  a  litdc  way  with  us,  or  at  least  to  convey  us  into  a 
cool  and  shady  place,  which  we  pointed  out  to  them,  for  protection  from  the 
sun's  rayp,  they  would  not  learken  to  us;  we  found  icolding,  threats,  and  suppli- 
cation to  be  all  equally  unavailing  ;  they  maintained  the  same  calm,  yet  moitify- 
ing  placidity  of  countenance,  than  which  in  such  a  case  nothing  can  be  more 
vexing.  At  length  we  were  fain  to  hold  our  peace,  and  patiently  resigned  our- 
selves to  the  inconvenience. 

The  Cubbie  river  falls  into  the  Niger  about  four  miles  from  the  creek  where 
we  had  embarked  ;  and  on  entering  the  Niger,  we  found  it  running  from  two  to 
tliree  miles  an  hour,  and  with  trifling  labour  on  the  part  of  the  canoemen,  we 
could  have  journeyed  very  rapidly;  but  though  we  had  taken  on  board  their  two 
companions,  the  whole  of  them  were  so  obstinately  indolent,  that  we  travelled 
very  slowly  indeed,  insomuch  that  we  did  not  expect  to  arrive  at  the  appointed 
halting-place  for  the  night.  The  canoes,  however,  were  passing  along  almost 
close  to  the  shore,  and  we  saw  a  woman  at  the  water's  edge  who  had  a  quantity 
of  cheap  country  beer  for  sale,  and  thinking  it  might  animate  the  men  to  a  little 
more  exertion,  we  purchased  as  much  as  they  could  drink,  which  in  a  few  min- 
utes completely  metamorpho.*ed  them.  Tlie  meekness,  innocence,  and  compo- 
sure of  their  lisdess  countenances  soon  passed  away;  their  heavy  eyes  sparkled 
with  fire  and  animation;  they  trembled  all  over  with  anxiety  to  display  their 
strength,  dexttr  ty,  and  v-gour ;  and  each  being  emulous  to  rival  his  companion, 
they  snatched  up  their  paddles,  and  by  tl  eir  united  efioits  the  canoes  glided 
through  the  water  with  inconceivable  velocity,  even  to  the  danger  of  up.- et  ing. 
Thus  we  proceeded  down  the  river  till  the  sun  had  set,  and  the  moon  was  shin- 
ing beautifully  on  the  water,  as  we  drew  near  to  a  small  Cumbrie  village  on  the 
borders  of  the  river,  where  we  landed  and  pitched  our  tent.  The  thermometer 
to-day  has  varied  from7o°  to  9^°. 

Tuesday,  August  'M. — Arising  at  an  early  hour,  we  shot  a  partridge  and 
Guinea-fowl,  and  breakfiisted  in  the  open  air,  under  the  intense  scrutiny  of  a 
hundred  black  eyes;  then,  striking  our  tent,  \ve  hastened  to  the  canoes  which  we 
had  left  secured,  and  embarked  on  the  river  while  it  was  yet  nioniing,  and  the 
air  cool  and  pleasant.  Though  the  lowering  appearance  ot  the  firmament  seem- 
ed to  betoken  a  violent  storm,  the  black  clouds  dispersed  as  the  sun  ^'athered 
strength,  and  he  burst  out  on  us,  an  hour  after  our  departure,  with  peculiar  heat 
and  splendour. 

On  all  the  borders  of  the  numerous  branches  of  the  river,  as  well  as  on  its 
small  islands,  vast  quantities  of  corn  were  growing  ;  and  it  being  near  the  Ume  of 
harvest,  it  was  nearly  ripe,  and  waved  over  the  water's  edge  very  prettily.  Plat- 
forms were  every  where  erected  to  the  height  of,  or  rather  above  the  corn,  which 
grows  as  high  as  ten  or  twelve  feet.  People  were  stationed  on  these  to  scare 
away  the  numerous  flights  of  small  birds,  which  do  great  mischief,  and  would, 
without  this  precauhon,  destroy  the  hopes  of  the  cultivator.  A  boy  or  girl,  and 
in  many  cases  a  woman  with  a  child  at  her  breast,  and  even  a  whole  family  to- 
gether, we  observed  on  the  platforms,  amusing  themselves  in  this  manner,  with- 
out the  slightest  shade  or  covering  of  any  kind  to  shelter  them  from  the  fierceness 


522  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

of  the  sunbeams.  Standing  erect  and  motionless,  many  of  them  looked  like 
statues  of  black  marble,  rather  than  living  hum  in  beings;  but  others,  particular- 
ly the  women,  disregarding  their  duty,  were  industriously  employed  in  plaiting 
straw,  supplying  the  wants  of  their  cliildren,  nianufacturing  mats,  dressing  pro- 
visions, &,c.  In  order  the  more  eftectually  to  frighten  away  the  birds,  several 
of  the  watchers  were  furnished  with  slings  and  stones,  in  the  use  of  which  they 
seem  to  be  very  skilful ;  beside  these,  pieces  of  rope  were  fastened  from  the 
platform  to  a  tree  at  some  distance,  to  which  large  calabashes  were  suspended, 
with  holes  in  them,  through  which  sticks  were  passed,  so  that  whenthe  rope  is 
pulled  they  make  aloud  clattering noi.-je.  The calaba^^hes  are  sometimes  fasten- 
ed whole  to  the  rope,  containing  about  a  haadful  of  stones,  which  answer  the 
purpose  of  making  a  noise  when  put  in  motion,  as  well  as  the  sticks.  To  this 
is  often  added  the  hallooing  and  screaming  of  the  watchers.  Which  is  dismal 
eno'igh  to  frighten  an  evil  spirit,  and  it  rarely  fails  to  produce  the  desired  effect. 

The  inhabitants  of  many  of  the  numerous  walled  towns  and  open  villages  on 
the  banksof  the  Niger,  and  al-o  of  the  islands,  we  find,  are  for  the  most  part 
Cumbrie  paople — a  poor,  despised,  abused,  but  industrious  and  hard-working 
race.  T^iey  are  but  too  often  oppressed  and  persecuted  by  their  more  fortunate 
and  powerfiil  neighbours,  who  affirm  t'lat  they  are  fitted  by  nature  only  for  slaves, 
and  are  therefore  invariably  treated  by  them  as  such. 

The  Cumbrie  also  inhabit  many  parts  of  Houssa  and  other  countries;  they 
speak  different  languages,  but  they  have  all  the  same  pursuits,  superstitions, 
amusements,  and  peculiar  m  inners,  to  which  they  firmly  and  scrupulously  ad- 
here, both  in  good  and  bad  fortime,  in  sickness  and  in  health,  in  freedom  and 
slavery,  at  home  and  in  foreign  countries,  notwithstanding  the  scorn  and  derision 
to  which  it  subjects  them  ;  and  they  arc  known  to  cherish  and  maintain  them  to 
the  end  of  life,  with  as  much  pertinacity  as  the  Hebrew  does  his  faith  and  na- 
tional custonis.  Inheriting  from  their  ancestors  a  peaceful,  timid,  passionless, 
incurious  disposition,  they  fall  an  easy  prey  to  all  who  choose  to  molest  them; 
they  bow  their  necks  to  the  yoke  of  slavery  without  a  murmur,  and  think  it  a 
matter  of  course;  and  perhaps  no  people  in  the  world  are  to  be  found  who  ar0 
less  susceptible  of  intense  feeling  and  the  finer  emotions  of  the  human  mind,  on 
being  stolen  away  fVom  their  favourite  amusements  and  pursuits,  and  from  the 
bosom  of  t  leir  Wives  and  families,  than  these  Cumbrie  people,  who  are  held  in 
such  general  dises'eem.  Thousands  of  them  reside  in  the  kingdom  of  Yaoorie 
and  its  province  of  iingarski ;  and  most  of  the  slaves  in  the  capital  have  been 
taken  from  among  them. 

The  tribute,  or  rather  rent,  which  they  pay  to  the  sultan  for  the  land  they  culti- 
vate, consists  of  a  quantity  of  corn,  about  the  size  of  a  bundle  as  much  as  a  man 
can  carry,  for  every  plot  of  land,  whether  it  be  large  or  small.  When,  however, 
the  harvest  fails,  they  are  at  liberty  to  give  a  certain  number  of  cowries  in  lieu 
of  the  accustomed  duty  of  corn.  If  ttie  poor  have  no  means  of  paying  their 
rent  when  it  becomes  due,  ttie  sultan  immediately  despatches  a  body  of  horse- 
men to  their  villages,  with  a  commmd  to  seize  and  carry  away  as  many  of  the 
people  as  the/  m  ly  think  proper.  It  sometimes  happens,  however,  that  the  sul- 
tiin  of  Yaoorie  pulls  the  reins  of  oppression  with  too  tight  a  hand  ;  aiul  ,i >  cow- 
ards, when  driven  to  desperaLoa.  often  give  specimens  of  extraontinarv  cour- 
age and  resolution,  so  the  negligent  and  despised  Cumbrie,  writhing  under  the 
lash  of  injuries  which  they  have  never  deserved,  defend  themselves  with  extra- 
ordinary determination  and  bravery,  and  not  unfrequently  come  oft' victorious 
from  the  conHict.  The  benefit  which  results  to  them  from  these  advantages  is 
an  exemption  from  the  payment  of  rent  for  two  or  three  subsequent  years. 

During  our  residence  at  Yaoorie,  an  expedition  despatched  by  the  sultan 
for  the  above  purpose,  returned  unsuccessful  from  Engarski.  The  most  unfa- 
vourable trait  in  the  character  of  the  Cumbrie  is  the  extreme  dirtiness  they  display 
in  their  habits  generally,  from  wliich  not  one  of  them  appears  to  be  free.  They 
are  generally  considered  good  agriculturists  and  expert  fishermen :  they  grow 
abundance  of  corn  and  onions,  but  a  great  part  of  ttie  former  is  disposed  of  to 
the  natives  of  Boossa  and  Yaoorie,  to  whose  nionarchs  they  are  subject.  Most 
of  them  are  rather  slovenly  about  their  persons,  and  make  use  of  few  orn&» 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  523 

Hients,  and  even  these  are  of  the  commonest  description/  They  bore  immense 
holes  in  the  lobe  of  the  ear  for  the  admission  of  bits  of  fine  coloured  wood  ;  and 
the  soft  part  of  the  septum  of  the  nose  is  perforated  in  hke  manner,  through 
which  is  thrust  a  long  piece  of  blue  glass.  When  the  females  have  a  mind  to 
appear  with  unusual  smartness  and  effect,  a  crocodile's  tooth  is  inserted  dnough 
both  lips,  and  projects  upwards  as  far  as  the  nose.  These  useless,  unbecoming, 
and  singular  ornaments,  impart  to  the  countenance  an  unnatural  and  barbarous 
expression,  which  is  very  far  from  agreeable,  and  produces  an  unpletisant  and 
painful  emotion  in  the  mind  of  the  beholder.  In  our  intercourse  with  the  Cum- 
bria, they  appeared  mild,  innocent,  and  even  amiable  m  their  manners ;  and 
they  behaved  to  us  with  all  the  civility,  hospitality,  and  kindness  of  their  natures, 
untinctured  by  insincerity  or  lukewarmness. 

The  door-way  to  the  sleeping  huts  of  these  people,  to  which  we  alluded  on  our 
passage  up  the  river,  is  the  only  opening  they  have,  and  is  closed  by  a  mat  which 
is  suspended  inside.  They  have  no  steps  to  enter  by,  but  scramble  into  it  aa 
well  as  they  can.  The  common  coozie  hut  is  ii?el  by  them  for  ordin£.r/ pur- 
poses, such  as  cooking,  &c.,  during  the  dav,  but  never  at  night.  These  sleep- 
ing huts  are  about  seven  or  eight  feet  wide,  they  are  nearly  circular,  are  made 
of  clay,  and  thatched  with  the  palm  leaf;  they  are  elevated  above  the  ground  so 
as  to  se  Mire  the  inmates  from  the  annoyance  of  ants,  snakes,  and  the  wet  ground, 
and  even  for  protection  from  the  alligators  which  prowl  about  at  night  in  search 
of  prey.  We  were  informed  of  instances  where  these  creatures  have  carried 
off  the  legs  and  arms  of  natives,  who  have  incautiously  exposed  themselves  to 
their  alticks.  The  huts  will  hold  about  half  a  dozen  people.  Sometimes  tlie 
pillars  supporting  the  huts  are  walled  round,  but  this  is  not  often  done. 

The  natives  frequently  kill  the  alligators  by  means  of  a  heavy  spear  about  ten 
feet  long.  One  end  is  furnished  with  a  heavy  piece  of  iron-wood  to  give  it 
force,  and  the  other  with  a  sharp-pointed  barbed  iron.  It  is  attached  to  the  bow 
of  their  canoe  by  apiece  of  grass  rope,  which  is  fastened  to  the  upper  end,  and 
is  a  formidable  weapon.  A  smaller  spear  of  the  same  description  is  used  by 
these  people  in  killing  fish,  in  which  occupation  they  are  very  expert. 

As  we  proceeded  down  the  Niger  by  a  difierent  channel  from  that  by  which 
we  had  ascended  it  to  Yaoorie,  we  had  fresh  oppcrtiunities  of  remarking  the 
more  striking  features  on  its  banks.  The  river,  as  might  naturally  have  been 
expected,  is  niucli  swollen,  and  its  current  more  impetuous  than  when  we  pas-  ed 
up  on  our  voyage  to  Yaoorie  ;  and  many  of  the  stones  and  rocks  which  then 
annoyed  us  are  now  underwater,  and  completely  hidden.  In  the  earlier  part  of 
the  evening  we  landed  at  a  small  Cumbrie  village,  and  our  canoes  were  pulled 
upon  a  sandy  beach  for  the  night  in  security.  The  thennometer  has  been  at  95° 
to-day. 

Wednesday,  August  Ath. — The  inhabitants  of  the  village  wherein  we  slept  last 
night  had  nothing  to  offer  us  to  eat,  either  then  or  tliis  morning  ;  but  we  had  the 
good  fortune  to  shoot  a  partridge,  and  we  had  it  dressed  for  breakfast.  But  it 
was,  like  many  others,  a  most  unsavoury  repast,  for  we  had  nothing  to  eat  with 
it,  not  even  a  little  salt;  the  people  of  the  village,  as  well  as  most  of  their  country- 
men, making  use  of  a  quantity  of  woodashes  instead,  which  contains  saluie  par- 
ticles, because  salt  is  too  expensive  an  article  for  these  simple  villagers  to  pur- 
chase for  their  own  consumption.  We  had  every  thing  conveyed  to  the  canoes 
at  an  early  hour,  and  at  seven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  we  were  once  more  upon  the 
Niger.  The  canoemen,  as  well  as  our  own  people,  had  forecast  and  contrivance 
enough  to  supply  themselves  with  a  few  ears  of  Indian  corn  last  night,  which 
they  thought  themselves  warranted  to  pluck  from  a  field  at  no  great  distance 
from  their  sleeping  quarters;  yet  all  of  them  complained  of  hunger  this  morning, 
and  left  the  village  in  a  very  ill-humour.  To  satisfy  their  appetites,  our  canoes 
were  pulled  on  shore  repeatedly  during  the  forenoon,  for  the  men  to  steal  some 
of  the  corn  which  overhung  the  margin  of  the  river.  They  were,  however, 
perceived  by  the  more  diligent  of  the  watchers,  but  they  did  not  take  any  mea- 
sures to  prevent  them,  because  they  saw  that  they  were  the  sultan's  servants, 
■and  the  whole  of  these  have  the  privilege  of  stealing  as  much  corn  from  the 
Cumbrie  as  tliey  have  occasion  ibr.    One  poor  man  had  a  canoe  laden  with 


524  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

new  corn,  which  was  pounced  upon  by  these  hungry  plunderers,  who  com- 
pelled its  reluctant  owner  to  transfer  it  from  his  canoe  into  their  own,  without 
remunerating  him  in  anywise  for  the  loss  he  thus  sustained.  Another  individual 
who  happened  to  be  in  a  canoe  was  chased  a  considerable  distance  down  the 
river,  under  the  impression  that  he  had  likewise  corn  with  him,  the  robbers  en- 
deavouring to  palliate  their  conduct  by  saying,  that  as  the  man  paid  no  tribute  to 
the  sultan,  his  effects  were  at  all  times  liable  to  be  seized.  The  man,  however, 
exerted  all  his  strength,  and  happily  succeeded  in  making  his  escape. 

About  noon  we  observed  a  herd  of  Falatah  cows  grazing  on  the  banks  of  the 
river ;  and  in  the  water  a  little  way  from  them  we  saw  an  immense  crocodile 
floating  on  the  surface  like  a  long  canoe,  for  which  it  was  at  first  mistaken,  and 
watching  an  opportunity  to  seize  one  of  them,  and  destroy  it  by  dragging  it  into 
the  river.  As  soon  as  he  ^vas  perceived  by  the  canoemen,  they  paddled  as  softly 
as  possible  towards  liiiu,  inUndmg  to  wait  at  a  siiort  distance  till  the  crocodile 
should  have  accomplished  his  object,  when  they  agreed  to  pull  rapidly  towards 
the  shore  and  reap  the  fruit  of  the  reptile's  amazing  strength,  by  scaring  him  off 
from  his  prey,  or  destroying  him  with  harpoons,  for  the  skin  of  a  crocodile  is  not 
considered  impenetrable  here.  Their  intentions,  however,  were  frustrated  by 
the  sudden  disappearance  of  the  crocodile,  which  dived  the  moment  he  perceived 
the  canoe  so  near  him,  making  a  loud  plashing  noise,  and  agitating  the  water  in  a 
remarkable  manner  in  his  descent.  We  waited  in  vain  for  hini  to  rine  again. 
A  very  short  time  after  this  tlie  canoemen  landed  at  11  arret,  which  is  the  most 
celebrated  market-town  in  the  dependency  of  Engarski,  and  consists,  of  sever;U 
clusters  of  huts  encircled  by  a  dwarf  clay  v/all.  .  The  market  is  attended  by  many 
thousands  of  people  from  different  parts  of  the  countiy,  besides  Yaoorie,  Boossa, 
and  VVowow,  yet  nothing  pecuhar  to  Engarski  is  exposed  for  sale  in  it;  and  the 
cheapness  at  which  the  productions  of  the  country  are  disposed  of  is  most  likely 
the  principal  inducement  for  buyers  to  resort  to  Warree.  Vast  numbers  of  ca- 
noes, filled  with  people  and  goods,  were  passing  from  one  side  of  the  IViger  to 
the  other  during  our  limited  stay  outside  the  town,  and  the  countenances  of  both 
buyers  and  sellers  betrayed  a  very  anxious  and  business-like  expression.  As 
soon  as  our  curiosity  was  fully  satisfied,  we  also  crossed  over  to  the  Boossa  side 
of  the  river,  and  landed  at  a  small  walled  town  called  Garnicussn,  which  is  inhab- 
ited by  the  Cumbrie,  and  situated  about  five  miles  north  of  the  citv  of  Boossa. 
At  no  great  distance  from  this  place  and  within  sight  of  it,  all  the  brandies  of  the 
Niger  meet  and  form  a  beautiiul  and  magnificent  body  of  water,  at  least  seven 
or  eight  miles  in  width;  audit  is  \xu\y  ii-tonishing  what  becomes  of  it,  for  at 
Boossa  t'.Hi  river  is  not  more  than  astoacs  throw  across,  and  its  depth  is  in  pro- 
portion to  its  narrowness.  But  about  an  hour's  walk  from  thence  it  again  be- 
comes a  noble  river,  and  maintains  its  width,  it  is  said,  even  to  Funda.  This 
singular  fact  favours  the  opinion,  that  a  large  portion  of  tlie  waters  of  the  Niger 
is  conveyed  by  subterraneous  passages  from  the  town  of  Garnicassa  to  a  few 
miles  below  Boossa. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival,  when  we  were  mtiking  some  allusion  to  the  river  to 
one  of  die  inhabitjuiis,  a  Ealatah  hearing  us  came  forward  and  made  the  extraor- 
dinary assertion,  that  instead  of  running  to  Funda,  it  took  a  turn  to  the  east- 
ward, and  disembogued  itself  into  the  lake  Tshad  in  Bornou.  But  tiieories 
respecting  the  Niger  are  ev.en  more  various  and  contrary  in  this  country  than  tiie 
hypotheses  of  the  learned  of  Europe  on  the  subject.  Scarcely  two  people  are 
to  be  Ibund  that  agree  in  tlie  same  opinion,  and  their  supposifions  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  course  and  termination,  hut  iru  !u(l(>  al.o  the  souici'  of  tliis  uivste- 
rious  river;  yet,  with  all  their  talk,  it  is  easy  to  pcKrivr  that  the  natives  are  all 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  matter. 

The  earlier  part  of , the  evening,  after  our  arrival  at  d'aniicassa.  was  calm, 
serene,  and  delightful ;  and  the  sih  ery  moon  shone  with  unusual  resplendence. 
It  was  a  favourable  time  ibr  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  to  enjoy  themselves , 
and  accordingly  they  were  thus  employed  in  good  earnest.  Singing,  dancing, 
and  nmsic-playing  are  the  only  divertisements  with  which  the  generality  of  the 
Cumbrie  are  acquainted ;  and  though  this  people  are  even  more  despised  than 
llifi  slothful  Hottentots  of  the  southern  part  of  the  continent, — though  their  rights 


RICHARD  AND  JOIIX  LANDER.  525 

are  unheeded  and  their  liberties  abused,  yet  these  considerations  do  not  seem  to 
impress  them  with  gloomy  reflections ;  and  they  trifle  away  their  leisure  hours 
in  play,  with  as  much  zest  and  thoughtless  jollity  as  though  they  were  the  most 
favoured  people  in  the  world. 

A  sudden  and  confused  noise  of  merriment  awoke  me  from  a  pleasing  kind 
of  revery  in  which  I  was  indulging  in  the  moonshine.  I  went  out,  instantly  to  as- 
certain the  cause  of  such  obstreperous  mirth,  and  discovered  a  number  of  young 
girls,  and  married  women  with  children  on  their  backs,  dancing,  singing,  romp- 
ing, and  clapping  their  hands,  after  the  manner  of  the  country  ;  and  a  group  of 
their  male  relatives  standing  beside  them  as  judges  and  spectators  of  their  pro- 
ceedings. A  female  would  spring  suddenly  from  amid  her  companions,  and 
after  skipping  and  dancing  with  great  animation  till  she  became  quite  exhausted, 
would  fall  backwards  into  the  arms  of  her  associates,  who,  anxiously  watching 
her  movements,  had  put  themselves  into  a  suitable  attitude  to  receive  her.  An- 
other would  then  supply  her  place,  and  then  another,  till  all  the  festive  party  had 
danced  in  turn ;  and  this  anmsement  was  kept  up  with  so  much  spirit,  that 
screams  of  laughter  and  other  violent  tokens  of  delight  continued  as  long  as  it 
lasted.  The  dance  (if  it  deserves  the  name)  commenced  with  the  whole  of  the 
females,  married  and  single.  They  first  formed  themselves  into  a  circle,  holding 
fast  of  each  other's  arms,  and  then  they  moved  round  very  slowly  without  lifting 
their  feet  from  the  ground.  This  exercise  seemed  to  have  occasioned  them 
much  exertion  and  difhculty,  if  we  might  be  allowed  to  judge  from  the  violent 
and  peculiar  manner  in  which  they  shook  and  twisted  their  bodies,  as  well  as 
from  the  failure  of  several  of  the  younger  girls,  who  were  obliged  to  quit  the 
ring  almost  as  soon  as  it  was  formed.  This  slowness  of  motion  was  gradually 
succeeded  by  a  sprightlier  movement,  till  they  ran  round  so  swiftly,  that  the 
circle  was  suddenly  broken,  and  many  of  the  women  were  thrown  with  violence 
to  the  ground.  The  singing,  or  rather  screaming,  and  clapping  of  hands,  to- 
gether with  other  noises,  more  vociferous  and  wild  than  these,  were  continued 
till  the  approach  of  morning,  when  a  heavy  shower  drove  every  one  home.  No- 
thing, perhaps,  in  this  country  is  more  capable  of  producing  a  wild,  romantic, 
and  pleasing  etlect  than  such  a  spectacle  as  this,  and  at  such  a  time.  In  front  of 
us  lay  the  celebrated  Niger,  reflecting  from  its  unruffled  surface  the  splendid 
canopy  over  our  heads,  with  the  radiant  clouds  of  departing  day.  On  each  side 
of  the  river  Nature  had  scattered  with  a  lavish  hand  the  most  lovely  of  her  gifls ; 
and  verdant  trees  cast  their  tall  shadows  on  the  water.  Almost  close  to  the  place 
where  we  stood  was  a  circle  of  naked  savage  women,  all  black  as  a  coal,  who 
were  performing  the  oddest  antics  imaginable ;  and  still  nearer  stood  a  wild- 
looking  group  of  their  male  companions,  resting  on  their  tall  spears  and  partici- 
pating in  the  frolic  with  all  their  hearts.  A  three-cornered  rush  or  straw  hat, 
having  a  high  peak,  but  without  a  brim,  was  the  only  article  of  dress  worn  by 
these  men.  Altogether,  as  we  have  already  said,  the  scene  was  such  as  to  fill  the 
mind  with  the  highest  gratification  and  delight.  To  us  it  was  irresistibly  charm- 
ing, and  we  contemplated  it  a  long  time  with  emotions  of  the  most  pleasing 
description. 

Thursday,  August  Zth. — ^It  rained  incessantly  till  between  eleven  and  twelve 
oclock  in  the  forenoon,  when  the  sun  made  his  appearance  at  intervals,  and  the 
weather  became  fine,  which  we  promptly  availed  ourselves  of,  in  pursuing  our 
journey  along  the  banks  of  the  Niger  to  Boossa  The  path  was  filled  with  water, 
and  broken  up  by  the  force  of  the  rains.  After  an  hour's  ride  we  drew  near  to 
the  walls  of  the  city,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  drummer's  house,  which  had  been 
our  former  residence.  Here  we  found  the  midiki  on  her  knees  to  receive  and 
welcome  us  back  again  to  Boossa  in  the  name  of  the  king.  But  we  were  not 
permitted  to  enter  and  take  possession  of  our  old  apartments,  for  the  queen  con- 
ducted us  to  other  huts,  which  form  part  of  a  cluster  inhabited  by  Falatahs,  and 
emigrants  of  both  sexes  from  Yarriba  and  Nouthe,  who  are  mostly  slaves  to  the 
king.  A  quantity  of  milk  and  large  calabashes  of  rice  and  fish,  stewed  in  palm 
oil,  were  sent  us  a  few  minutes  after  our  arrival ;  and  in  the  evening  we  were 
visited  by  the  monarch,  who  said  he  had  been  apprehensive  that  we  required  a 
little  repose  and  quietness  after  our  journey,  and  therefore  he  did  not  like  to  in- 
45 


526  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

trude  onus  before.  He  expressed  the  pleasure  he  felt  on  seeing  us  again,  and 
welcomed  us  with  the  utmost  cordiaHty.  The  midiki,  who  had  accompanied 
him  to  our  house,  paid  us  a  siniilar  compliment.  It  has  been  told  us  that  the 
drummer's  wife  had  excited  the  envy  of  the  queen  by  wearing  round  her  neck  a 
smart  gilt  button  which  we  had  given  her;  and  that  this  is  tiie  only  reason  that 
we  are  not  allowed  to  occupy  our  former  lodgings  in  her  house.  Yet,  to  be 
even  with  her /air  rival,  the  queen  had  extracted  from  her  little  sheepskin  box, 
wherein  they  had  been  confined  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  a  small  number  of 
round  and  flat  golden  ornaments,  with  which  she  has  adorned  her  sable  bosom, 
and  thereby  totally  eclipsed  the  transitory  splendour  of  the  button  belonging  to 
the  drummer's  wife. 

On  our  arrival  at  Boossa,  the  face  and  hands  of  my  brother  and  self  were  much 
swollen  and  highly  inflamed  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  and  this  circumstance,  simple 
as  it  was,  excited  the  queen's  sympathy  almost  to  tears. 

Friday,  August  Gth. — In  a  conversation  with  the  king  this  morning,  he  inti- 
mated that  it  would  be  necessary  for  us  to  visit  Wowow,  previous  to  our  going 
to  Funda,  because  the  prince  of  that  state,  he  said  had  already  n)ade  war  on 
Kiama  on  our  account,  and  captured  a  few  of  its  people.  The  king  had  been 
induced,  from  the  representations  of  the  midiki,  who  is  sister  to  the  chief  of 
Wowow,  to  urge  our  taking  this  step ;  and  as  we  dare  not  raise  objections,  we 
have  promised  to  go  thither  in  a  day  or  two,  although  we  are  well  aware  that  the 
little  present  we  shall  be  necessitated  to  offer  him  will  by  no  means  answer  his 
expectations.  The  king  has  himself  repeated  to  us  the  promise  which  he  made 
to  our  man,  of  furnishing  us  with  a  canoe  sufficiently  large  to  contain  the  whole 
of  our  people  and  ourselves,  and  whatever  goods  we  may  have  left ;  and  in  order 
to  bind  him  to  his  word,  we  have  given  him  our  tent  and  the  horse  which  was 
lately  his  own ;  so  that  deprived  of  these,  we  shall  not  have  the  means  of  travelling 
on  land,  and  shall  therefore  of  necessity  be  obliged  to  proceed  by  water.  To 
the  queen  also,  whose  influence  over  the  mind  and  actions  of  her  husband  is  im- 
bounded,  we  have  made  a  present  much  greater  than  our  means  warranted, 
with  which  she  is  more  than  pleased.  We  have  further  endeavoured  to  win  her 
favour  by  kindness,  compliment,  and  flattery ;  and  these  means  are  the  most 
powerful  and  effective  in  the  world.  The  simple-hearted  females  of  this  country 
are  quite  unable  to  resist  them.  Thus  far  every  thing  is  favourable  to  our  en- 
terprise, yet  doubts  sometimes  arise  in  our  minds  ;  and  should  a  canoe  be  denied 
us  after  all  that  the  monarch  of  this  place  has  said,  we  are  determined,  when  the 
time  draws  near  for  our  departure,  to  take  a  canoe  of  our  own  accord,  and  steal 
away  from  Boossa  by  night.  "  Falatahs,"  said  the  king  to-day  with  much  seri- 
ousness, "  reside  on  each  side  of  the  river  in  considerable  numbers,  and  I  begin 
to  fear  iJiat  they  will  endanger  your  personal  safety."  "  But,"  answers  Pascoe, 
our  interpreter,  "Englishmen  are  gods  of  the  waters,  and  no  evil  can  befall  them 
in  boats,  even  though  all  Africa,  or  the  whole  world,  should  fight  against  them." 
"I  will,  however,"  said  the  king  in  reply,  "go  down  and  ask  the  hecken  rouah 
(dark  or  black  water,  which  the  JNiger  is  everywhere  emphatically  styled) 
whether  it  will  be  prudent  and  safe  for  the  white  men  to  embark  on  it  or  not, 
and  I  will  be  sure  to  acquaint  you  and  them  of  my  success,  be  it  good  or  bad." 
To-morrow  morning,  we  understand,  he  intends  making  this  singular  experi- 
ment; and  we  only  hope  that  the  Niger  may  return  him  a  favourable  answer  to 
his  question. 

To-day,  when  we  ascertained  that  it  was  the  actual  intention  of  the  king  to 
supply  us  with  a  canoe,  we  thought  proper  to  present  him,  in  the  name  of  our 
sovereign,  with  one  of  those  beautiful  silver  medals  which  were  cast  during  the 
American  war,  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  among  those  Indian  chiefs  who 
were  favourable  to  the  English  interests.  A  large  and  valuable  chain  of  the  same 
metal  was  attached  to  it,  and  nothing  which  we  had  previously  given  the  king 
seemed  to  have  pleased  him  so  much  as  this  medal  and  chain ;  he  regarded  it 
indeed  with  childish  admiration.  We  assiired  him  that  he  might  now  consider 
himself  as  the  King  of  England's  most  particular  friend,  and  that  he  could  not 
offer  a  more  grateful  return,  than  by  favouring  and  assisting  us  in  our  plan  of 
journeying  to  the  salt-water  by  way  of  the  Niger. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  527 

Saturday,  August  7th. — ^Just  after  we  had  arisen  this  morning,  the  king  came 
to  us  with  joy  beaming  in  his  countenance,  and  quickly  informed  us  that,  accord- 
ing to  his  promise,  he  had  been  down  to  the  Niger,  with  his  mallam  or  priest,  and 
that  the  result  of  his  visit  was  highly  favourable  to  oar  wishes  as  well  as  his  own; 
"  the  river  having  promised  to  conduct  us  in  safety  to  its  termination."  One 
of  our  greatest  apprehensions  is  by  this  means  removed. 

At  length,  all  things  being  ready,  our  travellers  departed  for  Wowow,  and  the 
next  day  arrived  at  that  city.  On  entering  it,  they  immediately  galloped  swiftly 
towards  the  king's  residence,  and  fired  off  a  couple  of  pistols  as  a  signal  of  their 
arrival.  The  king,  they  say,  presently  came  out  to  see  us ;  but  as  the  messenger 
from  Boossa  was  not  at  hand,  and  as  it  is  the  custom  never  to  enter  into  any 
kind  of  conversation  without  him,  the  old  chief  awaited  his  coming  with  much 
patience  for  more  than  half  an  hour,  nor  could  we  approach  him  during  that 
time.  Indeed,  no  foreigner  is  permitted  to  do  so,  whatever  may  be  his  rank, 
unless  in  presence  of  the  representative  of  the  chief  from  whom  he  last  came. 
A  number  of  well  dressed  mallams  walked  before  the  king  on  his  coming  out, 
and  a  man  bearing  on  his  shoulder  a  heavy  sword  came  after  them;  and  last  of  all 
followed  along  train  of  his  wives  and  children,  who  squatted  themselves  on  the 
ground,  and  filled  up  the  doorway.  In  the  wall  on  each  side  of  the  entrance 
of  the  town  is  a  large  niche,  in  one  of  which  the  king  stood  fixed  and  motionless, 
wiih  his  h:m:ls  clasped  under  his  tobe  au:l  supported  on  his  bosom  ;  and 
round  a  pole  which  had  been  placed  erect  in  the  other  niche,  a  naked  youth  had 
entwined  his  legs,  remaining  in  breathless  anxiety  to  be  a  spectator  of  the  ap- 
proaching interview.  No  two  human  beings  ever  bore  a  more  striking  resem- 
blance to  statues  than  these;  the  deception  was  indeed  complete.  For  ourselves, 
we  had  sent  our  horses  to  graze,  and  sat  about  a  dozen  paces  from  the  doorway, 
under  a  large  tree  ; — the  mallams  were  sprawling  on  the  earth  between  the  king 
and  us;  and  at  a  respectful  distance  on  each  side,  groups  "of  the  inhabitants  had 
assembled  to  gratify  their  curiosity. 

While  the  king  remained  in  the  above  position,  without  moving  a  single 
muscle,  and  which  lasted  till  our  messenger  had  made  his  appearance,  a  singing- 
woman  drew  near  the  person  of  her  sovereign,  und  began  to  exercise  her  voca- 
tion in  a  tone  of  voice  that  displayed  any  thing  but  sweetness  and  melody,  and 
so  loud"  and  shrill  as  to  frighten  away  the  birds  from  the  trees  near  the  spot. 
After  this  salutation,  she  fell  on  her  knees,  and  repeatedly  threw  handfuls  of 
earth  over  her  left  shoulder  down  her  back.  The  Boossa  messenger  who  had 
been  so  anxiously  expected  at  length  arrived,  and  the  spell  which  had  bound 
every  one  to  the  spot  was  dissolved  in  a  moment.  We  were  then  conducted  to 
tlie  king,  and  formally  introduced  to  him ;  but  the  grave,  eccentric  old  man 
shoolc  hands  with  us  without  taking  them  from  the  tobe  in  which  they  had  been 
enveloped,  or  even  condescending  to  look  in  our  faces,  for  he  never  makes  it  a 
practice  to  raise  his  head  above  a  certain  height ;  fearing  he  may  discover  the 
person  with  whom  he  may  be  conversing,  gazing  full  in  his  countenance,  to 
which  he  has  a  very  strange  but  unconquerable  antipathy.  The  interview 
lasted  but  a  moment,  and  we  were  hastily  conducted  to  the  house  which  was 
occupied  by  the  late  Captain  Clapperton;  and  here  we  were  soon  visited  by  a 
number  of  the  principal  people  of  the  city.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  we 
received  a  quantity  of  eggs,  milk,  yams,  and  a  fat  sheep,  as  a  present  from  the 
king. 

Our  travellers  remained  at  Wowow  until  the  20th  of  August.  The  incidents 
which  occurred  during  their  sojourn  there  were  very  similar  to  those  already 
related  as  having  taken  place  at  other  African  courts.  The  Mohammedan  Sab- 
bath was  celebrated,  as  is  usual,  by  public  recreations  and  festivities,  and  follow- 
ed by  the  customary  horse-race.  The  race  was  commenced  by  eight  or  ten 
ponies,  as  handsome  as  they  were  swift,  and  the  competition  between  them  was 
most  spirited.  After  the  contest  between  them  had  been  concluded,  the  king 
made  his  appearance  at  the  lower  end  of  tlie  course,  riding  slowly  towards  the 
starting  place,  preceded  by  singing  and  dancing  women,  who  bawled  and  caper- 
ed before  him.  The  horses  were  chiefly  rode  by  little  boys,  one  of  whom  was 
the  king's  son:  when  they  galloped  past  their  sovereign  they  invariably  defied 


528  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

their  caps  as  a  mark  of  respect.  As  soon  as  the  race  was  over  the  king  returned 
to  his  residence,  and  his  example  was  presently  followed  by  the  prince  and  the 
other  part  of  his  household.  But  all  these  were  obliged  to  return  by  a  different 
path,  because  it  is  against  the  rules  of  etiquette  for  any  one  of  the  natives  to  at- 
tend the  footsteps  of  his  sovereign  on  the  celebration  of  any  public  amusement. 

The  king  received  his  present  with  great  satisfaction,  although  he  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  tiie  travellers  after  its  reception  to  inquire  if  they  had  not  brought  any 
coral  beads  with  them  from  England.  The  present  consisted  of  two  pair  of 
silver  bracelets,  apiece  of  coarse  muslin,  sufficient  for  a  couple  of  turbans,  a  to- 
bacco pipe,  two  razors,  a  new  gilt  button,  two  small  and  inferior  looking-glasses, 
a  clasp  knife,  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  two  combs. 

The  king  expressed  great  satisfaction  that  the  travellers  visited  him,  because 
he  said  it  would  convince  his  neighbours  that  the  white  men  neither  disliked  nor 
despised  him.  "lam  now  infinitely  happy,"  said  he  to  them,  "for  surely  I 
could  not  have  left  the  world  in  peace  if  you  had  departed  from  the  country 
without  having  visited  the  old  king  of  Wowow."  Guns  were  fired  off  in  hon- 
our of  their  arrival ;  and  the  king  and  his  wives,  elated  with  joy,  passed  the  day 
in  dancing,  laughing,  and  singing.  The  king  informed  the  travellers  that  he 
would  sell  them  a  canoe,  and  assured  them  that  he  was  convinced  tliat  they 
would  return  in  safety  to  their  own  coimtry  by  way  of  the  Niger,  wiiich,  he  said, 
did  not  contain  a  single  rock  from  Jnguazhilligee  to  Funda. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  journal  of  the  Landers,  containing  some  ac- 
couzitof  the  religion,  customs,  and  condition  of  the  kingdom  of  Wowow,  may 
not  be  uninteresting  to  the  readers  of  this  book^ — The  religion  is  nominally  Ma- 
hometan ;  but  still  much  deference  is  paid  to  the  ancient  religion  of  the  country. 
The  travellers  say : 

This  day  a  long  and  gay  procession,  formed  by  the  female  followers  of  the  an- 
cient religion  of  the  country,  passed  through  the  town,  walking  and  dancing 
alternately,  with  large  spreading  branches  of  trees  in  their  hands.  The  priestess, 
at  the  time  we  saw  her,  had  just  swallowed  fetish-water,  and  was  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  one  of  the  devotees,  who  was  assisted  by  two  female  companions, 
supporting  the  trembling  hands  and  arms  of  their  mistress.  Ker  body  was  con- 
vulsed all  over,  and  her  features  shockingly  distorted,  while  she  stared  wildly 
and  vacandy  on  the  troop  of  enthusiasts  and  other  objects  which  surrounded 
her.  The  priestess  was  then  believed  to  be  possessed  with  a  denion ;  indeed,  to 
us  they  all  appeared  to  be  so,  for  not  one  of  them  seemed  in  their  sober  senses, 
so  indiscribably  fantastic  were  their  actions,  and  so  unseemly  did  they  deport 
themselves.  A  younger  woman  was  hkewise  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  a  friend, 
and  carried  along  in  the  same  manner  as  her  mistress ;  but  she  was  by  no  means 
so  uncouth  a  figure,  nor  was  her  agitation  so  great  as  that  of  the  priestess,  by 
whom  she  was  preceded.  The  whole  of  the  women  forming  this  strange  pro- 
cession might  amount  to  between  ninety  and  a  hundred ;  they  were  clad  in  tlieir 
"holyday  best;"  their  motions  were  regulated  at  times  by  the  sound  of  drums 
and  fifes,  and  to  this  music  they  joined  their  wild  shrill  voices.  They  were 
arranged  in  couples,  and  with  the  branches  of  trees  shaking  in  tlie  air,  presented 
one  of  the  most  extraordinary  and  grotesque  spectacles  that  the  human  mind  can 
conceive. 

The  King  of  Wowow  is  making  new  roads,  and  repairing  and  widening  old 
ones  leading  to  and  from  the  city.  This  is  the  only  insttuice  we  have  yet  seen 
wherein  even  the  slightest  attention  has  been  paid  by  a  chief  to  the  state  of  the 
public  pathway,  during  the  whole  of  the  journey  from  Badagry  to  Yaoorie ;  and 
the  reason  urged  by  the  ruler  of  this  place  for  undertaking  the  business  is  some- 
what singular,  though  shrewd  and  just  "  If,"  says  he,  "  an  enemy  were  to 
come  towards  my  gates  with  a  hostile  intention,  and  find  the  roads  broken  up  or 
overgrown  with  weeds,  would  they  not  say  among  themselves,  *  Oh,  tliis  King 
of  Wowow  is  a  careless,  slothful,  cowardly  governor;  his  town  contains  but  few 
inhabitants,  for  see,  the  path  is  green  and  untrodden  by  Imman  feet ;  let  us  go 
and  attack  it,  ior  it  will  eiv-sily  fall  into  our  hands  /'  But,"  he  continued,  "  should 
they  find  it  of  convenient  width,  smooth,  and  iree  from  grass,  they  would  imme- 
diiitely  say,  'Tliis  road  is  trodden  by  tlie  feet  of  many  people ;  tlie  town  must 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  529 

be  populous,  strong,  and  flourishing,  and  its  monarch  watchful  and  brave ;  if  we 
venture  to  make  an  assault,  we  foresee  that  we  shall  be  overpowered  and  slain ; 
it  is  better  for  us  all  to  turn  back  while  we  are  yet  undiscovered  and  unharmed, 
lest  some  evil  fall  upon  us  when  it  is  too  late  to  retreat.'" 

Thus  the  talkative  old  king  argues  with  his  people,  that  they  may  throw  off 
that  laziness  which  is  natural  to  them,  and  be  animated  to  industry  and  labour  in 
the  common  cause. 

A  greater  quantity  of  yams  is  cultivated  in  the  vicinity  of  Wowow  than  is 
grown  in  all  the  other  principalities  of  Borgoo  put  together.  It  is  a  common 
question  on  the  path  when  the  natives  meet  a  stranger,  '*  What!  are  you  going 
to  Wowow  to  eat  yams  ?"  And  the  King  of  Boossa  jocosely  observed  to  us  in 
parting,  "That  after  we  had  tasted  the  yams  of  his  relative,  he  was  apprehensive 
we  should  be  inclined  to  remain  a  longer  period  in  Wowow  than  he  had  pro- 
posed, for  that  they  were  a  powerful  inducement." 

Rice  and  corn  are  also  cultivated  to  an  unlimited  extent  here,  and  two  species 
of  beans,  so  that  the  necessaries  of  life  are  very  plentiful  and  cheap.  Reaping 
lias  commenced,  and  the  wet  season,  it  is  said,  is  nearly  over.  As  in  most  otlier 
places,  indigo  and  cotton  are  yearly  produced  at  Wowow  in  abundance. 

Sunday,  August  16th. — Yesterday  and  this  morning  I  was  seized  with  giddi- 
ness of  the  head  and  other  symptoms,  which  are  the  usual  precursors  of  a  fever 
in  this  country.  We  had  left  oiir  medicine-chest»behind  at  Boossa,  and  as  I  was 
apprehensive  that  I  should  be  laid  up  in  this  city,  if  I  remained  in  it  longer,  my 
brother  agreed  with  me  in  opinion,  that  it  would  be  advisable  for  me  to  return 
without  delay  to  Boossa,  and  leave  him  here  to  settle  the  business  respecting  the 
canoe,  &c.  I  therefore  got  on  horseback  as  soon  as  the  vertigo  had  passed 
away,  and  without  stopping  to  bid  adieu  to  the  king,  immediately  departed  on 
my  journey  with  two  attendants.  My  brother  furnished  me  afterwards  with  the 
following  account  of  the  events  which  fell  under  his  own  observation  during  the 
time  we  were  absent  from  each  other. 

'*  A  very  few  minutes  after  my  brother  had  departed  from  Wowow,  the  prince 
sent  me  a  young  bullock  and  a  number  of  yams ;  and  his  brother  likewise  pre- 
sented me  with  a  quantity  of  milk,  rice,  and  a  fatted  goat. 

"  About  mid-day  the  female  worshippers  of  the  ancient  gods,  who  have  already- 
been  alluded  to,  performed  a  second  mystical  ceremony,  which  is  enjoined  by 
their  religion,  and  afterward  paraded  the  streets  in  the  same  order  as  on  the 
fonner  occasion.  When  it  was  over  and  the  procession  had  dispersed,  without 
intimating  their  intention,  several  of  them  paid  me  a  visit  attended  by  musicians 
with  drums,  flutes,  and  guitars,  and  a  great  number  of  little  boys  and  girls.  I 
was  sitting  in  ashed  outside  our  hut  at  the  time,  with  a  sheet  spread  betbre  me 
to  keep  otF  the  eyes  of  the  curious;  and  when  it  was  pulled  up  by  the  priestess 
herself,  who  was  fantastically  dressed  in  man's  apparel,  and  when,  with  her  large 
rolling  eyes,  and  phrensied  countenance  and  manner,  she  performed  her  antics 
before  me,  uttering  at  the  same  time  a  piercing  yell,  more  dismal  than  a  dog's  at 
midnight,  I  started  and  shuddered  a  moment,  for  I  was  quite  unprepared  to  wit- 
ness such  an  object.  But  the  poor  enthusiast  had  no  evil  intention,  for  she  fell 
down  on  her  knees,  gazed  at  me  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  with  a  look  of  tender- 
ness, held  out  her  hand  as  a  token  of  friendship,  blessed  me,  and  then  arose  and 
went  out  to  make  room  for  her  principal  attendants,  who  shrieked  like  her,  and 
offered  their  hands  in  the  same  manner.  Our  Boossa  messenger,  and  other  in- 
dividuals, who  had  come  in  before  this  most  singular  method  of  salutation  was 
ended,  subsequently  received  the  benediction  of  the  devotees,  which  was  bestow- 
ed on  them  by  the  elder  of  the  females.  The  method  of  doing  it  was  novel  and 
peculiar ;  in  the  first  place,  the  man  was  placed  in  a  stooping  position,  the  female 
then  twisted  his  left  arm,  and  pulled  it  over  the  back  with  all  her  might ;  it  was 
then  let  go,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  man ;  and  she  placed  both  her  hands  on  his 
.shoulders,  which  she  pressed  down  with  great  energy,  muttering  between  her 
teeth  during  the  time  the  blessing  which  he  had  sought ;  but  this  was  so  inaudible 
that  it  could  not  be  understood.  It  was  not  the  woman,  said  the  bystanders,  but 
a  spirit  within  her  that  spoke,  and  that  influenced  her  and  her  companions  in  all 
45* 


530  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

their  actioiiB,  So  the  people  went  away  confirmed  in  this  belief,  and  quite 
happy. 

"  The  religion  which  these  enthusiasts  profess,  and  which  was  not  long  since 
the  prevailing  religion  of  the  country,  is  still  held  in  great  reverence  here  ;  so 
much  so  indeed,  that  the  king's  daughters  were  early  initiated  into  its  mysteries, 
and  invariably  attend  the  celebration  of  all  its  superstitious  rites  and  ordinances; 
in  fact,  the  priestess  herself  is  one  of  them.  Their  parent  also  is  still  favourable 
towards  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  which  is  blended  with  Arab  fables  and  tradi- 
tions, (for  the  Mohammedan  creed  in  its  purity  is  unknown  here,)  and  these 
form  the  foundation  and  superstructure  of  his  fahh. 

'*  The  priestess  and  her  followers  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  God,  and  a 
heaven  wherein  he  resides ;  that  this  glorious  and  almighty  Being  superintends 
the  destinies  of  man  in  this  life,  and  in  a  future  one  rewards  or  punishes  him 
according  to  his  deserts.  Yet  of  a  hell,  or  a  place  of  eternal  torment,  tliey  have 
no  idea  whatever.  The  souls  of  good  men,  say  they,  are  translated  into  a 
tranquil,  happy,  and  beautiful  region,  wherein  but  one  monkey  is  permitted  to 
reside,  and  wherein  they  reside  for  ever ;  whereas  the  wicked,  before  they  can 
be  allowed  to  participate  in  so  much  (ielicity  and  enjoyment,  are  forced  to  en- 
dure sorrow,  pain,  and  punishment : — a  variety  of  tortures  are  in  store  for  them, 
such  as  scourging  and  beathig,  till  it  is  considered  sufficient  punishment  has  been 
inflicted  for  their  misdeeds,  whwi  they  are  exalted  to  a  happier  state  of  being. 

"  Others,  who  waver  between  the  Mohammedan  religion  and  the  ancient 
faith,  believe  that  at  the  end  of  the  world  a  voice  will  sound  from  heaven  to  in- 
vite all  black  men  to  the  world  of  bliss,  but  that  these  will  be  too  much  uncon- 
cerned and  too  lazy  to  embrace  the  offer ;  a  second  voice  will  then  proclaim  the 
same  invitation  to  white  men,  who  will  spring  up  with  alacrity  and  transport,  and 
enter  the  celestial  regions  before  them,  with  books  in  their  hands.  They  pro- 
fess to  believe  also,  that  two  men  were  originally  created,  one  black  and  the 
other  white,  from  whom  the  whole  world  is  descended. 

"  The  professors  of  the  ancient  superstition  sacrifice  a  bullock,  a  sheep,  or  a 
black  goat  to  their  divinities,  but  they  shudder  at  the  very  idea  of  a  human  offer- 
ing. Instead  of  agreeing  with  us  that  the  world  will  be  destroyed  by  fire,  they 
suppose  that  its  Divine  Alaker  will  roll  it  up  hke  a  parchment  scroll,  and  put  it 
aside  for  a  future  occasion. 

"  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  in  Haussa  they  have  a  tradition  that  the  name 
of  our  gi-eat  forefather  was  Adam  (pronounced  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as 
we  pronounce  the  word.)  Da  Adam,  in  the  same  language,  signifies  an  object 
when  observed  indistinctly  at  a  distance,  bearing  the  least  resemblance  to  a  man. 
The  mother  of  the  human  race  is  called  Avieenatoo  in  Haussa. 

The  more  respectable  classes  of  society  in  Wo  wow  and  Boossa,  after  their 
decease,  are  buried  in  the  yard  of  the  house  in  which  they  resided  when  alive; 
while  the  people  in  the  common  walks  of  life  are  interred  in  a  spot  of  ground 
selected  for  the  purpose  in  a  thick  wood,  which  is  at  some  distance  from  the  city, 
and  answering  to  our  own  places  of  burial.  The  friends  of  the  former,  as  soon 
as  they  are  made  acquainted  with  his  dissolution,  resort  to  his  house,  and  make 
lamentation  for  him  for  the  space  of  seven  days,  wearing  during  tliat  period  their 
very  worst  apparel.  But  the  relatives  of  a  poor  man  attend  his  remains  to  the 
burying  ground,  and  abide  in  the  wood  till  their  grief  is  assuaged  and  the  time 
of  mourning  expired. 

"  Marriage  among  free  people  is  exceedingly  simple,  and  is  attended  with 
little  mirth  or  festive  recreation  of  any  kind.  The  intended  husband  is  allowed 
to  liavG  nothing  to  do  in  the  afl'uir,  though  it  concerns  him  so  nearly,  and  the  pa- 
rents of  the  girl  are  equally  out  of  the  question.  When  the  parties  become 
attached  to  each  other,  the  female  goes  immediately  to  acquaint  hex  grand motlier 
of  tlic  circumstance,  and  coaxes  the  old  woman  to  give  her  consent  for  her  to 
live  henceforward  with  her  suitor,  for  she  alone  has  the  power  of  giving  the 
maiden  away.  If  it  happens,  however  that  she  has  no  grandmother,  the  girl  is 
at  liberty  to  act  as  she  pleases.  Several  days  are  always  allowed  for  the  old  wo- 
man to  rellect  and  ponder  over  the  whole  matter  in  her  mind ;  and  this  interval 
is  generally  embraced  by  the  man  in  making  her  trifling  presents,  and  doing  hejc 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  531 

Other  little  acts  of  kindness,  in  the  hope  of  gaining  her  over  to  his  interests. 
When  a  free  man  forms  an  affection  for  a  female  who  is  a  slave,  and  he  has 
money  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  he  goes  to  her  master,  whoever  he  may  be, 
unbosoms  his  mind  to  him,  and  informs  him  of  his  intention  of  taking  the  woman 
to  wife,  if  he  will  give  him  permission.  Should  the  owner  of  the  girl  approve 
of  the  connexion,  the  suitor  pays  him  twenty  thousand  cowries  for  his  consent  to 
the  match,  though  a  smaller  sum  is  oftentimes  offered  and  accepted  ;  and  the  ob- 
ject of  his  affections  from  that  time  becomes  his  spouse.  Yet  the  children  which 
she  may  bear  him  cannot  be  retained  by  the  father,  but  are  considered  the  ex- 
clusive property  of  the  wife's  master,  who  lays  claim  to  them  and  takes  them 
away  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  run  about.  Nor  does  the  marriage  ceremony 
break  the  bonds  of  the  woman's  slavery,  for  she  is  liable  to  be  called  upon  when- 
ever the  master  thinks  proper,  when  she  is  obliged  to  serve  him  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  she  had  remained  in  a  single  state.  The  union  of  slaves  among 
each  other  depends  entirely  upon  the  will  and  pleasure  of  their  owners. 

"  A  man  is  at  liberty  to  return  his  wife  to  her  parents  at  any  time,  and  without 
adducing  any  reason  for  his  dislike  and  dissatisfaction.  When  this  is  his  inten- 
tion, he  treats  his  spouse  with  disrespect  and  unkindness,  which  she  soon  under- 
stands the  meaning  of,  and  of  her  own  accord  she  goes  back  to  her  friends,  and 
tells  them  of  what  has  occurred.  These  subsequently  repair  in  a  body  to  the 
husband's  house,  and  question  him  in  a  formal  manner  whether  it  is  his  desire 
that  his  wife  should  continue  to  abide  with  them.  If  so,  the  connexion  is  forth- 
with dissolved,  and  she  is  again  considered  in  the  hght  of  an  unmarried  woman. 
The  children  (if  any)  the  mother  is  by  no  means  permitted  to  take  along  with 
her,  but  they  are  left  behind  with  their  father,  who  delivers  them  over  to  the  care 
of  his  other  women. 

"  The  King  of  Wowow  daily  inquires  after  my  health,  and  sends  me  a  quan- 
tity of  yams,  milk,  and  eggs,  every  morning.  Although  this  old  chief  has  receiv- 
ed a  present  infinitely  smaller  than  we  have  given  any  other  ruler,  yet  his  treat- 
ment of  us  has  been  more  generous  than  that  of  all  of  them  together.  His 
brother,  also,  and  one  or  two  other  respectable  individuals,  have  been  equally 
kind,  and  have  endeavoured  all  in  their  power  to  render  our  stay  among  them 
perfectly  agreeable.  They  expect  notliing  in  return  for  their  hospitality,  for  we 
have  nothing  but  a  few  needles  to  offer  them,  and  we  have  told  them  so  again 
and  again  ;  nevertheless,  their  attention  and  kindness  do  not  diminish, 

"  Tuesday,  August  17th. — I  was  taken  extremely  unwell  this  morning  with  an 
indiscribable  and  very  unpleasant  sensation  in  the  head,  v/hich  made  me  so  life- 
less and  stupid  that  1  could  scarcely  keep  my  eyes  open  lor  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  and  obliged  me  to  lie  on  my  mat  till  evening,  where  I  dozed  away  the  hours 
more  uncomfortably  than  I  can  describe.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  hitherto  in 
the  evening  preceding  the  day  on  which  we  have  been  taken  ill  we  have  ever 
been  surprisingly  brisk  and  hvely ,  with  an  unnatural  flow  of  spirits ;  and  we  are 
so  well  aware  of  this  that  we  always  anticipate  what  is  sure  to  follow,  when  we 
find  ourselves  in  this  merry  mood,  namely,  an  attack  of  illness  on  the  ensuing 
morning. 

*'  The  messenger  sent  by  the  king  to  procure  us  a  canoe  is  not  yet  returned 
from  Inguazhilhgee ;  another  was  despatched  after  him  yesterday,  and  this 
morning  a  third,  it  is  said,  has  left  the  town  on  the  same  errand ;  so  at  least  peo- 
ple have  informed  us.  The  object  of  the  first  of  these  men  is  not  confined  to 
his  visiting  the  ferry  ;  but  if  he  could  not  meet  with  a  canoe  to  his  satisfaction 
there,  he  has  been  desired  to  proceed  farther  down  the  Q,uorra  until  he  should 
see  one  that  should  answer  our  purpose.  He  is  also  to  examine  and  report  the 
appearance  of  a  reef,  of  rocks  like  that  at  Boossa,  which  runs  across  the  river  below 
InguaTkiUigee,  and  collect  monies  and  duties  owing  to  his  master.  It  is  therefore 
not  much  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  is  not  yet  returned  to  Wowow,  In  the  eve- 
ning one  of  our  men  arrived  from  my  brother  at  Boossa;  he  informed  me  by 
letter  of  his  convalescence,  and  of  his  intention  of  returning  to  this  city  yesterday, 
which  however  had  been  frustrated  by  desire  of  the  king.  The  letter  stated 
further  that  the  midiki  would  settle  with  her  brother,  the  prince  of  Wowow,  for 
the  canoe  which  he  has  promised  to  sell  us ;  and  therefore  that  I  was  at  liberty  to 


532  aiCHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

take  my  leave  of  him  whenever  I  might  think  proper.  Also  in  the  evening  I  re- 
ceived an  intimation  from  the  king  to  remain  in  the  city  till  his  messenger,  who 
is  hourly  expected,  shall  have  returned  from  the  banks  of  the  Niger.  Indeed  it 
is  more  than  unlikely,  if  my  present  indisposition  continue,  that  I  shall  be  able 
to  undergo  the  fatigues  of  a  journey  to  Boossa,  for  a  day  or  two  at  least ;  so  that 
this  restraint  of  the  king  I  shall  scarcely  feel."    , 

At  Wowow  our  travellers  gained  further  intelligence  in  regard  to  the  books 
and  papers  of  Mr.  Park,  but  were  not  able  to  recover  any  thing  of  value.  It  ap- 
peared that  one  of  the  inhabitants  had  picked  up  in  the  Niger  several  books,  at 
the  period  of  Mr.  Park's  death,  and  that  he  kept  them  carefully  concealed  till  the 
arrival  of  Captain  Clapperton  at  Wowow,  when,  finding  that  that  officer  made 
no  inquiry  for  such  books,  he  neglected  to  pay  any  further  attention  to  them, 
and  to  use  his  own  words,  "  they  dropped  or  fell  to  pieces."  A  young  man  by 
the  name  of  Abba  with  whom  the  travellers  became  acquainted  at  Wowow,  in- 
formed them,  that  the  late  king  of  Wowow,  father  to  the  then  king,  became  pos- 
sessed of  much  of  Mr.  Park's  property,  among  which  was  a  great  quantity  of 
guns  and  ammunition,  particularly,  musket  balls,  which  they  saw.  Before  this 
monarch's  dissolution  he  left  them  to  be  divided  among  his  sons,  and  our  travel- 
lers were  able  to  recover  notliing  but  a  large  pillow  or  cushion,  containing  an 
old  Arabic  manuscript. 

August  20th,  John  Lander  bid  farewell  to  the  king  of  Wowow,  and  returned 
to  join  his  brother,  who  it  will  be  recollected,  had  gone  to  Boossa.  On  his 
journey  thither,  which  required  about  two  days,  he  encamped  at  night  at  a  little 
village,  whose  inhabitants  entertained  the  most  frightful  notions  of  the  character 
of  white  men. 

"  In  the  evening,  when  the  sun  was  going  down,  and  when  the  birds,  recover- 
ing from  the  sultry  heat  of  the  day,  had  begun  to  warble  in  the  coolness  of  eve- 
ning, the  elders  of  the  village  assembled  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a  noble 
tree  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  in  familiar  chat,  in  pursuance  of  their  common 
practice.  To  promote  their  cheerfulness  and  assist  their  conversation,  large 
calabashes  of  strong  home-brewed  beer  were  placed  by  the  side  of  them.  Hav- 
ing swallowed  two  or  three  large  draughts,  the  old  men  drew  close  to  each  other, 
and  the  venerable  chronicler  olthe  hamlet,  in  an  under  tone,  started  a  conversa- 
tion respecting  their  guest,  the  fearful  white  man  of  the  west;  and  various  and 
horrible  were  the  conjectures  of  each  on  the  cannibalism  of  his  countrymen ; 
their  mysterious  supernatural  powers,  and  tlieir  partiality  for  the  blood  of  black 
men  in  particular.  Their  conversation  became  more  serious  as  the  beer  began 
to  operate  on  the  old  men,  and  as  the  dusk  of  evening  came  on  they  drew  still 
closer  together ;  their  legs,  which  had  before  been  stretched  out  carelessly  and 
comfortably  at  full  length  on  the  ground,  were  now  gathered  up  under  them ; 
and  every  now  and  then  they  ventnred  to  look  back  over  their  shoulders  to  steal 
a  glance  at  me,  for  I  wa.s  not  far  off,  but  tliis  only  seemed  to  inspire  them  with 
greater  fear  than  before.  The  younger  natives  were  about  this  time  returning 
to  the  village  from  their  usual  occupations  by  the  river-side  and  in  the  fields,  and 
they  stopped  to  join  the  company  of  the  old  men.  The  latter  were  almost  na- 
ked, and  the  young  men  and  girls  were  perfectly  so,  as  well  as  the  children  of 
both  sexes  which  had  been  attracted  to  the  party,  and  stood  listening  to  the  tales 
of  horror  which  were  related.  One  of  our  men  had  been  sitting  all  the  wliile 
with  them,  partaking  of  their  beer,  and  had  been  silent  till  he  conceived  it  almost 
time  to  retire,  when  he  endeavoured  to  undeceive  them  in  regard  to  their  opin- 
ion of  the  unnatural  propensities  of  while  men,  and  to  overilnow  all  the  visions 
of  bloody  adventures  which  they  had  imbibed  in  their  infancy,  and  cherished  in 
their  old  age,  and  which  had  this  evening  been  strengthened  almost  to  realities 
by  my  presence,  assisted  by  the  effects  of  the  beer  they  had  drunk.  But  their 
love  for  the  marvellous  could  not  so  easily  be  eradicated  fronj  their  minds,  and 
they  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  remarks.  The  children  shunned  my  hut  as  if  it 
contained  a  serpent  or  a  scorpion,  and  one  or  two  of  them  that  met  me  by  acci- 
dent, started,  then  looked  anxiously,  eagerly,  and  entreatingly  at  me  for  a  mo- 
Bieut^as  if  overcome  by. terror,  and  then  shrieked  aloud  and  ran  away." 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  533 

At  Boossa  it  was  our  travellers  intention  to  embark  again  on  the  Niger,  and 
explore  that  river  with  a  view  of  finally  settling  the  question  of  its  entrance  to 
the  ocean.  To  aid  ihe  travellers  in  this  enterprise,  the  midiki  or  queen  of  Boossa 
had  undertaken  to  purchase  a  canoe  of  her  brother,  the  king  of  Wowow,  and 
now  the  king  of  Boossa,  despatched  a  messenger  to  visit  all  the  towns  and  villa- 
ges on  the  Nouffie  side  of  the  Quorra,  or  Niger,  as  far  as  the  Falaiah  town  of 
Rabba,  and  to  request  their  chiefs  and  governors,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
Boossa,  to  suffer  them  to  pass  down  the  river  without  inquiry  or  molestation. 
It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  wait  at  Boossa  until  these  objects  should  have 
been  accomplished.  During  the  time  of  this  detention,  another  Mohammedan 
festival  occurred,  celebrated  with  greater  pomp  and  ceremony,  and  joyous  fes- 
tivity than  even  any  of  the  former  already  described.  After  races  with  which 
these  festivals  always  end,  were  concluded,  the  people,  both  strangers  and  in- 
habitants, collected  together  before  the  king's  house,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing 
an  oration  from  their  monarch  ;  for,  in  pursuance  of  an  ancient  and  established 
practice,  the  King  of  Boossa  annually  harangues  his  people  on  the  celebration 
of  this  festival.  The  sovereign  is  at  least  a  head  taller  than  any  of  his  subjects, 
so  that  he  was  a  remarkable  and  conspicuous  object  to  every  one  of  his  audience. 
If  such  a  comparison  may  be  ventured  on,  the  commencement  of  his  speech 
was  in  its  nature  not  unhke  that  delivered  on  the  opening  of  parliament  by  his 
majesty  of  England.  The  King  of  Boossa  began  by  assuring  his  people  of  the 
internal  tranquillity  of  the  empire,  and  of  the  friendly  disposition  of  foreign 
powers  towards  him.  He  then  exhorted  his  hearers  to  attend  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  to  work  diligently,  and  live  temperately;  and  concluded  with  an  in- 
junction for  them  all  to  be  abstemious  in  the  use  of  beer.  He  declared  that  too 
much  indulgence  in  it  was  the  source  of  much  evil  and  wretchedness,  and  the 
cause  of  most  of  the  quarrels  and  disturbances  that  had  taken  place  in  the  city. 
"  Go ;  retire  to  rest  soberly  and  cheerfully,"  said  the  king,  "and  do  as  I  have  re- 
quested you,  when  you  will  be  an  example  to  your  neighbours,  and  win  the 
good  opinion  and  applause  of  mankind."  The  king's  speech  lasted  for  three 
quarters  of  an  hour.  He  spoke  vehemently  and  with  much  eloquence ;  his 
language  was  forcible  and  impressive,  and  his  action  appropriate  and  com- 
manding ;  and  he  dismissed  the  assembly  with  a  graceful  and  noble  air.  Instead 
of  a  sceptre,  the  monarch  flourished  a  hon's  tail. 

The  day  after  the  races  wfis  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  dancing  and  singing 
and  other  trifling  diversions  which  are  more  generally  relished  by  people  of  all 
ranks,  and  of  both  sexes.  At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  the  people  of  the 
city,  with  musicians  in  their  train,  assembled  in  large  groups,  and  continued 
parading  the  streets  all  day,  an  J  singing  and  dancing  were  kept  up  without  in- 
termission till  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  hilarity 
and  general  good-humour  which  prevailed  among  the  people  during  the  day. 
The  features  of  every  one  were  animated  with  joy.  Theirs  was  no  ordinary 
mirth ;  for  being  naturally  of  a  warm-hearted,  sanguine  disposition,  they  entered 
into  the  sports  of  the  day  with  a  fervency  which  displayed  itself  in  all  manner  of 
extraordinary  tricks,  gestures,  and  movements.  iThis  was  a  holy-day  for  all, 
from  the  king  to  the  meanest  of  his  Subjects.  The  old  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
their  weight  of  years,  the  young  knew  no  restraint,  and  those  who  before  had 
talked  of  love  in  secret,  now  openly  exchanged  with  each  other 

"  Quips  and  cranks,  and  wanton  wiles, 
Nods  and  becks,  and  wreathed  smiles." 

A  short  relaxation  from  this  tumultuous  pastime  was  now  obtained  by  some  in 
making  preparations  for  joining  the  king's  party,  which  was  fast  collecting  at  his 
house.  Such  diversions  as  theirs,  so  highly  exciting  and  gratifying,  are  never- 
theless wearisome  to  the  strongest  frame,  and  in  this  sultry  climate  nmst  be  par- 
ticularly so  to  them.  When  they  had  all  assembled,  they  presented  a  sirlgularly 
grotesque  and  striking  appearance.  A  cluster  of  between  sixty  and  seventy 
Falatahs,  men,  women,  and  children,  were  some  standing  and  some  sitting  in 
front  of  Uie  doorway  leading  to  the  interior  apartments.    Their  dresses  were  re- 


534  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

markably  clean,  neat,  varied,  and  becoming;  the  long  black  hair  of  the  wonieil 
was  ingeniously  and  prettily  braided,  and  confined  in  nets  and  caps  ;  and  their 
flowing  garments  of  striped  cotton  swept  along  the  ground :  the  men  wore  red 
caps,  loose  white  tobes,  and  full  trousers ;  and  their  little  children  were  pleasing- 
ly clad,  and  decorated  with  all  the  finery  and  ornaments  which  their  parents  had 
been  able  to  bestow  on  them.  These  well-looking  Falatahs  formed  the  most  in- 
teresting and  agreeable  assemblage  of  the  whole  ;  they  had  likewise  more  viva- 
city in  their  lopks,  and  more  quickness  of  action,  than  any  of  their  companions. 
To  the  right  of  them,  in  an  enclosure  of  mud,  was  seated  the  Q,ueen  of  Boossa, 
dressed  loosely,  though  not  inelegantly,  in  rich  English  silks,  as  spectatress  of  the 
amusements ;  behind  her  were  the  king's  other  wives,  and  her  own  female 
slaves,  who  were  pretty  numerous.  They  formed  also  a  cleanly,  decent  group, 
inferior  only  to  the  former.  On  each  side  of  the  Falatahs  and  behind  them  was 
a  great  number  of  other  spectators,  of  all  ranks,  many  of  whom  were  standing, 
and  many  sitting  on  the  turf  and  reclining  against  the  trunks  of  trees.  Most  of 
the  men  were  clad  in  the  Mohammedan  costume,  with  cap,  tobe,  and  trousers; 
and  the  majority  of  the  women  were  dressed  in  neat  and  durable  country-clothf, 
which  were  carelessly  thrown  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  reached  to  the  ground, 
leaving  the  right  arm  and  shoulder,  and  part  ofthe  right  leg,  uncovered.  A  few 
among  them,  however,  wore  common  Manchester  cottons,  of  a  large,  showy, 
and  vulgar  pattern,  which  were  infinitely  surpassed  by  their  own  country  cloth. 

Although  the  king  had  not  made  his  appearance,  the  amusements  were  carri- 
ed on  with  much  animation ;  and  the  dancers,  far  from  being  tired,  seemed  to 
imbibe  fresh  vigour  and  renewed  activity;  while  the  drummers,  eight  in  num- 
ber, with  a  fifer  as  an  assistant,  continued  playing  to  them.  A  man  first  started 
from  the  crowd  with  a  bundle  of  rushes  in  his  hand,  like  a  German  broom, 
which  he  flourished  over  his  head  with  inconceivable  dexterity.  After  dancing 
awhile,  he  was  joined  by  two  Falatah  women,  who  imitated  his  actions,  and  par- 
took of  his  glee.  One  of  them  held  a  little  girl  by  the  hand  ;  and  the  whole  four 
individuals,  man,  women,  and  child,  continued  the  dancing  till  they  were  com- 
pletely fatigued,  when  they  were  succeeded  by  another  party  of  three  or  four, 
and  then  another  in  like  manner,  so  that  there  was  not  a  moment's  pause  in  the 
dance  at  any  time.  They  kept  good  lime  with  the  music  and  singing.  But  in- 
.stead  of  the  quick,  lively  motion  which  is  generally  observed  on  similar  occa- 
sions, the  dancers  moved  with  a  slow  and  measured  step,  in  which  there  was 
nothing  unbecoming  or  improper,  and  all  seemed  consistent  with  the  rules  of 
delicacy.  For  want  of  a  proper  fan,  the  females  used  neat  round  mats  of  vari- 
ous colours;  and  itaflforded  us  no  httle  entertainment  to  see  them  placed  hefor© 
the  mouth  whenever  they  wished  to  hide  their  faces,  or  attempt  to  conceal  their 
laughter. 

Meanwhile  the  king  was  expected  by  every  one  with  much  anxiety  and  im- 
patience, for  as  yet  he  had  not  been  present  to  witness  the  diversions  of  his 
people ;  and  it  was  not  till  past  four  in  the  afternoon  that  he  showed  himself 
from  one  of  his  huts.  His  arrival  was  welcomed  by  a  spirited  rally  upon  the 
drums,  while  he  took  his  seat  on  a  stool  between  the  queen's  station  and  the 
group  of  Falatahs,  and  perceiving  us  among  the  crowd,  he  invited  us  to  place 
ourselves  near  his  person.  Several  attendants  who  had  Ibllovved  their  master 
stood  on  each  side  of  him,  forming,  if  it  may  so  be  called,  a  "  guard  of  honour."  i 
One  of  these  men  held  two  large  bundles  of  spears,  whose  points  or  barbs  were  | 
confined  in  caps  of  burnished  brass,  on  which  he  rested  his  head  with  much  so- 
lemnity, and  with  a  slight  inclination  of  the  body  ;  while  from  his  temples  was 
suspended  a  huge  and  enormous  hat,  made  either  of  grass  or  rushes,  which 
reached  to  the  ground,  and  covered  him  like  a  shield.  Others  held  loose  bun- 
dles of  spears,  fans,  and  arrows,  with  the  two  prodigious  Arab  trumpets  which 
have  belbre  been  casually  alluded  to.  Thus  attended,  the  king  entered  into  the 
spirit  ofthe  performances  with  a  merry  heart,  and  a  determination  to  be  pleased 
with  them.  He  appeared  to  be  by  far  the  n)ost  delighted  spectator  ofthe  whole, 
and  signified  his  approbation  by  encouraging  words  and  glances  to  those  who 
danced  or  sung  to  his  satisfaction.  A  cheerful  smile  animated  his  countenance 
during  the  whole  time,  and  caused  his  features  to  assume  an  expression  of  good> 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  535 

humour  which  it  is  a  particular  custom  in  him  never  to  display  so  fully  except 
on  occasions  of  public  festivity  and  enjoyment,  though  he  is  one  of  the  pleasant- 
est  and  best-tempered  men  that  we  have  met  with  in  Africa. 

There  was  an  elderly  female  who  danced  alone  before  the  king,  and  by  the 
peculiarity  of  her  looks,  and  her  ludicrous  and  uncommon  gestures,  afforded  us 
very  great  amusement.  This  woman  is  a  tall,  awkward,  masculine,  and  un- 
comely figure  ;  yet  she  endeavoured  to  look  so  serious,  at  the  same  time  with  so 
arch  a  countenance,  and  with  a  half-averted  glance  smiled  with  so  much  artful- 
ness and  loving-kindness  on  her  sovereign  and  his  attendants,  dancing  at  the 
same  time  with  such  an  extraordinary  motion  of  her  person,  that  she  obtained 
universal  applause.  This  was  a  fair  challenge  to  the  king ;  and  as  soon  as  she 
had  finished,  the  monarch  himself  arose  and  stepped  into  the  ring  to  display  his 
acquirements  in  the  art.  Every  one  stood  on  his  legs,  out  of  respect  to  their 
sovereign,  as  well  to  applaud  his  dancing  as  to  obtain  a  fairer  opportunity  of 
beholding' his  person ;  and  a  great  press  was  made  by  the  crowd  in  consequence, 
that  they  might  gain  a  better  view  of  him.  The  king  moved  with  much  stiftness 
and  stateliness,  which  is  at  all  times  unbecoming  in  a  dance ;  but  the  populace 
expressed  their  admiration  of  his  abilities  in  shouts  of  joy,  and  certainly  his  at- 
tempts to  please  and  amuse  them  deserved  the  full  extent  of  applause.  To  us, 
however,  it  does  nut  appear  that  Nature,  which  has  been  so  bountiful  to  this  be- 
loved monarch  in  other  respects,  has  fitted  him  for  so  active  an  amusement  as 
this ;  for  though  his  size  approaches  to  the  majestic,  though  he  walks  and  rides 
with  equal  ease,  and  though  the  exercise  by  no  means  requires  the  greatest  flex- 
ibility of  body,  his  dance,  to  us  at  least,  was  a  complete  failure  ;  for  he  has  a  foot 
which  may  be  compared  to  that  of  a  dromedary  in  point  of  size,  and  his  toe  is 
any  thing  but ''  Ught  and  fantastic."  When  his  first  dance,  which  was  much  the 
same  as  that  performed  by  his  people,  was  concluded,  the  king  began  a  second, 
by  imitating  the  canter  of  a  native  horse  when  going  to  war.  This,  as  may  be 
supposed,  was  an  inexpressibly  odd  and  whimsical  experiment,  but  it  lasted  a 
short  time  only ;  for  in  a  very  few  minutes  he  disappeared  from  the  spectators 
by  cantering  into  one  of  his  huts,  followed  by  the  cheers  of  admiration  and  the 
acclamations  of  every  one  present. 

The  sun  had  now  set,  and  with  the  departure  of  the  prince  the  singing  and 
dancing  ceased  for  the  evening ;  nevertheless  all  the  people  patiently  awaited 
his  return  to  the  spot.  Now,  of  all  the  celebrated  dancers  in  the  country,  none 
can  excel  or  equal  the  King  of  Wowow  in  grace,  elegance,  and  vivacity ;  and 
the  fame  of  his  skill  in  this  amusement,  which  is  thought  so  much  of  in  this 
country,  is  gone  abroad  into  all  lands ;  every  one,  even  his  enemies,  acknow- 
ledge his  superiority  in  this  polite  accomplishment ;  and  the  envious  and  mali- 
cious are  compelled  to  own  that  he  is  without  a  rival  from  Bornou  to  the  sea. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  his  renown  as  a  dancer,  the  chief  is  a  very  aged  man, 
having  a  most  solemn  and  forbidding  aspect ;  and  though  he  has  evidently,  to 
use  a  common  expression,  one  foot  in  the  grave,  he  is  as  active  as  a  boy,  arid  in- 
dulges largely  in  this  his  favourite  amusement  every  Friday.  It  was  in  order 
for  us  to  witness  his  elegant  dancing,  we  have  been  told,  that  he  pressed  us  with 
so  much  earnestness  and  importunity  to  spend  the  holydays  at  Wowow,  which 
we  should  certainly  have  consented  to  but  for  the  discouragement  our  project 
received  from  the  King  of  Boossa,  who  was  envious  of  his  celebrity,  and  there- 
fore compelled,  rather  than  enticed  us  to  remain  here,  that  we  might  see  his  per- 
sonal accomplishments  to  advantage,  witness  the  public  gayety  and  festivities  of 
his  people,  and  in  his  imagination  be  struck  with  astonishment  and  admiration  at 
his  own  perfection  in  the  art  of  dancing. 

The  Boossa  people  did  not  wait  long  for  the  reappearance  of  their  monarch ; 
for  shortly  after  he  came  out  to  them,  followed  by  a  boy  with  two  calabashes  full 
of  cowries,  which  were  to  be  distributed  among  the  multitude.  But  first  of  all 
the  king  took  up  a  handful,  and  gave  to  each  of  the  singers,  dancers,  and  musi- 
cians that  had  contributed  so  essentially  to  his  entertainment ;  nor  was  the  tall  old 
woman  forgotten,  who  had  danced  alone  before  him,  for  she  received  a  double 
allowance.  We  were  rather  pleased  at  this,  for  she  is  our  next-door  neighbour, 
&  poor  old  woman,  who  is  very  chatty  and  flippant,  and  has  fallen  in  love  with 


536  RICHARD   AND   JOHN  LANDER. 

one  of  our  j-'oung  men,  named  Antonio.  This  having  been  done  to  the  appar- 
ent satisfaction  of  all  parlies,  the  remainder  of  the  cowries  were  scattered  by  the 
king's  own  hand  among  the  crowd  to  be  scrambled  for,  which  occasioned  the 
most  animating  and  amusing  sight" that  can  be  conceived.  Parents  and  children, 
brothers  and  sisters,  strangers  and  friends,  were  scrambling  and  tumbling  over 
«ach  other,  some  on  their  faces  and  some  on  their  knees,  both  giving  and  re- 
ceiving cutfs  and  kicks  in  the  scutlle  to  get  at  the  money.  This  scramble  lasted 
about  ten  minutes,  when  the  parcy  beibre  the  king's  house  broke  up ;  but  the 
good-natured  monarch,  to  sijow  his  atlection  for  his  subjects,  whom  he  indeed 
regards  with  as  much  tenderness  as  if  they  were  his  children,  was  unwilling  to 
send  them  to  their  homes  without  giving  them  another  last  treat,  so  he  danced 
sideways  half-way  up  the  race-course  and  back  again  to  his  residence  with  much 
stateliness.  This  was  indeed  a  royal  attempt ;  the  midiki  smiled  w  ith  delight 
that  she  had  sucJi  a  spouse  ;  the  people  were  louder  than  ever  in  their  shouts  of 
approbation;  all  was  noise,  tumult,  and  confusion;  their  sovereign  was  more 
beloved  than  ever  he  had  been;  and  as  the  evening  closed  in,  silence  was  grad- 
ually restored,  and  the  people  retired  to  their  homes.  This  was  the  last  of  the 
holydays,  and  the  proceedings  of  this  day  have  concluded  their  festivities. 

About  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  we  were  sleeping  on  our  mats,  we  were 
suddenly  awoke  by  a  great  cry  of  distress  from  innumerable  voices,  attended  by 
a  horrid  clashing  and  clattering  noise,  which  the  hour  of  the  night  tended  to 
make  more  terrilic.  Before  we  had  time  to  recover  from  our  surprise,  old  Pas- 
coe  rushed  breathless  into  our  hut,  and  informed  us  with  a  trembling  voice  that 
^'  the  sun  was  dragging  the  moon  across  the  heavens."  Wondering  what  could 
be  the  meaning  of  so  strange  and  ridiculous  a  story,  we  ran  out  of  the  hut  half- 
dressed,  and  we  discovered  that  the  moon  was  totally  eclipsed.  A  number  of 
people  were  galliered  together  in  our  yard,  in  dreadful  apprehension  that  the 
world  was  at  an  end,  and  that  this  was  but  the  "  beginning  of  sorrows."  We 
learned  from  them  that  the  Mohammedan  priests  residing  in  the  city,  having 
personified  the  sun  and  moon,  had  told  the  king  and  the  people  that  the  eclipse 
was  occasioned  through  the  obstinacy  and  disobedience  of  the  latter  luminar}'. 
They  said  that  for  a  long  time  previously  the  moon  had  been  displeased  with  the 
path  she  had  been  compelled  to  take  through  the  heavens,  because  it  was  filled 
with  thorns  and  briers,  and  obstructed  with  a  thousand  other  difticulties ;  and 
therefore  that,  having  watched  for  a  favourable  opportunity,  she  had  this  eve- 
ning deserted  her  usual  track,  and  entered  into  that  of  the  sun.  She  had  not, 
however,  travelled  far  up  tlie  sky,  on  the  forbidden  road,  before  the  circumstance 
was  discovered  by  tlie  sun,  who  immediately  hastened  to  her  in  his  anger,  and 
punished  her  dereliction  by  clothing  her  in  darkness,  forcing  her  back  to  her  own 
territories,  and  forbidding  her  to  shed  her  light  upon  the  earth.  This  story, 
whimsical  as  it  may  seem,  was  received  with  implicit  confidence  in  its  truth  by 
the  king  and  queen,  and  most  of  the  people  of  Boossa ;  and  the  cause  of  tlie 
noises  which  we  had  heard,  and  which  were  still  continuing  with  renewed  vehe- 
mence, was  explained  to  us  by  tlie  lact  that  they  were  all  "  assembled  together 
in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  frighten  away  the  sun  to  his  proper  sphere,  and 
leave  the  moon  to  enlighten  the  world  as  at  other  times."  This  is  much  aller 
the  manner  of  many  savage  nations. 

While  our  inlbrmant  was  yet  speaking  to  us,  a  messenger  arrived  at  our  yard 
from  the  king,  to  tell  us  the  above  tale,  and  with  an  invitation  to  come  to  see 
him  immediately.  Therefore,  slipping  on  the  remainder  of  our  clothes,  we  fol- 
lowed the  man  to  the  residence  of  his  sovereign  from  outside  of  which  the  cries 
proceeded,  and  here  we  found  the  king  and  his  timid  partner  sitting  on  the 
ground.  Their  usual  good  spirits  and  cheerful  behaviour  had  forsaken  them 
entirely ;  both  appeared  overwhelmed  with  apprehension,  and  trembled  at  eve- 
ry joint.  Like  all  tlieir  subjects,  in  the  hurry  of  fear  and  the  suddenness  of 
the  alarm,  they  had  come  out  of  their  dwellings  half  dressed,  the  head  and  legs, 
and  the  upper  part  of  tlieir  persons,  being  entirely  exposed.  We  soon  succeed- 
ed in  quelling  their  fears,  or  at  least  in  diminishing  tlieir  apprehension.  The 
king  then  observed,  tliat  neitlier  himself  nor  tlie  oldest  of  his  subjects  recollected 
seeing  but  one  eclipse  of  the  moon  besides  the  one  be  was  gazing  at ;  that  it  had 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  537 

occurred  exactly  when  the  Falatahs  began  to  l)e  formidable  in  the  country,  and 
that  it  had  forewarned  them  of  all  the  wars,  disasters,  and  calanjities  which  sub- 
sequently took  place. 

We  had  seated  ourselves  opposite  to  the  king  and  queen,  and  within  two  or 
three  feet  of  them,  where  we  could  readily  observe  the  moon  and  the  people 
without  inconvenience,  and  carry  on  the  conversation  at  the  same  time.  If  the 
royal  couple  shuddered  with  terror  on  beholding  the  darkened  moon,  we  were 
scarcely  less  atfected  by  the  savage  gestures  of  those  within  a  few  yards  of  us, 
and  by  their  repeated  cries,  so  wild,  so  loud,  and  so  piercing,  that  an  indescriba- 
ble sensation  of  horror  stole  over  us,  and  rendered  us  almost  as  nervous  as  those 
whom  we  had  come  to  comfort.  The  earher  part  of  the  evening  had  been  mild, 
serene,  and  remarkably  pleasant ;  the  moon  had  arisen  with  uncommon  lustre, 
and  being  at  the  full,  her  appearance  was  extremely  delightful.  It  was  the  con- 
chision  of  the  holydays,  and  many  of  the  people  were  enjoying  the  delicious 
coolness  of  a  serene  night,  and  resting  from  the  laborious  exertions  of  the  day  ; 
but  when  the  moon  became  gradually  obscured,  fear  overcame  every  one.  As 
the  eclipse  increased,  they  became  n)ore  terrified.  All  ran  in  great  distress  to 
inform  their  sovereign  of  the  circumstance,  tor  there  was  not  a  single  cloud  to 
cause  so  deep  a  shadow,  and  they  could  not  comprehend  the  nature  or  meaning 
of  an  eclipse.  The  king  was  as  easily  frightened  as  his  people,  being  equally 
simple  and  ignorant ;  he  would  not  therefore  sutler  them  to  depart.  Numbers 
sometimes  beget  courage  and  confidence,  he  thought;  so  he  commanded  them 
to  remain  near  his  person,  and  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  restore  the  lost  glory 
of  the  moon. 

In  front  of  the  king's  house,  and  almost  close  to  it,  are  a  few  magnificent 
cotton-trees,  round  which  the  soil  had  been  freed  from  grass,  &c.,  for  the  cele- 
bration of  tlie  games.  On  this  spot  were  the  terrified  people  assembled,  with 
every  instrument  capable  of  making  a  noise  which  could  be  procured  in  the 
whole  town.  They  had  formed  themselves  into  a  large  treble  circle,  and  con- 
tinued running  round  with  amazing  velocity,  crying,  shouting,  and  groaning 
vviih  all  their  might.  They  tossed  and  flung  their  heads  about,  twisted  iheir 
bodies  into  all  manner  of  contortions,  junjped  into  the  air,  stamped  with  their 
feet  on  the  ground,  and  flourished  their  hands  above  their  heads.  No  scene  in 
the  romance  of  Robinson  Crusoe  was  so  wild  and  savage  as  this;  and  a  large 
wood-fire,  with  a  few  men  spitted  and  roasting  before  it,  was  alone  wanting  to 
render  it  complete  !  Little  boys  and  girls  were  outside  the  ring,  running  to 
and  fro,  clashing  empty  calabashes  against  each  other,. and  crying  bitterly; 
groups  of  men  were  blowing  on  trumpets,  which  produced  a  harsh  and  dis- 
cordant sound  ;  some  were  employed  in  beating  old  drums  ;  others  again  were 
blowing  on  bullocks' horns;  and  in  the  short  intervals  between  the  rapid  suc- 
cession of  all  these  fiend-like  noises,  was  heard  one  more  dismal  than  the  rest, 
proceeding  from  an  iron  tube,  accompanied  by  the  clinking  of  chains.  Indeed, 
every  thing  that  could  increase  the  uproar  was  put  in  requisition  on  this  memo- 
rable occasion ;  nor  did  it  cease  till  midnight,  when  the  eclipse  had  passed  away. 
Never  have  we  witnessed  so  extraordmary  a  scene  as  this.  The  diminished 
light,  when  the  eclipse  was  complete,  was  just  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  distin- 
guish the  various  groups  of  people,  and  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  ren- 
der the  scene  still  more  imposing.  If  a  European,  a  stranger  to  Africa,  were  to 
be  placed  on  a  sudden  in  the  midst  of  the  terror-struck  people,  he  would  imagine 
himself  to  be  among  a  legion  of  demons,  holding  a  revel  over  a  fallen  spirit;  so 
peculiarly  unearthly,  wild,  and  horrifying  was  the  appearance  of  the  dancing 
group,  and  the  clamour  which  they  made.  It  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  us  that 
we  had  an  almanac  with  us,  which  foretold  the  eclipse  ;  for  although  we  neg- 
lected to  inform  the  king  of  this  circumstance,  we  were  yet.  enabled  to  tell  him 
and  his  people  the  exact  time  of  its  disappearance.  This  succeeded  in  some 
measure  in  suppressing  their  fears,  for  they  would  beheve  any  thing  we  might 
tell  them  ;  ana  perhaps,  also,  it  has  procured  for  us  a  lasting  reputation  "and  a 
name."  "Oh,"  said  the  king,  "theie  will  be  sorrow  and  crying  this  night  from 
Wowow  to  Yaoorie.  The  people  will  have  no  one  to  comfort  or  condole  with 
them ;  they  will  fancy  this  eclipse  to  be  the  harbinger  of  something  very  dread- 
46 


I 


538  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

fill ;  and  they  will  be  in  distress  and  trouble  till  the  moon  shall  have  regained  her 
brightness."  It  was  nearly  one  o'clock  when  we  left  the  king  and  queen,  to  re- 
turn to  our  hut ;  every  thing  was  then  calm  and  silent,  and  we  lay  down  to 
rest  in  peace. 

At  length,  the  messenger  sent  to  explore,  returned  with  favourable  intelli- 
gence, the  canoes  were  procured,  and  ail  things  made  ready  for  our  travellers' 
departure  from  Boossa.  The  omens  too  were  favourable,  for  one  of  them  hap- 
pening to  upset  a  large  bowl  of  milk  sent  them  from  the  king's  house,  they  ap- 
plied to  have  it  replenished.  But  the  king  instead  of  gratifying  them,  expressed 
himself  quite  overjoyed  at  the  circumstance,  and  asserted  that  it  was  the  mos^t 
happy  omen  in  the  world.  So  they  were  obliged  to  go  without  their  breakfast, 
and  be  content  with  their  portended  good  fortune. 

The  travellers  provided  themselves  with  provisions  enough  for  three  weeks 
or  a  month;  they  consisted  of  three  large  bags  of  corn,  one  of  beans,  two  fowls, 
two  sheep,  and  rice,  honey,  corn,  onions,  and  two  large  pots  of  vegetable  butter 
given  them  by  the  king  and  niidiki.  It  now  only  remained  to  tJike  their  leave 
of  these  royal  personages,  and  just  as  they  were  on  the  point  of  departure  they 
arrived  at  our  travellers'  hut.  They  brought  with  them  two  pots  of  honey  and  a 
large  quantity  ofgorra-nuts,  strongly  recommending  to  present  the  latter  to  the 
Rabba  chieftain,  lor  that  nothing  could  so  effectually  conciliate  his  favour,  pro- 
cure his  friendship  and  command  his  confidence.  When  mutual  compliment? 
were  passed,  (the  travellers  say,)  we  expressed  our  acknowledgments  to  both  of 
them  with  sincerity  and  earnestness  for  the  benevolence,  hospitality,  and  atten- 
tion with  which  they  had  uniformly  treated  us;  and  we  assured  them  that 
should  we  be  so  fortunate  as  to  return  to  England,  it  would  be  our  first  care  to 
acquaint  our  countrymen  of  all  their  kindness  to  us,  which  we  should  remember 
as  long  as  we  lived.  We  then  shook  hands  heartily,  and  concluded  by  wishing 
them  a  continuance  of  the  simple  blessings  and  felicity  they  enjoyed.  They 
were  both  touched  with  sorrow  at  our  words,  for  they  were  the  last  which  they 
would  hear  us  utter ;  tears  were  glistening  in  their  eyes,  and  with  mournful 
countenances  they  walked  out  of  our  hut,  and  lepaired  to  their  own  abode  in 
order  to  make  a  powerful  speilfor  our  preservation  and  success. 

The  travellers  then  embarked  on  the  Niger  in  two  canoes,  and  immediately 
proceeded  down  the  river.  Their  canoes  proved  leaky,  and  on  the  same  day 
they  put  in  at  a  small  island  called  Melalie,  in  order  to  repair  them.  The  chief 
of  the  village,  a  decent,  elderly  looking  man,  came  down  to  salute  them  at  the 
water  side,  and  would  not  suffer  them  to  depart,  till  he  had  prevailed  on  them 
to  drink  beer  with  him  and  fire  ofi"  their  guns,  when  he  compelled  them  to  ac- 
cept a  fine  kid,  which  tliey  were  too  polite  to  reject. 

In  about  half  an  hour  tlie  canoe  was  repaired,  and  the  travellers  were  again 
on  their  way.  The  bed  of  tlie  river  was  full  of  rocks,  some  of  which  being  only 
a  few  inches  below  tlie  surface,  caused  the  water  to  make  a  loud  rushing  noise, 
which  warned  the  canoenian  of  his  danger.  Owing  to  the  skilfulness  of  their 
canoemen,  they  succeeded  in  getting  over  these  rocks  in  safety.  At  two  o'clock 
of  the  day  of  tiieir  departure,  they  passed  the  boundaries  of  Boossa,  and  entered 
the  dominions  of  the  king  of  Nouffie.  Passing  an  island  called  "  Any  Man's 
Land,"  because  uninhabited,  and  the  towns  of  Congie,  Inguazhiliigee,  they  put 
into  a  market  town  on  a  large  and  beautiful  island  called  Patashie.  Here,  they 
say,  about  twenty  or  tliirty  paces  from  tlie  river,  we  discovered  a  great  quantity 
of  huge  bones  and  sculls  of  hippopotami,  piled  on  a  high  platform  erected  for 
the  purpose.  These,  we  understand,  are  preserved  on  much  the  same  princi- 
ple as  foxes'  tails  are  kept  by  many  country  gentlemen  in  England.  Soon  they 
were  introduced  to  the  chief,  a  little,  round,  liit,  jolly  looking  old  man,  who  gave 
them  a  hearty  welcome,  furnished  tliera  witli  comfortable  quarters,  and  with 
provihions.  Patashie  is  a  large,  rich  island,  unspeakably  beautiful,  and  embel- 
lished with  groves  of  palm  and  other  noble  trees.  Its  distance  from  Boossa  is 
about  fifty  miles.  It  abounds  with  horses,  asses,  bullocks,  sheep,  goats,  poultry, 
corn,  and  yams. 

Our  hut,  the  travellers  say,  has  this  day  exhibited  a  scene  of  revelry  and  mirth 
more  becoming  a  native  inn  than  a  private  dwelling.    The  chief  of  the  island, 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  539 

accompanied  by  our  four  messengers  from  Boossa  and  Nouffie,  our  canoemen, 
and  several  of  his  own  people,  all  dressed  "  in  their  holyday  best,"  paid  us  a  visit 
in  the  morning,  and  remained  with  us  till  evening,  with  the  exception  of  a  short 
space  in  the  middle  of  the  day ;  during  all  which  time  they  were  employed  in 
swallowing  palm  wine,  which  is  procured  in  the  island  in  great  plenty,  and  in 
telling  nonsensical  stories.  We  were  glad  when  they  said  it  was  time  to  depart, 
and  having  shaken  hands  with  the  ardour  of  drunkards,  they  took  their  leave, 
staggered  out  of  the  hut,  and  all  went  laughing  away. 

It  is  rather  singular  that  though  the  chief  is  a  sooty  black,  he  has  bright,  blue 
eyes.  We  received  from  him  about  noon  a  fine  goat,  and  messes  of  pounded 
yam  and  meat  stewed  in  palm  oil.  These  were  brought  in  well-carved  wooden 
dishes  of  huge  dimensions. 

The  chief  of  the  island  of  Teah  which  lies  near  Patashie,  came  to  visit  the 
travellers.  He  expressed  the  utmost  delight  at  having  seen  white  men  before 
he  died,  and  declared  it  was  a  pleasure  which  neither  his  father,  mother,  nor  un- 
cle had  ever  enjoyed,  and  a  gratification  which  his  ancestors  had  never  hoped 
for,  he  should  therefore  cherish  the  remembrance  of  it  as  long  as  he  lived.  The 
travellers  showed  the  chief  a  vs^atch  and  a  mariner's  compass  for  his  inspection, 
and  their  uses  were  explained  to  him.  He  became  at  first  very  uneasy,  and 
afterward  perfectly  wild  with  amazement.  No  one  in  the  world  could  express 
more  naturally  or  forcibly  the  emotion  of  wonder,  or  the  passion  of  fear,  which 
the  countenance  of  this  old  man  displayed  as  he  looked  at  the  watch;  nor  could 
he  be  persuaded  for  a  long  time  but  that  it  was  in  possession  of  life  and  being, 
and  had  the  power  of  moving. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  king  of  Wowow  was  to  furnish  our  travellers 
with  a  large  canoe,  in  exchange  for  which  they  let  him  have  their  horses,  valued 
at  sixty  pounds.  This  large  canoe  he  had  not  furnished ;  but  only  one  of  very 
inferior  dimensions  and  leaky,  so  that  fearing  they  should  be  unable  to  proceed 
on  their  voyage,  they  despatched  a  messenger  from  Patashie  to  Wowow,  to  de- 
mand the  large  canoe.  The  messenger  returned  with  news  not  at  all  to  their 
liking.  The  king  was  angry,  because  they  had  not  returned  to  visit  him  agreea- 
bly to  their  promise.  The  messenger  said  his  sovereign  had  most  certainly  pro- 
cured for  them  a  canoe  which  was  laid  up  for  them  at  Lever;  but  that  if  they 
wished,  or  rather  if  they  were  determined,  they  might  have  their  horses  back 
again.  The  monarch  loo  wished  the  travellers  to  show  him  the  respect  of  coifn- 
ingtotake  their  leave  of  him  before  quitting  the  country,  or  if  both  could  not 
come,  at  least  one  of  them.  This  request  was  complied  with,  Richard  Lander 
accompanying  the  Wowow  messenger  on  his  return  to  that  city. 

On  arriving  at  Wowow,  Richard  felt  too  much  fatigued  to  wait  upon  the 
king  immediately,  and  desired  to  be  excused  from  caUing  to  pay  his  respects  un- 
til the  next  day.  On  the  next  day  when  he  had  prepared  himself  to  go,  he  was 
informed  that  the  king  wished  to  be  excused  from  seeing  him  as  he  had  taken  a 
ride  to  view  his  gardens  in  the  morning,  and  the  exercise  had  so  much  tired  him 
that  he  felt  no  inclination  to  receive  visiters  until  the  next  day. 

The  next  day,  says  Richard  Lander,  the  king  granted  me  an  audience,  and 
then  he  said  with  the  greatest  indiflierence,  "  I  have  not  been  able  to  procure  you 
the  canoe  which  I  promised  to  get ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  ruler  of  Pata- 
shie will  be  able  to  supply  you  with  one  to  your  satisfaction,  for  which  I  will 
send  an  express  to  that  island  without  delay,  whom  I  will  furnish  with  the  neces- 
sary instructions  to  effect  an  immediate  purchase.  Thus  ended  the  expedition 
to  Wowow,  and  Richard  was  obliged  to  return  as  he  went.  Before  his  depart- 
ure the  king  showed  him,  in  compliance  with  his  request,  the  whole  of  his  col- 
lection of  charms,  which  were  written  on  sheets  of  paper  glued  or  pasted  togeth- 
er. Among  them  was  a  small  edition  of"  Watt's  Hymns,"  on  one  of  the  blank 
leaves  of  which  was  written,  '^Alexander  Anderson,  Royal  Military  Hospital, 
Gosport,  1804."     Mr.  Anderson  was  the  attendant  of  Park. 

While  waiting  at  Patashie  for  their  canoes  to  be  brought  round  from  another 
part  of  the  island,  to  the  place  of  embarkation,  hundreds  of  people  collected  to 
look  at  the  travellers,  as  they  stood  near  the  water's  edge,  and  among  them  a 
native  pagan  priest,  dressed  more  fantastically  than  any  »ierry  Andrew  in  Chris. 


540  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

tendom.  His  clothing  was  manufactured  almost  solely  of  fine  soft  grass.  Hh 
head  and  shoulders  and  part  of  his  body  were  hid  underneath  an  enormous  thing 
in  shape  like  the  roof  ofa  hut,  with  a  fringe  and  tassels  of  stained  grass.  A  tobe 
made  also  of  grass,  excellently  woven  and  of  various  colours,  encircled  his  body, 
and  reached  as  far  as  the  knee  ;  and  the  man  wore  likewise  trousers  of  the  same 
material,  and  plaited  in  the  same  manner,  but  unstained,  and  of  the  colour  of 
dried  grass.  They  were  turned  up  at  the  ankles,  though  a  deep  fringe  hung  to 
the  ground.  He  approached  several  individuals  that  were  sitting  on  the  turf, 
and  stooping  over  them,  enveloped  the  upper  part  of  their  persons  in  his  un- 
couth head-dress;  shook  it  over  them,  which  produced  a  strange  rustling  noise : 
screamed  in  a  most  frightful  and  unearthly  tone ;  and  then  arose  to  perform  the 
same  barbarous  ceremony  to  others. 

Proceeding  down  the  river  from  Patashie,  they  found  it  obstructed  with  rocks, 
but  the  current  bore  them  rapidly  along,  and  contriving  to  avoid  the  reefs,  in 
about  three  hours,  they  reached  Lever.  Our  surprise  was  great,  indeed,  (say 
the  travellers,)  when  instead  of  the  proper  person  who  we  expected  would  have 
received  us,  we  were  welcomed  on  shore  by  a  man  called  Du^oo,  a  Bornouesr, 
who  represented  himself  as  the  agent  and  confidential  friend  of  the  prince  of 
Rabba.  Ducoo  treated  us  with  the  courtly  politeness  of  a  Frenchman,  and 
was  equally  lavish  in  his  compliments  and  his  otiers  of  service  ;  he  walked  with 
us  to  the  chief  of  the  town,  to  whom  he  took  the  liberty  of  introducing  us  almost 
before  he  himself  knew,  who  or  what  we  were  ;  went  himself  and  procured  ex- 
cellent lodgings  for  us,  returned  and  sat  down  jn  our  company  to  tell  us  some 
droll  stones,  and  impart  to  us  in  confidence  some  very  di.sagreeable  news  ;  then 
hastily  rose  up,  went  out,  and  came  back  again  with  a  sheep  and  other  provis- 
ions, which  he  had  obtained  by  compulsion  from  the  chief,  and  finally  remained 
with  us  till  long  after  the  moon  had  risen,  when  he  left  us  to  our  repose. 

Disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  obtaining  a  canoe  at  Lercr  our  travellers 
found  that  they  had  been  very  prettily  cajoled,  and  out-manoeuvred,  by  the  mon- 
archs  of  Boossa  and  Wowow.  They  had  lost  their  horses,  were  now  probably 
a  subject  of  mockery  and  jest,  and  without  any  prospect  of  being  able  to  proceed 
on  their  voyage. 

In  this  exigency,  they  formed  the  design  of  detaining  the  two  canoes  lent  them 
by  the  chief  of  Patashie,  which  they  claimed  under  the  pretext  of  their  having 
been  intended  for  them  by  the  chief  of  Wowow,  though  they  well  knew,  he  had 
not  paid  for  them  and  probably  never  would.  The  Patashie  canoemen  stoutly 
resisted  the  claim,  but  Ducoo  soon  put  them  to  silence,  by  threatening  to  cut  off 
the  head  of  him  who  should  presume  from  that  time  to  set  foot  in  either  of  the 
canoes,  and  to  give  effect  to  his  menace,  he  stationed  two  of  his  men  with  drawu 
swords  to  guard  the  boats. 

This  same  Ducoo,  however,  soon  attempted  to  carry  into  execution  a  plot 
which  he  had  formed  for  carrying  away  the  canoes.  One  day  the  travellers  were 
suddenly  informed  that  the  Falatahs  were  carrying  away  their  largest  canoe. 
One  of  them  instantly  hastened  to  the  water  side,  where  indeed  he  observed  the 
canoe  filled  with  Falatahs,  who  were  waiting  the  signal  for  starting.  He  order- 
ed them  to  get  out  of  the  canoe  immediately  or  take  the  consequences.  They 
were  about  to  obey,  when  Ducoo  stepping  up  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and 
desiring  him  to  be  cool,  said  that  he  had  taken  the  liberty  of  launching  the  canoe 
for  the  use  of  his  friends  the  Falatahs,  and  that  after  they  had  crossed  over  on  the 
other  side,  it  should  be  brought  back. 

In  the  mean  time  the  other  Lander  had  also  repaired  to  the  water's  side  with  a 
pistol  which  so  terrified  the  Falatahs  that  those  who  were  on  shore  jumped  has- 
tily into  another  canoe,  and  all  of  them  stole  away  as  fast  as  they  could,  in  great 
trepidation,  for  they  fancied  their  end  had  come. 

But  the  matter  of  the  canoes  did  not  end  here.  In  a  few  days  a  messenger 
arrived  from  Teah,  claiming  them  as  the  property  of  the  chief  of  that  island,  who 
said  that  he  had  lent  them  to  his  friend  the  chief  of  Patashie.  'J'he  messenger 
was  told  to  take  the  canoes  if  they  would,  but  Ducoo  thwarted  them  in  their  de- 
sign, and  ordered  the  canoes  to  be  pulled  up  on  shore,  at  the  distance  of  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  water's  edge. 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  541 

The  travellers  having  been  desired  to  prepare  themselves  for  their  departure 
from  Lever,  had  got  their  baggage  ready,  and  were  only  waiting  to  take  their 
leave  of  the  chief,  when  one  of  his  messengers  entered  their  hut,  and  told  them 
that  they  would  be  unable  to  go  until  the  next  day,  Ducoo  having  dissuaded  his 
master  the  chief  from  his  original  design.  They  submitted  to  the  disappoint- 
ment as  well  as  they  could,  but  obtained  a  solemn  promise  that  they  should  not 
be  detained  longer  than  the  next  day.  The  next  day,  however,  they  were  again 
told  that  they  would  have  to  wait  yet  another  day  when  they  should  certainly  go. 
Their  patience  was  now  completely  exhausted,  and  repairing  in  a  rage  to  the 
hut  of  the  chief,  they  found  him  sitting  with  Ducoo  engaged  in  high  dispute. 
The  travellers  expressed  their  determination  to  leave  Lever  presently,  in  defi- 
ance of  them  and  all  their  power.  Ducoo  on  hearing  this,  smiled  at  them  with 
the  most  insolent  eftVontery,  and  informed  them  that  they  were  entirely  in  his 
power,  and  that  they  would  quit  the  town  when  he  thought  proper.  The  travel- 
lers quickly  undeceived  him  on  this  point,  declaring  that  if  he  or  either  of  his 
men  should  attempt  to  hinder  them,  they  would  feel  no  more  hesitation  in  shoot- 
ing him,  than  if  he  had  been  a  partridge,  or  a  Guinea  hen.  This  conduct  had 
the  desired  effect;  Ducoo  became  quite  crest-fallen,  and  the  travellers  were  suf- 
fered to  depart. 

In  their  course  down  the  Niger,  they  passed  through  Bajiebo,  Leechee,  im- 
portant towns,  but  no  incident  of  much  interest  occurred  to  them  until  their 
arrival  at  the  island  of  Belee.  They  indeed  saw  at  Bajiebo,  a  curious  kind  of 
canoes  which  they  describe  as  follows.  We  have  seen  to-day  several  large  ca- 
noes, the  bottom  of  which  is  made  of  a  single  tree,  and  built  up  with  planks  to  a 
considerable  height.  In  many  of  them,  sheds,  or  houses,  as  they  are  called, 
have  been  erected,  which  are  thatched  with  straw,  and  in  which  fires  are  kindled, 
food  prepared,  and  people  sleep,  and  indeed  live  altogether.  The  roof  is  circu- 
lar, and  formed  in  much  the  same  manner  as  the  upper  part  of  a  covered  wag- 
gon in  England.  These  sheds  are  of  tlie  most  essential  service  to  the  natives,  as, 
with  their  assistance,  merchants  are  enabled  to  travel  with  some  degree  of  com- 
fort, with  tlieir  wives  and  household,  several  days  journey  up  and  down  the 
Niger,  without  being  under  the  necessity  of  landing,  except  to  purchase  pro- 
visions. 

The  river  just  below  Bajiebo  spreads  itself  into  two  noble  branches,  forming 
an  island  in  the  midst,  small  but  surpassingly  beautiful.  The  banks  were  embel- 
lished with  mighty  trees  and  elegant  shrubs,  which  were  clad  in  thick  and  luxuri- 
ant foliage,  some  ofUvely  green  and  others  of  darker  hues ;  and  little  birds  were 
singing  merrily  among  their  branches.  Magnificent  festoons  of  creeping  plants, 
always  green,  hung  from  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  and  drooping  to  the  water's 
edge,  formed  immense  natural  grottoes,  pleasing  and  grateful  to  the  eye  and 
seemed  to  be  fit  abodes  for  the  Naiads  of  the  river. 

Further  down  the  river,  and  soon  aller  leaving  the  island  of  Madje,  the  travel- 
lers suddenly  came  in  sight  of  an  elevated  rock,  called  by  the  natives  Mount 
Kesa.  It  forms  a  «mall  island,  and  is,  probably,  not  less  than  three  hundred  feet 
in  height.  It  is  excessively  steep,  and  rising  out  of  the  river  as  it  does,  its  ap- 
pearance is  irresistibly  imposing  and  majestic  beyond  description.  Its  base  is 
fringed  by  venerable  trees  and  less  magnificent  vegetation,  which  also  strives  to 
spring  forth  from  its  barren  and  almost  naked  sides.  The  heigfft  of  Mount 
Kesa,  its  solitary  position,  and  the  peculiarity  of  its  form,  distinguish  it  from 
every  other,  and  render  it  an  object  of  more  than  common  interest.  It  is  greatly 
venerated  by  the  natives,  who  believe  that  a  benevolent  genius  makes  it  his  fa- 
vourite abode,  and  dipenses  around  him  a  benign  and  heavenly  influence,  alle- 
viating misfortune,  relieving  want,  turning  mourning  into  joy,  and  especially 
afFordmg  the  weary  traveller  a  refuge  from  the  storm,  where  he  reposes  in  the 
delights  of  security,  and  revels  in  the  comforts  of  ease. 

At  the  island  of  Belee,  the  travellers  were  informed  that  a  distinguished  per- 
sonage, the  King  of  the  Dark  Water,  was  intending  to  pay  them  a  visit  there,  and 
they  concluded  to  await  his  arrival. 

Exposed  to  a  thousand  inconveniences  and  annoyances  on  the  island,  they  had 
stepped  into  their  canoes,  and  were  lying  at  a  little  distance  from  the  shore,  un- 
46* 


542  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

der  the  branches  of  alar^e  tree,  when  they  heard  a  number  of  men  singing  and 
keeping  time  to  the  motion  of  the  j)addle.s,  but  could  see  no  one.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  canoe  came  in  sight,  propelled  by  a  very  few  men,  and  soon  another 
arger  canoe,  propelled  by  about  twenty  very  fine  young  men,  whose  voices 
hey  had  heard,  and  who  were  still  continuing  their  song.  The  King  of  the 
Dark  Water  wvlh  with  them.  The  canoe  was  of  extraordinary  length  and  un- 
common neatness.  In  the  centre  a  mat  awning  was  erected,  and  vaiiously 
decorated,  and  on  the  front  of  it  hung  a  large  piece  of  scarlet  cloth,  ornamented 
with  bits  of  gold  lace  stretched  on  different  parts  of  it.  In  the  bow  were  three  or 
four  little  boys  of  equal  size,  clad  with  neatness  and  propriety,  and  in  the  stern 
sat  a  company  of  comely-looking  musicians,  consisting  of  several  drummers  and 
a  trumpeter. 

As  soon  as  this  canoe  reached  the  landing  place,  the  Water  King  came  out 
from  beneath  the  awning,  and,  followed  by  tibe  musicians  and  a  suite  of  attend- 
ants, walked  to  the  hut  wliere  all  public  business  was  transacted,  and  whither,  in 
a  few  minutes,  we  ourselves  were  desired  to  repair.  The  chief  of  the  island, 
with  his  elders  and  the  more  respectable  of  the  people,  were  seated,  on  our  en- 
trance, on  each  side  of  their  important  visiter,  and  my  brother  and  I,  as  a  mark 
of  distinction,  were  invited  to  place  ourselves  in  front  of  him.  When  the  usual 
compliments  had  passed  on  both  sides,  he  informed  us,  with  much  solemnity,  of 
his  rank  and  title,  said  that  the  cause  of  his  coming  was  to  do  us  honour,  and  re- 
peated what  had  been  previously  told  us  by  the  king's  son.  This  done,  he  pre- 
sented us  with  a  pot  of  excellent  honey,  two  thousand  cowries  in  money,  besides 
a  large  quantity  of  gooranuts.  Having  nothing  further  to  say  or  do,  we  shook 
hands  with  his  sable  majesty,  whose  name  was  SuUken  Rouah,  expressed  our 
acknowledgments  for  his  handsome  present,  and  returned  to  our  boats. 

The  king  of  the  Dark  Water  was  a  fine  looking  man,  well  stricken  in  years; 
his  skin  as  black  as  a  coal ;  his  features  coarse  but  benevolent,  and  his  stature 
advantageous  and  commanding.  He  was  dressed  in  a  full  Bornouese  or  Arab 
cloak,  of  inferior  blue  cloth,  underneath  which  was  a  variegated  tobe  of  figured 
satin,  country  cloth,  and  crimson  silk  damask,  all  patched  together ;  he  likewise 
wore  a  cap  of  red  cloth,  Haussa  trousers,  and  sandals  of  coloured  leather.  Two 
pretty  little  boys  acted  in  the  capacity  of  pages,  each  furnished  with  an  orna- 
mented cow's  tail,  and  standing  one  on  his  right  hand,  the  other  on  his  lefl,  to 
brush  away  flies  and  other  insects  from  his  person,  and  supply  him  with  goora 
nuts  and  tobacco.  The  king  was  also  accompanied  by  six  of  his  wives,  fine, 
handsome,  jet-black  girls,  dressed  in  neat  country  caps  edged  with  red  silk. 
Native  cloths,  of  cotton  and  silk,  were  fastened  round  their  waists,  beneath 
which  they  wore  a  sort  of  short  frock.  The  usual  custom  of  staining  their  fin- 
gers and  toe-nails  with  henna,  appears  to  be  general  among  tliem  ;  their  wrists 
were  ornamented  with  neat  silver  bracelets,  and  their  necks  with  coral  necklaces. 

To  such  a  man  as  the  Water  King,  with  such  a  suite  and  such  a  title,  the  great- 
est honour  is  expected  to  be  paid,  and  we  therefore  showed  our  respect  by  sa- 
luting him  with  a  discharge  from  two  or  three  muskets,  and  by  waiting  patiently 
his  return  from  the  council-hut  wherein  he  stayed  two  whole  hours,  during 
which  we  were  sitting  in  our  canoes,  exposed  to  a  very  hot  sun,  for  we  had  re- 
moved them  IVom  under  the  tree  by  the  side  of  his  own. 

It  was  exactly  mid-day  when  SuUken  Rouah  re-embarked  in  his  princely  ca- 
noe, and  quitted  the  island  of  Belee.  Determined  for  once  to  make  an  attempt 
at  a  more  respectable  appearance,  for  heretofore  it  had  been  extremely  mean 
and  homely,  we  hastily  constructed  an  awning  of  our  sheets.  Above  tlie  awn- 
ing we  elevated  a  slender  staff,  on  the  top  of  which  we  fastened  our  national 
colours,  the  union  flag,  which  was  kindly  given  us  by  a  genUeman  on  the  coast, 
who  was  commandant  of  Anamaboo.  When  unfurled  and  waving  in  the  wind, 
it  looked  extremely  pretty,  and  it  made  our  hearts  glow  with  pride  and  enthusi- 
asm, as  we  looked  on  this  solitary  little  banner.  I  put  on  an  old  naval  uniform 
coat  which  I  had  with  me  for  state  occasions,  and  my  brother  also  dressed  hiro- 
self  in  as  grotesque  and  gaudy  a  manner  as  our  resources  would  afford.  Our 
eight  attendants  also  put  on  new  white  Mohammedan  tobes,  so  that  our  canoe, 
with  its  vvliite  awning  surmounted  by  tlie  union  flag,  our  cauoemeu  in  new 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  543 

dresses,  and  ourselves  appearing  as  officers,  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  elFect 
of  the  whole  scene.  The  august  King  of  the  Dark  Water,  with  his  retinue  in 
twenty  canoes,  condescendingly  gave  us  the  precedence,  and  ours  was  the  first 
that  moved  off  from  land,  and  led  the  way  down  the  river  towards  Rabba. 

For  a  little  time  we  continued  to  take  the  lead,  but  the  chief  soon  went  before 
us,  for  two  reasons:  first,  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  looking  at  us  ; 
and  secondly,  that  we  might  have  a  fairer  chance  of  seeing  him  in  all  his  state, 
for  which  purpose  he  had  placed  himself  outside  his  awning  on  an  elevated  and 
conspicuous  seat.  However,  he  only  wished  to  get  a  few  yards  before  us,  for 
the  canoemensoon  lifted  their  paddles  out  of  the  water,  and  the  boat  fell  back  to 
its  former  situation.  This  going  before  and  falling  behind  was  done  repeatedly. 
The  musicians  in  the  large  canoe  performed  merrily  on  their  instruments,  and 
about  twenty  persons  now  sung  at  intervals  in  recitative,  keeping  excellent  time 
with  their  paddies, 

A  brisk  wind  sprang  up  the  river  full  in  our  faces,  relieving  us  from  the  ex- 
treme heat  of  the  weather,  which  was  remarkably  fine  ;  the  scene  before  us  was 
very  animating,  and  the  whole  of  us  were  in  high  glee  and  spirits.  Other  canoes 
joined  us;  and  never  did  the  British  flag  lead  so  extraordinary  a  squadron.  The 
King  of  the  Dark  Water  might  be  mistaken  for  a  river  god ;  and  his  wives,  now 
and  then  showing  their  pretty  black  faces  from  under  the  awning,  cast  many  an 
arch  look  at  us  with  their  sparkling,  jetty  eyes.  It  was  not  long  before  our  reve- 
ry  was  interrupted  by  a  great  noise  from  the  adjacent  band;  and  on  turning  we 
perceived  the  banks  of  an  island  called  Lagozhi,  which  were  lined  with  numbers 
of  people  admiring  our  flag,  and  watching  us  very  earnestly,  by  which  we 
guessed  that  this  was  the  place  of  our  destination.  The  island  is  so  uncommon- 
ly low  that  the  houses  and  trees  appeared  as  if  they  were  standing  in  the  water, 
as  indeed  many  of  them  actually  were.  Here  we  arrived,  and  landed  between 
one  and  two,  P.  M.,  having  enjoyed  a  pleasant  excursion,  of  eight  or  nine  miles. 
Ours  being  the  first  canoe,  before  we  landed  on  the  island  We  waited  for  the 
king  to  precede  us,  and  the  moment  he  set  his  foot  on  the  shore,  we  fired  a 
salute  of  four  muskets  and  three  pistols.  Suliken  Rouah  was  rather  alarmed  at 
this,  and  demanded  whether  we  were  going  to  make  war  on  him.  He  was  soon 
relieved  from  his  fear,  by  being  told  that  it  was  an  honour  that  we  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  paying  to  all  the  princes  we  had  met  in  our  travels;  which  he  no 
sooner  understood  than  he  expressed  himself  much  gratified  by  our  attention. 
Suliken  Rouah  went  in  person  in  quest  of  a  dwelling  house,  and  led  us  to  one 
which,  though  miserably  bad,  was  one  of  the  best  which  the  island  aftbrded.  In 
the  evening  four  large  calabashes  of  stewed  rice,  with  fowls,  and  no  less  than  ten 
gallons  ofpitto,  or  country  beer,  were  sent  us. 

Lagozhi,  the  domain  of  the  King  of  the  Dark  Water,  is  estimated  to  be  about 
fifteen  miles  long  and  three  broad.  It  is  exceedingly  low  ;  the  greater  part  of  it 
was  overflowed  at  the  time  of  our  travellers's  visit  to  it.  The  inhabitants  are  of 
course  much  addicted  to  the  water.  They  exhibit  great  pride  in  the  care  and 
management  of  their  canoes ;  the  Niger  is  covered  with  these  little  vessels,  and 
to  be  skilful  in  the  management  of  them  is  the  greatest  boast  of  the  people. 
The  cliief  of  the  island  has  about  six  hundred  canoes.  The  inhabitants  are  fond 
of  aquatic  occupations  to  excess ;  in  fact,  they  arc  almost  amphibious,  so  prone 
are  they  to  be  continually  sporting  in  bogs  or  dabbling  in  water.  But  they  do 
not  confine  themselves  to  the  river  the  year  round ;  they  cultivate  the  soil,  and 
also  excel  in  certain  kinds  of  manufactures.  Their  cloth,  tobes,  and  trousers, 
would  not  disgrace  a  European  manufiictory ;  they  are  worn  and  valued  by 
Ivings,  chiefs,  and  great  men,  and  are  the  admiration  of  the  neighbouring  na- 
tions, which  vainly  attempt  to  imitate  them.  The  travellers  saw  there  a  variety 
of  caps,  worn  solely  by  females,  and  made  of  cotton,  interwoven  with  silk,  of  the 
most  exquisite  workmanship.  The  people  also  manufacture  wooden  bowls  and 
dishes,  mats,  shoes,  sandals,  cotton,  brass  and  iron  stirrups,  bits  for  bridles;  hoes, 
chains,  fetters,  &c. 

The  character  of  the  people  is  excellent.  They  seem  quite  independent  of 
all  authority  except  that  of  the  legitimate  King  of  tJie  Dark  iVater,  and  their  own 
interests  induce  them  to  obey  him  alone.    They  have  liberty  stamped  on  their 


544  RICHARD   AND    JOHN  LANDER. 

features,  and  lightness  and  activity  are  observable  in  all  their  actions.  They  are 
hospitable  to  strangers,  amicable  to  their  neighbours,  peaceful  and  social  among 
themselves,  rendered  bold  by  freedom,  affluent  by  industry  and  frugality  healthy 
by  exercise  and  labour,  and  happy  from  a  combination  of  all  these  blessings. 
Their  numbers  cannot  well  be  estimated,  but  it  must  be  immense. 

On  the  shore  opposite  Zagozhi,  at  the  distance  of  about  two  miles,  stands 
Rabba,  apparently  as  viewed  from  that  island,  an  immensely  large,  populous  and 
flourishing  town.  It  is  the  residence  of  the  chief  of  the  Falatahs,  and  very  cele- 
brated as  a  market.  Soon  after  our  travellers'  arrival  at  Zagozhi,  messengers 
arrived  from  this  chief,  bringing  with  them  a  present  of  two  fine  sheep,  and  a 
great  quantity  of  rice.  They  informed  the  travellers  that  the  king  would  not  put 
them  to  the  trouble  of  going  to  see  them,  as  the  town  was  full  of  Arabs  whose 
begging  propensities  would  be  very  inconvenient  to  them,  intelligence  at  which 
they  heartily  rejoiced.  By  these  messengers  the  travellers  sent  in  return  then' 
present  to  the  king,  or  sultan,  Mallam  Dendo.  The  king  appeared  satisfied 
with  bis  present  at  first,  but  suddenly  one  morning  not  long  after,  he  sent  for 
Pascoe,  the  interpreter  and  servant  of  the  Landers,  in  a  great  hurry,  with  a  mes- 
sage that  he  was  impatiently  awaiting  his  arrival  at  Rabba,  having  something  of 
importance  to  communicate.  The  travellers  were  surprized  at  this  unexpected 
summons,  and  waited  Pascoe's  return  with  much  anxiety.  When  he  came  back 
he  looked  very  wistfully,  and  with  considerable  agitation  of  voice  and  manner, 
informed  them,  that  Mallam  Dendo  had  expressed  the  greatest  dissatisfaction 
with  the  things  sent  him  as  a  present,  declaring. them,  with  the  exception  of  tlie 
looking-glass,  to  be  perfectly  worthless,  and  fit  only  for  a  child ;  that  he  well  knew 
they  could  have  sent  him  something  better,  and  that  if  they  persisted  in  refusing 
to  do  so,  he  would  demand  their  guns,  pistols,  and  powder,  before  he  would 
permit  them  to  leave  Zagozhi.  To  this  demand  they  resolved  not  to  submit ; 
ibr,  say  they,  it  brought  to  our  recollection  the  fable  of  the  lion  deprived  of  his 
teeth  and  claws.  But  having  reflected  deliberately  on  their  situation,  they  were 
convinced  tliat  something  must  be  done  by  way  of  conciliation,  if  they  had  any 
thought  of  leaving  that  part  of  the  country  and  prosecuting  their  enterprize.  At 
length  they  bethought  themselves  of  Mr.  Park's  tobe,  given  to  them  by  the  King 
of  Boossa,  and  they  resolved  to  send  it.  Accordingly,  they  despatched  their 
man  Ibrahim  with  it  to  Rabba.  The  king  received  the  tobe  with  the  most  rap- 
turous admiration.  It  had  made  him  their  friend  forever.  He  regretted  that 
the  Falatahs  had  no  canoes,  but  were  tliey  possessed  of  any,  he  would  present 
them  with  as  many  as  they  should  want,  and  accelerate  their  departure  from 
Zagozhi  with  all  his  influence.  "  Ask  the  white  men,"  said  he,  "  what  they 
would  desire,  and  if  Rabba  can  supply  them  with  it,  they  shall  always  have  it. 
Well,"  he  continued,  "  I  must  purchase  this  tobe,  I  will  not  accept  it  as  a  gift, 
that  would  be  against  my  principles,  and  besides  it  would  be  wrong  for  me  to 
be  guilty  of  such  injustice.  Now,  I  shall  be  something  like  a  king,"  he  added, 
turning  the  tobe  inside  and  out ;  "  let  no  man  know  of  it ;  my  neighbours  will 
behold  me  with  envy;  and  as  for  my  own  people,  I  will  surprise  them  some 
morning  by  putting  it  on  v/hen  they  are  going  to  war;  it  will  dazzle  tlieir  eyes. 
How  great  will  be  their  astonishment!" 

Tiie  travellers  alterwards  received  from  the  chief  of  Rabba  the  most  uniform 
kindness  ;  he  exerted  himself  to  obtain  for  them  of  the  Waaler  King,  a  canoe 
sufliciently  large  to  carry  their  whole  company,  made  them  handsome  presents, 
and  on  being  solicited,  by  a  messenger,  sent  from  the  king  of  Noutfie,  to  detain 
the  travellers  at  Zagozhi  until  they  would  consent  to  make  his  master  a  present 
of  a  certain  number  of  dollars,  or  something  equivalent  to  them  in  value,  he 
treated  the  message  and  its  bearer  witli  contempt,  and  answered,  energetically, 
"  Tell  your  sovereign  that  I  would  rebuke  him  for  this  expression  of  his  senti- 
ments ;  tliat  I  will  never  consent  to  his  wishes,  that  I  reject  his  proposal  with  dis- 
dain. What !  shall  the  white  men,  who  have  come  from  such  distant  lands  to 
visit  our  country,  who  have  spent  their  substance  among  us,  and  made  us  pre- 
sents, before  we  had  leisure  to  do  any  good  for  tliem,  shall  they  be  treated  so 
inhumanly?  Never.  They  have  worn  their  shoes  from  tlieir  feet,  and  tlieir 
clothes  from  their  persons,  by  their  long  journeys,  they  have  tlirowu  themselvaa  i 

1 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  545 

on  otir  hospitality ;  shall  we  treat  them  as  robbers,  and  cast  them  from  us  hke 
dogs?     Surely  not. 

The  Falatahs  at  Rabba,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  endeavoured  to  claim  a  relation- 
ship with  Europeans,  though  the  people  are  either  of  a  swarthy  complexion  or 
as  black  as  soot.  White  men,  how  sorry  soever  their  appearance  may  be,  are 
considered,  not  only  by  the  Falatahs,  but  also  by  the  native  blacks,  as  a  superior 
order  of  beings,  in  every  respect  more  excellent  than  themselves.  "At  Yaoorie," 
say  our  travellers,  "  we  overheard  a  conversation  between  two  men,  who  were 
quarrelling  in  the  very  height  of  passion.  "What!"  exclaimed  one  of  them  to 
his  fellow,  "  thou  pitiful  son  of  a  black  ant !  dost  thou  presume  to  say  that  a 
horse  was  my  father?  Look  at  these  Christians  !  for  as  they  are,  I  am  ;  and 
such  were  my  ancestors  ;  answer  me  not,  I  say,  for  I  am  a  white  man !"  The 
speaker  was  a  negro,  and  his  skin  the  colour  of  charcoal." 

The  travellers  after  experiencing  considerable  difficulty  at  length  succeeded  in 
purchasing  a  larger  and  more  connnodious  canoe,  though  they  had  been  cheated 
in  the  bargain,  the  canoe  being  found  leaky  and  patched  in  a  thousand  places, 
bade  farewell  to  the  Water  King,  and  embarked  on  board  the>  canoe.  The 
hundreds  of  spectators  who  stood  gazing  at  them,  fired  two  mu?kets,  accompa- 
nied with  three  cheers ;  and  launching  out  into  the  river  they  were  soon  out  of 
sight. 

Passing  by  many  important  towns  and  Adllages,  and  beautiful  and  highly  culti- 
vated islands,  they  proceeded  on  their  way  without  stopping  until  they  reached 
the  village  of  Dacannie,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles.  Indeed  they 
were  unable  to  land  on  account  of  the  marshy  nature  of  the  banks  of  the  river. 
The  men  becoming  too  fatigued  to  labour  any  longer,  they  suffered  the  canoe 
to  drift  along  with  the  current,  when,  on  a  sudden,  an  incredible  number  of 
hippopotami  arose  very  near  them,  and  came  plunging  all  round  the  canoe,  and 
placed  them  in  imminent  danger.  Thinking  to  frighten  them  off,  they  say,  we 
fired  a  shot  or  two  at  them,  but  the  noise  only  called  up  from  the  water,  and  out 
of  the  fens,  about  as  many  more  of  their  unwieldy  companions,  and  we  were 
more  closely  beset  than  before.  Our  people,  who  had  never  in  all  their  lives 
been  exposed  in  a  canoe  to  such  huge  and  formidable  beasts,  trembled  with  fear, 
and  absolutely  wept  aloud ;  and  their  terror  was  not  a  little  increased  by  the 
dreadful  peals  of  thunder  which  rattled  over  their  heads,  and  by  the  awful  dark- 
ness which  prevailed,  broken  at  intervals  by  flashes  of  lightning  whose  glare  was 
truly  awful.  Our  people  told  us  that  these  formidable  animals  frequently  upset 
canoes  in  the  river,  when  every  one  in  them  is  sure  to  perish.  These  came  so 
close  to  us  that  we  could  reach  them  with  the  butt-end  of  a  gun.  When  I  fired 
at  the  first,  which  I  must  have  hit,  every  one  of  them  came  to  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  pursvied  us  so  fast  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  diificulty  we  could 
keep  before  them  Having  tired  a  second  time,  the  report  of  the  gun  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  loud  roaring  noise,  and  we  seemed  to  increase  our  distance  from 
them.  No  doubt,  at  first,  when  we  interrupted  them,  they  were  only  sporting, 
and  wallowing  in  the  river  for  their  own  amusement,  but  had  they  upset  our 
canoe  we  should  have  paid  dearly  for  it. 

Finding  we  could  not  induce  our  people  to  land,  we  agreed  to  continue  on  all 
night.  The  eastern  horizon  became  very  dark,  and  the  lightning  more  and  more 
vivid ;  indeed,  we  did  not  recollect  ever  having  seen  such  strong  forked  hght- 
ning  before  in  our  lives.  At  eleven,  P.  M.,  it  blew  somewhat  stronger  than  a 
gale,  and  at  midnight  the  storm  was  at  its  height.  The  wind  swept  the  water 
furiously  over  the  side  of  the  canoe,  so  that  she  was  in  danger  of  filhng.  Driven 
about  by  the  wind,  our  frail  bark  became  unmanageable,  but  at  length  we  got 
near  a  bank  which  in  some  measure  protected  us,  and  we  were  fortunate  enough 
to  lay  hold  of  a  thorny  tree  against  which  we  were  driven,  and  which  was  grow- 
ing nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  stream.  Presently  we  fastened  the  canoe  to  its 
branches,  and  wrapping  our  cloaks  round  our  persons,  and  with  our  legs 
dangling  half  over  the  sides  of  the  little  vessel,  we  lay  down  to  sleep,  x^nd 
though  the  thunder  continued  to  roar,  and  the  rain  beat  in  our  faces,  and  our 
canoe  lay  rocking  like  a  cradle,  still  my  brother  slept  soundly.  The  wind  kept 
blowing  hard  from  the  eastward  till  after  midnight,  when  it  became  calm.    The 


546  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

rain  then  descended  in  torrents,  accompanied  with  thunder  and  lightning  of  the 
most  awful  description.  We  lay  in  our  canoe  drenched  with  rain,  and  our 
little  vessel  was  filling  so  fast,  that  two  people  were  obliged  to  be  constantly 
baling  out  the  water  to  keep  her  afloat.  The  water  elephants,  as  the  natives 
term  the  hippopotami,  frequently  came  snorting  near  us,  but  fortunately  did  not 
touch  our  canoe.  The  rain  continued  until  three  in  the  morning,  when  it  became 
clear,  and  we  saw  the  stars  sparkling  hke  gems  over  our  heads. 

Again  getting  under  way,  in  about  two  hours,  they  put  into  a  small  village 
called  Dacannie.  Alter  drying  their  clothes,  and  partaking  of  some  slight  re- 
freshments, they  again  proceeded  down  the  river,  until  about  mid-day,  when  they 
arrived  at  a  small  island  called  Gurigo.  The  banks  now  became  high  and  beau- 
tifully cultivated,  palm  trees  grew  in  profusion,  and  the  towns  and  villages  were 
not  more  than  two  or  three  miles  from  each  other.  We  obseiTed,  they  say, 
some  hundreds  of  large  canoes,  with  a  hut  in  their  middle,  passing  along  the 
river,  some  crossing  and  recrosvsing  to  the  opposite  banks,  while  others  were 
pursuing  their  course  along  them.  They  mostly  seemed  to  consist  of  famihes 
of  people,  for  while  the  men  were  paddling,  the  women  and  girls  were  singing 
to  a  guitar  with  their  little  delicate  voices,  and  produced  a  very  pretty  effect. 
When  we  passed  close  to  any  of  their  canoes,  they  would  suddenly  stop  their 
music,  tmdexcAdim,  Ki,  lii,  ma  nenec  acca  cliiken  zhilagce '.  Oh  dear,  oh  dear ! 
what  do  I  see  in  tluit  canoe  ?  at  the  same  time  expressing  the  utmost  astonishment 
both  in  their  features  and  gestures. 

We  had  not  been  on  the  water  more  than  half  an  hour  after  leaving  Gungo, 
before  the  wind  rose  to  a  gale,  causing  the  river  to  be  agitated  like  a  sea,  and 
our  canoe  to  be  tossed  about  like  a  cocoanut  shell.  It  also  rained  heavily,  inso- 
much that  in  a  moment  we  were  wetted  to  the  skin,  and  our  canoe  soon  became 
half  filled  with  water.  We  were  then  in  the  middle  of  the  river  and  in  danger 
of  sinking.  Our  men  struggled  hard  so  pull  the  canoe  among  the  rushes  on  the 
right  bank,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  on  by  them  till  the  wind  and  rain  should 
abate,  and  the  water  become  smooth.  It  was  not  without  great  exertion  that 
this  was  effected,  for  the  wind  was  against  us,  the  water  was  in  commotion, 
and  our  fragile  litde  vessel,  as  a  sailor  would  express  it,  "  shipped  several  seas." 
No  sooner  had  we  got  into  the  morass,  and  were  congratulating  ourselves  oo 
our  deliverance,  than  a  frightful  crocodile,  of  prodigious  size,  sprang  forth  from 
his  retreat,  close  to  the  canoe,  and  plunged  underneath  it  with  extraordinary 
violence,  to  the  amazement  and  terror  of  us  all :  we  had  evidently  disturbed  him 
from  his  sleep.  Had  he  touched  our  canoe,  he  would  have  upset  it.  The  rain 
in  addition  to  the  water  that  washed  in  frotn  the  river  over  the  bows  of  the  cjmoe, 
employed  three  persons  constantly  baling  to  keep  her  afloat.  The  wind  and 
rain  having  subsided,  we  left  our  retreat  about  half  pait  eight,  and  kept  on  down 
the  river. 

About  ten  in  the  morning  we  arrived  opposite  a  large  village,  which  is  situated 
on  a  low,  flat  island ;  and  the  current  at  this  place  rushing  with  the  impetuosity 
of  a  torrent  over  a  broad  sand-bank,  and  notwithstanding  we  exerted  all  our 
powers  to  avoid  it,  we  were  completely  foiled  :  the  canoe  became  unmanage^ 
able ;  we  were  carried  along  with  irresistible  velocity  ;  and  in  less  than  two 
minutes  she  struck  against  the  roof  of  a  hut  which  was  covered  with  water. 
By  the  sudden  and  forcible  shock,  one  of  our  men  was  thrown  with  violence 
overboard,  but  the  others,  more  fortunate,  clung  to  the  boughs  of  a  tree.  Though 
the  current  was  so  exceedingly  rapid,  the  water  was  very  shallow,  and  the  man 
was  enabled  to  join  his  companions  shortly  afterward:  he  appeared  more  fright- 
ened than  hurt.  The  village  was  nearly  washed  away  with  the  exception  of 
about  a  dozen  houses,  so  high  were  the  waters  of  the  river. 

The  next  place  at  which  the  travellers  touched  was  the  island  of  Fofo.  The 
consternation  of  the  people  at  seeing  them  was  very  great,  and  it  was  with  some 
difticulty  tliat  they  could  obtain  lodgings  and  food. 

Leaving  Fofo,  they  passed  the  river  Coodonia,  a  stream  of  considerable  size, 
which  enters  the  Niger  from  the  northward,  and  next  arrived  at  Egga,  a  large 
town  about  three  miles  from  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  travellers  proceeded 
up  to  the  town  through  a  creek  leading  to  tlie  landing  place.    The  town  wast 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  547 

upwards  of  two  miles  in  length,  and  our  travellers  were  struck  with  the  immense 
number  of  large,  bulky  canoes,  which  lay  off  it,  filled  with  trading  commodities, 
and  all  kinds  of  merchandize  common  to  the  countiy.  They  also  had  huts  in 
them,  and  had  blood  smeared  on  their  sterns,  and  feathers  stuck  in  it  as  a  charm 
or  preservative  against  robbers,  and  the  evil  disposed.  The  town  was  found  to 
be  of  prodigious  extent,  and  the  population  immense.  Like  other  towns  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  it  was  frequently  inundated,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  was  at 
that  time  overflowed  with  water. 

The  chief  received  the  travellers  with  great  cordiality.  He  was  seated  on  a 
cow's  hide  spread  on  the  ground,  smoking  from  a  pipe  about  three  yards  long, 
and  surrounded  by  a  number  of  Falatahs,  and  several  old  mallams.  The  travel- 
lers were  requested  to  sit  near  him.  He  looked  at  them  with  surprise,  from 
head  to  foot,  told  them  they  were  strange  looking  people,  and  well  worth  seeing. 
They  were  indeed  objects  of  great  curiosity  to  all  the  people  of  Egga,  who 
came  flocking  by  hundreds  to  the  door  of  their  hut,  so  that  they  were  obliged  to 
blockade  the  door  ways,  and  station  a  guard  to  keep  them  off.  The  chief  paid 
them  a  visit  and  begged  that  they  would  allow  his  wives  and  principal  people  to 
come  and  see  them.  They  could  not  but  comply  with  the  request.  The  curi- 
osity of  the  people  to  see  them  became  so  intense  that  they  dared  not  stir  out  of 
doors,  and  were  obliged  to  take  their  exercise  by  walking  round  and  round  in 
their  hut,  like  wild  beasts  in  a  cage.  They  seemed  to  be  regarded,  in  fact,  in  the 
same  light  as  the  fiercest  tigers  in  England ;  for  if  they  approached  near  the 
door,  the  people  would  retreat  in  the  greatest  trepidation,  and  on  their  retiring 
to  the  back  of  the  hut,  they  would  again  approach  in  silence  and  with  caution. 
The  travellers  one  day  determined  to  satisly  their  curiosity,  and  accordingly 
walked  about  out  side  their  hut  for  two  hours. 

The  people  of  Egga  endeavoured  to  persuade  them  not  to  proceed  on  their 
way,  until  tiiey  could  procure  for  them  a  convoy  of  traders  going  to  attend  a 
famous  market  called  Bocqua,  and  under  whose  protection  they  might  be  secure 
from  the  attacks  of  the  bloody  and  ferocious  people  who  inhabited  the  banks  of 
the  Niger  between  Egga  and  that  city.  Their  representations  of  the  dangers  to 
which  the  travellers  would  be  exposed  so  frightened  their  attendants,  that  at  first 
all  but  two,  refused  to  accompany  them.  Finding,  however,  that  they  could  not 
get  their  wages  for  their  past  services,  if  they  stopped  here,  and  seeing  the  trav- 
ellers determined,  they  concluded  to  go  with  them.  Bidding  farewell  to  the 
chief  of  Egga,  and  firing  ofl^" three  muskets  as  a  parting  salute,  they  proceeded  on 
their  way.  A  few  miles  below  the  town,  they  saw  a  sea-gull  which  flew  over 
tlieir  heads,  a  most  gratifying  sight,  as  it  reminded  them  that  they  w^ere  drawing 
near  the  object  of  their  wishes  and  their  hopes.  They  also  beheld  about  half  a 
dozen  white  pelicans,  which  were  sailing  gracefully  on  the  water.  As  they 
passed  along,  the  banks  at  first  appeared  like  a  low  swampy  country,  and  then 
succeeded  a  region  of  great  fertihty  and  beauty,  with  large  open  villages  on  both 
banks  of  the  river  for  many  miles.  However,  they  did  not  stop  until  reaching  a 
small  hamlet,  situated  on  an  island,  where  as  the  sun  was  dechning,  and  the  men 
were  fatigued,  they  intended  to  sleep.  The  inhabitants,  they  say,  no  sooner 
saw  us  than  they  raised  the  war  cry,  and  every  man  and  woman  armed  them- 
selves with  swords  and  dirks,  bows  and  arrows,  assuming  a  threatening  and 
alarming  position.  We  called  out  lustily  to  them  in  the  Haussa  language,  but 
they  were  unable  to  understand  either  our  words  or  gestures.  Fortunately,  in 
a  few  minutes,  a  woman,  who  could  converse  a  little  in  the  Haussa  tongue, 
came  down  to  us  at  the  water-side,  and  we  informed  her  that  we  were  friends 
and  Christians,  travelling  down  the  river  to  our  native  country.  This  she 
repeated  to  them  around  her,  and  partially  succeeded  in  removing  their  sus- 
picions. 

The  people,  however,  being  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  accommodate 
them  with  a  lodging,  they  again  set  out,  and  continued  on  their  way  until  they 
came  to  a  large  town  on  the  western  bank,  called  Kacunda.  The  people  were 
at  first  alarmed  at  their  appearance,  but  an  old  Mohammedan  priest,  relieved 
them  of  their  fears,  and  entertained  the  travellers  in  his  own  hut,  with  a  friendly 
hospitality. 


548  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Kacunda  is  the  capital  of  a  kingdom  of  the  same  name.  Its  government  is 
despotic  ;  it  maintains  little  intercourse  with  any  other  considerable  nation,  but 
cordines  its  trade  almost  exclusively  to  divers  people  inhabiting  the  banks  of  the 
Niger  to  the  southward.  The  natives  are  tall,  well-formed,  and  muscular. 
Strings  of  red  cornelian  stone  cut  into  something  like  the  shape  of  a  heart  and 
highly  polished,  constituted  their  chief  ornaments.  Their  only  dress  was  a  piece 
of  cotton  cloth  round  the  loins. 

The  chief  who  resided  at  some  distance  from  the  place  where  the  travellers 
landed,  did  not  see  them,  but  sent  his  brother  to  welcome  them,  with  presents  of 
gooranuts,  a  goat,  some  yams,  and  an  immense  quantity  of  beer.  They  in  turn 
gave  him  a  present  for  the  chief,  and  also  several  little  things  which  he  fancied, 
and  which  seemed  to  have  the  effect  of  securing  for  them  his  friendship.  He 
gave  them  a  dreadful  account  of  the  natives  down  the  river,  and,  to  use  their 
own  words,  "  would  not  have  us  think  of  going  among  them,  but  return  by  the 
way  we  had  come."  He  said  to  us,  with  much  emphasis,  "  If  you  go  down  the 
river,  you  will  surely  fall  into  their  hands  and  be  murdered."  "  Go,  we  must, 
I  said,  if  we  live  or  die  by  it,  and  that  also  to-morrow." 

At  Egga,  they  had  heard  similar  slories  in  regard  to  the  manners  of  the  people 
down  the  Niger.  They  were  said  to  be  public  robbers,  living  under  no  king, 
acknowledging  no  human  authority,  in  a  word,  a  community  of  ferocious  out- 
laws. But  nothing  could  daunt  the  resolution  of  the  Landers,  or  deter  them 
from  the  execution  of  their  purpose.  But  to  avoid  the  danger  as  far  as  possible, 
they  resolved,  agreeably  to  the  suggestion  of  their  friend,  the  brother  of  the 
chiefof  Kacunda,  to  perform  the  voyage  in  the  night  season  until  they  should 
have  passed  the  most  dangerous  town.  They  loaded  their  four  muskets  and 
two  pistols  with  ball  and  slugs,  made  every  possible  preparation  for  their  de- 
fence, exhorted  their  men  to  fidelity  and  courage,  commended  themselves  to  the 
keeping  of  Divine  Providence,  and  at  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon,  moved  off 
from  Kacunda,  amid  the  vigorous  and  animated  exertions  of  their  men,  in  gal- 
lant style.  They  soon  passed  a  large  town,  Irom  which  issued  a  great  and  con- 
fused noise  asof  a  multitude  quarreling,  and  saw  other  towns  on  the  western 
bank,  but  cautiously  avoided  them  all.  The  next  morning  they  passed  a  huge 
and  naked  white  rock,  in  the  form  of  a  perfect  dome,  arising  from  the  centre  of 
the  river,  about  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  covered  with  an  immense  number  of 
white  birds,  in  consequence  of  which  they  named  it  Bird  Kock.  It  stands  three 
or  four  mites  from  tiie  town  of  Bocqua.  As  the  travellers  passed  it,  they  were 
very  nearly  lost  in  a  whirlpool,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  they  could 
prevent  the  canoe  from  being  carried  away  and  dashed  against  the  rocks. 

Shortly  alter,  seeing  a  convenient  place  for  landing,  the  men  being  languid 
and  weary  with  hunger  and  exertion,  they  halted  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 
Three  ot  the  meji  went  in  seaich  of  tire  wood,  and  as  they  were  straggling 
about  in  tlie  bush,  a  village  suddenly  opened  belore  them,  and  they  entered  one 
of  the  huts  to  procure  a  little  fire.  It  happened  to  contain  only  women;  but 
they  were  terrified  beyond  measure,  at  the  sudden  intrusion  of  strange  looking 
men,  wliose  language  they  could  not  undei stand,  and  whose  business  they  did 
not  know,  and  they  all  ran  into  the  woods.  The  men  very  composedly  taking 
some  of  tlie  burning  embers  from  the  fire,  returned  in  a  few  minutes  to  their 
masters,  ajtid  related  the  circumstance  of  their  having  discovered  a  village,  and 
;dso  told  them  how  the  women  had  run  away  from  them  as  soon  as  they  saw 
them.  This  tliey  thought  lightly  of,  and  immediately  sent  Pascoe,  Abraham, 
and  Jowdie,  in  company,  to  obtain  some  fire,  and  to  purchase  a  few  yams.  In 
about  ten  minutes  they  returned  in  haste,  telling  us,  to  use  the  travellers  own 
words,  *'  that  they  had  been  to  the  village,  and  had  asked  for  some  fire,  but  that 
the  people  did  not  understand  them,  and  that  instead  of  attending  to  their  wishes, 
they  looked  terrified,  and  had  suddenly  disappeared.  In  consequence  of  their 
threatening  attitudes,  our  people  had  left  the  village,  and  rejoined  us  with  all 
the  haste  they  could.  We  did  not,  however,  tliink  tliat  they  would  attack  us, 
and  we  proceeded  to  make  our  fires  and  then  laid  ourselves  down. 

Totally  unconscious  of  danger,  we  were  reclining  on  our  mats,  when  in  about 
twenty  minutes  after  our  men  had  returned,  one  of  them  shouted  w  itli  a  loud 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  549 

voice,  ''War  is  coming !  O,  war  is  coming !"  and  ran  towards  us  with  a  scream 
of  terror,  telling  us  that  the  natives  were  hastening  to  attack  us.  We  started  up 
at  this  unusual  exclamation,  and  looking  about  us,  beheld  a  large  party  of*  men 
almost  naked,  running  in  a  very  irregular  manner,  and  with  uncouth  gestures, 
towards  our  little  encampment.  They  were  all  variously  armed  with  muskets, 
bows  and  arrows,  knives,  cutlasses,  barbs,  long  spears,  and  other  instruments  of 
destruction ;  and  as  we  gazed  upon  this  band  of  wild  men,  with  their  ferocious 
looks,  and  hostile  appearance,  which  was  not  a  little  heightened  on  observing 
the  weapons  in  their  hands. 

Our  party  was  much  scattered,  but  fortunately  we  could  see  them  coming  to 
us  at  some  distance,  and  we  had  time  to  collect  our  men.  We  resolved,  how- 
ever, to  prevent  bloodshed  if  possible,  our  number  were  too  few  to  leave  us  a 
chance  of  escaping  by  any  other  way.  The  natives  were  approaching  us  fast, 
and  had  by  tliis  time  arrived  almost  close  to  our  palm  tree.  Not  a  moment  was 
to  be  lost.  We  desired  Pascoe  and  all  our  people  to  follow  behind  us  at  a  short 
distance,  with  the  loaded  muskets  and  pistols  ;  and  we  enjoined  them  strictly  not 
10  lire,  unless  they  first  fired  at  us.  One  of  the  natives,  who  proved  to  be  the 
chief,  we  perceived  a  litde  in  advance  of  his  companions ;  and  throwing  down 
our  pistols,  which  we  had  snatched  up  in  the  first  moment  of  surprise,  my  broth- 
er and  I  walked  very  composedly  towards  him.  As  we  approached  him,  we 
made  all  the  signs  and  motions  we  could  with  our  arms,  to  deter  him  and  his 
people  from  firing  on  us.  His  quiver  was  dangling  at  his  side  ;  his  bow  was 
bent,  and  an  arrow  which  was  pointed  at  our  breasts,  already  trembled  on  the 
string,  when  we  were  within  a  few  yards  of  his  person.  This  was  a  highly  criti- 
cal moment — the  next  might  be  our  last.  But  the  hand  of  Providence  averted 
the  blow  ;  for  just  as  the  chief  was  about  to  pull  the  fatal  cord,  a  man  that  was 
nearest  him  rushed  forward  and  stayed  his  arm.  At  that  instant  we  stood  before 
him,  and  instantly  held  out  our  hands ;  all  of  them  trembled  like  aspen  leaves ; 
the  chief  looked  up  full  in  our  faces,  kneeling  on  the  ground,  light  seemed  to 
flash  from  his  dark,  rolling  eyes,  his  body  was  convulsed  all  over,  as  though  he 
were  enduring  the  utmost  torture,  and  with  a  timorous,  yet  undefinable  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  in  which  all  the  passions  of  our  nature  were  strangely 
blended,  he  drooped  his  head,  eagerly  grasped  our  proffered  hands,  and  burst 
into  tears.  This  was  a  sign  of  friendship ;  harmony  followed,  and  war  and 
bloodshed  were  thought  of  no  more.  The  following  explanation  of  his  conduct 
was  afterwards  given  by  the  chief  "A  few  minutes  after  you  first  landed,  one 
of  my  people  came  to  me,  and  said  that  a  number  of  strange  people  had  arrived 
at  the  market  place.  I  sent  him  back  again  to  get  as  near  to  you  as  he  could,  to 
hear  what  you  intended  doing.  He  soon  after  returned  to  me,  and  said  that 
you  spoke  in  a  language  which  he  could  not  understand.  Not  doubting  that  it 
was  your  intention  to  attack  my  village  at  night,  and  carry  off  my  people,  I  de- 
dred  them  to  get  ready  to  fight.  We  were  all  prepared  and  eager  to  kill  you, 
and  came  down  breathing  vengeance  and  slaughter,  supposing  that  you  were 
my  enemies,  and  had  landed  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  But  when  you 
came  to  meet  us  unarmed,  and  we  saw  your  white  faces,  we  were  all  so  fright- 
ened that  we  could  not  pull  our  bows,  nor  move  hand  or,  foot ;  and  when  you 
drew  near  me,  and  extended  your  hands  towards  me,  I  felt  my  heart  faint  within 
me,  and  believed  that  you  were  Children  of  Heaven,  and  had  dropped  from  the 
skies.  And  now  said  he,  "  white  men,  all  I  want  is  your  forgiveness."  That 
you  shall  have  most  heartily,  we  said,  as  we  shook  hands  with  the  old  chief;  and 
having  taken  care  to  assure  him  that  we  had  not  come  from  so  good  a  jjlace  as 
he  had  imagined,  we  congratulated  ourselves,  as  well  as  him  that  this  affair  had 
so  happily  ended.  For  our  parts  we  had  reason  to  feel  the  most  unspeakable 
pleasure,  and  we  offered  up  internally  to  our  merciful  Creator,  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving  and  praise,  for  the  Almighty  had  indeed,  to  use  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist,  delivered  our  souls  from  death,  and  our  feet  from  falling,  and  pre- 
served us  from  any  terror  by  night,  and  from  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day  ;  from 
the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  from  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at 
noon  day.  We  were  grateful  that  our  blood  had  not  been  shed,  and  that  we  had 
been  prevented  from  spilling  the  blood  of  others.  Our  guns  were  aU  loaded 
47 


550  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

with  balls  and  slugs,  ourmen  were  ready  to  present  them,  and  a  single  arrow 
from  a  bow  would  have  been  the  signal  of  immediate  destruction.  It  was  a  nar- 
row escape,  and  God  grant  we  may  never  be  so  near  a  cruel  death  again.  It 
was  happy  for  us  that  our  white  faces  and  calm  behaviour  produced  the  effect  it 
did  on  these  people.  In  another  minute  our  bodies  would  have  been  as  full  of 
arrows  as  a  porcupine's  is  full  of  quills. 

This  place  which  the  travellers  had  thus  accidentally  discovered,  proved  to 
be  the  famous  market  place,  Bocqua,  of  which  they  had  heard  so  much  before. 
During  their  short  stay  here  they  were  treated  with  the  greatest  hospitality  ;  and 
received  from  the  chief  and  people  valuable  presents,  both  of  provisions  and 
money.  The  stories  which  the  travellers  had  heard  in  regard  to  the  character  of 
the  inhabitants  on  the  Niger  below,  were  here  substantially  repeated. 

The  evening  of  the  day  after  theii  departure  from  Bocqua,  they  descried  a 
canoe,  and  pulled  towards  it ;  but  those  that  were  in  it,  frightened  on  seeing 
them,  jumped  out  and  hid  themselves  in  the  forest.  In  two  or  three  minutes 
they  perceived  on  the  left  bank  a  few  dilapidated  huts,  and  pulled  their  canoe 
ashore,  intending  to  remain  there  for  the  night.  A  number  of  women  first  ob- 
served them,  and  hurried  away  to  an  adjacent  village,  where  they  saw  them  pro- 
viding themselves  with  muskets  and  other  uncivil  weapons,  and  very  formidable 
Amazons  they  appeared  to  be.  We  did  not  seem  to  regard  them,  but  jumping 
on  shore  with  our  mats,  sat  down  under  the  branches  of  a  large  cocoanut  tree. 
We  had  not  been  long  seated  before  a  number  of  people  made  their  appear- 
ance, running  hastily  towards  us  with  swords  and  muskets  in  their  hands.  See- 
ing that  we  were  sitting  down  quietly,  they  hesitated,  and  stopping  at  a  short 
distance  from  us,  wished  to  know  what  we  wanted  at  their  town.  We  had  re- 
course to  our  usual  method  of  expressing  ourselves  by  signs,  and  the  natives 
finding  that  we  were  really  harmless  beings,  ventured  to  draw  nearer,  and  very 
soon  became  reconciled  to  us. 

Thechief  of  this  place,  which  was  called  Abbazacca,  a  tall,  Herculean,  awk- 
ward figure,  with  a  sullen  and  most  forbidding  countenance,  on  receiving  his 
presents  began  to  grumble,  and  told  us  plainly  that  he  would  not  let  us  leave  his 
village  till  something  better  was  given  to  him.  To  enforce  his  threats,  fourteen 
of  his  slaves  stood  around  him  armed  with  muskets,  whose  appearance  alone, 
he  thought  would  be  sufficient  to  intimidate  us  into  compliance.  We  by  no 
means  wished  to  have  any  disturbance,  and  therefore  endeavoured  to  persuade 
him  that  we  had  nothing  more  to  give  him.  I  directed  all  our  travelling  things 
to  be  taken  out  of  the  boxes  before  him,  and  had  them  put  back  again  and  locked 
up.  This  would  not  satisfy  him,  and  he  desired  them  to  be  searched  again,  and 
that  he  himself  might  be  allowed  to  examine  them.  Our  patience  was  now 
quite  exhausted :  "  Tell  the  chief,"  said  I  to  our  interpreter,  "  the  boxes  shall  be 
opened  no  more,  and  let  him  stop  my  people  from  loading  the  canoe  if  he  dare." 
My  brother  and  I  had  armed  ourselves  with  the  loaded  pistols  and  with  the 
swords,  as  well  as  ail  our  people,  and  on  telling  the  chief  what  we  had  done,  we 
ordered  them  to  proceed  loading  the  canoe,  which  they  obeyed  directly.  The 
chief  stood  amazed  and  did  not  oiier  to  interfere.  This  old  rascal  had  muttered 
and  grumbled  at  every  thing  which  was  offered  him ;  this  was  of  no  use,  and 
that  of  no  value.  After  having  gone  the  length  he  did,  and  having  shown  his  in- 
solent airs,  without  producing  the  expected  impression,  he  feared  that  he  should 
get  nothing  at  all,  and  tlierefoie  accepted  the  present  we  had  offered  him  at 
first. 

This  same  chief  resolved  upon  accompanying  the  travellers  in  his  canoe  to  a 
large  town  about  a  day's  journey  from  this  place,  and  of  which  he  said,  his 
brother  was  governor.  Leaving  Abbazacca,  and  proceeding  on  their  voyage, 
at  two  in  the  allernoon,  they  came  abreast  of  a  village  called  Danuiggoo.  AVe 
had  no  sooner  made  our  appearance,  they  say,  than  we  were  lustily  hailed  by  a 
little  squinting  fellow,  dressed  in  an  English  soldier's  jacket,  who  kept  crying  out 
as  loud  as  his  lungs  would  permit  him,  "Holloa,  you  Englishmen !  you  come 
here."  However,  we  were  not  inclined  to  obey  his  summons,  and  as  the  cur- 
rent swept  them  along  past  the  village,  took  no  notice  of  the  littie  man.  Short- 
ly, however,  a  dozen  cauoes  overtook  them,  and  desired  ihem  to  turn  back,  a^^ 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  551 

they  had  forgotten  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  king.     They  complied  with  the 
request. 

The  man  in  the  red  jacket  proved  to  be  a  messenger  from  the  king  of  Bonny, 
sent  here  to  buy  slaves.  The  king  of  Damuggoo  treated  them  w^ith  great  kind- 
ness, expressed  the  greatest  satisfaction  at  liaving  been  permitted  to  behold 
white  men,  and  being  informed  that  they  v/ere  ambassadors  from  the  great  king 
of  the  white  men,  resolved  to  hold  a  rejoicing  in  their  honour.  The  ceremonies 
commenced  by  a  volley  of  musketry  being  tired  off  by  command  of  the  chief, 
and  the  travellers  were  afterwards  saluted  by  a  discharge  from  the  swivels.  This 
was  a  signal  for  the  inhabitants  to  come  forward  and  follow  the  example  of  their 
monarch,  which  they  did  with  so  much  spirit  and  effect  that  a  continual  firing  was 
kept  up  till  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  from  which  time  the  people  pa- 
raded the  town  for  the  remainder  of  the  night,  dancing,  singing,  and  making 
merr;^ 

Th'religion  of  Damuggoos  is  pagan.  The  people  worship  fetishes,  and  sev- 
eral fetish  ceremonies  were  performed  by  the  king  and  his  people,  to  ensure  the 
safety  of  the  travellers  on  their  passage  down  the  river  to  the  sea.  The  govern- 
ment is  despotic.  The  chief,  though  benevolent  in  appearance,  was  severe  ill 
his  punishments.  Our  travellers  being  seriously  incommoded  by  the  crowds  of 
people  who  thronged  their  hut,  and  unable  to  keep  them  away,  complained  to 
the  king,  who  told  them  to  cut  off  their  heads.  The  people  carry  on  a  trade 
with  the  Bocqua  market,  taking  thither  powder,  muskets,  soap,  Manchester  cot- 
tons, and  other  articles  of  European  manufacture,  and  great  quantities  of  rum, 
or  rather  of  rum  and  water,  for  not  more  than  one  third  of  it  is  genuine  spirit,  and 
exchanging  them  for  ivory  and  slaves  which  are  sold  to  the  European  traders. 

On  their  departure  from  Damuggoo,  the  king  sent  a  canoe  manned  with  his 
own  men,  which  in  company  with  their  own  canoe,  should  assist  in  conveying 
them  and  their  attendants  to  the  sea.  Every  thing  being  ready,  the  travellers 
were  seated  in  their  canoe,  waiting  for  the  boatmen  and  impatient  for  their  arri- 
val, when  they  saw  the  king  coming  with  a  train  of  followers.  The  mallam  and 
all  his  principal  people  were  with  him,  bringing  numerous  jars  of  palm  wine. 
A  mat  was  spread  near  the  water  side,  whereon  the  chief  sat  himself,  and  we 
were  instantly  desired  to  place  ourselves,  one  on  each  side  of  his  person.  The 
palm  wine  and  some  rum  were  then  produced ;  and  as  we  were  about  to  take  a 
long  farewell  of  our  hospitable  host,  we  drank  of  his  offering,  rather  than  give 
offence  by  a  refusal.  The  palm  wine  circulated  freely  in  the  bowls,  and  the 
natives  of  the  village,  who  witnessed  all  proceedings  with  no  little  anxiety, 
seemed  to  be  greatly  delighted  at  seeing  their  chief  so  familiar  with  white  men. 
A  fatted  goat  was  given  us  as  a  parting  gift,  and  a  small,  decanter  of  rum  was 
thrust  in  my  brother's  bosom  as  a  cordial  during  the  night.  The  fetish  having 
been  sufficiently  invoked,  and  all  having  got  into  the  canoe,  we  glided  down  the 
stream  with  delightful  rapidity,  without  stopping  any  where,  or  meeting  with 
further  hindrances  till  midnight.  The  canoemen  entertained  us  with  their  na- 
tive songs,  keeping  time  with  their  paddles,  and  every  thing  contributed  to  ren- 
der the  passage  pleasant.     But  alas !  this  happiness  was  to  be  of  short  duration. 

The  travellers  had  proceeded  down  the  river  about  a  day's  journey,  when 
they  came  to  a  large  market  town  called  Kirree.  A  great  number  of  canoes 
were  lying  near  the  bank  They  appeared  to  be  very  large,  and  had  flags  lying 
on  long  bamboo  canes.  We  took  no  notice  of  them,  but  passed  on,  and  in  a 
«hort  time  afterward  we  saw  about  fifty  canoes  before  us,  coming  up  the  river. 
They  appeared  to  be  very  large  and  full  of  men,  and  the  appearance  of  them  at 
a  distance  was  very  pleasing.  They  had  each  three  long  bamboo  canes,  with 
flags  flying  from  them,  one  fixed  at  each  end  of  the  canoe,  and  the  other  in  the 
middle.  As  we  approached  each  other,  I  observed  the  British  Union  flag  in 
several,  while  others,  which  were  white,  had  figures  on  them  of  a  man's  leg, 
chairs,  tables,  decanters,  glasses,  and  all  kinds  of  such  devices.  The  people  in 
them,  who  were  very  numerous,  were  dressed  in  European  clothing,  with  the 
exception  of  trousers. 

I  felt  quite  overjoyed  by  the  sight  of  these  people,  more  particularly  so  when 
I  saw  our  flag  and  European  apparel  among  them,  and  congratulated  myself 


552  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

that  they  were  from  the  sea-coast.  But  all  my  fond  anticipations  vanished  in  a 
moment  as  the  first  canoe  met  us.  A  great  stout  fellow,  of  a  most  forbidding 
countenance,  beckoned  to  me  to  come  to  him,  but  seeing  him  and  all  his  people 
so  well  armed,  I  was  not  much  inchned  to  trust  myself  among  them,  and  paid 
no  attention  to  him.  The  next  moment  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  drum,  and  in  an 
instant  several  men  mounted  a  platform  and  levelled  their  muskets  at  us.  There 
was  nothing  to  be  done  now  but  to  obey ;  as  for  running  away  it  was  out  of  the 
question,  our  square  loaded  canoe  was  incapable  of  it ;  and  to  fight  with  fifty  war 
canoes,  for  such  we  found  them,  containing  each  above  forty  people,  most  of 
whom  were  as  well  armed  as  ourselves,  would  have  been  throwing  away  my 
own  and  my  canoemen's  lives  very  foolishly.  In  addition  to  the  muskets,  each 
canoe  had  a  long  gun  in  its  bow  that  would  carry  a  shot  of  four  or  six  pounds, 
besides  being  provided  with  a  good  slock  of  swords  and  boarding  pikes. 

By  this  time  our  canoes  were  side  by  side,  and  with  astonishing  rapidity  our 
luggage  found  its  way  into  those  of  our  opponents.  This  mode  of  proceeding 
I  did  not  relish  at  all ;  so  as  my  gun  was  loaded  with  two  balls  and  four  slugs,  1 
took  deliberate  aim  at  the  leader,  and  he  would  have  paid  for  his  temerity  with 
his  life  in  one  moment  more,  had  not  three  of  his  people  sprung  on  me  and 
forced  the  gun  from  my  hands.  My  jacket  and  shoes  were  as  quickly  plunder- 
ed from  me,  and  observing  some  other  fellows  at  the  same  time  taking  away 
Pascoe's  wife,  I  lost  all  command  over  myself,  and  was  determined  to  sell  my  lite 
as  dearly  as  I  could.  I  encouraged  my  men  to  arm  themselves  with  their  pad- 
dles and  defend  themselves  to  the  last.  I  instantly  seized  hold  of  Pascoe's  wife, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  my  men  dragged  her  from  the  fellow's  grasp; 
Pascoe  at  the  same  time  levelled  a  blow  at  his  head  with  one  of  our  iron-wood 
paddles,  that  sent  him  reeling  backwards,  and  we  saw  him  no  more. 

Our  canoe  having  been  so  completely  relieved  of  her  cargo,  which  had  con- 
sisted only  of  our  luggage,  we  had  plenty  of  room  in  her  for  battle,  and  being 
each  of  us  provided  with  a  paddle,  we  determined,  as  we  had  got  clear  of  our 
adversary,  to  cut  down  the  first  fellow  who  should  dare  to  board  us.  This  was 
not  attempted ;  and  as  none  of  the  other  canoes  had  offered  to  interfere,  I  was 
in  hopes  of  finding  some  friends  among  them,  but  at  all  events  was  determined 
to  follow  the  people  who  had  plundered  us  to  the  market,  where  they  seemed  to 
be  going.  We  accordingly  pulled  after  them  as  fast  as  w«  could.  My  men, 
now  that  the  fray  was  over,  began  to  think  of  their  forlorn  condition.  Ail  their 
things  were  gone,  and  as  they  gave  up  all  hopes  of  regaining  them,  or  being  able 
to  revenge  themselves  on  the  robbers,  they  gave  vent  to  their  rage  in  tears  and 
execrations.  I  desired  them  to  be  quiet,  and  endeavoured  all  in  my  power  to 
pacify  them  by  telling  them  that  if  we  were  spared  to  reach  the  sea  in  safety,  I 
would  pay  them  for  every  thing  they  had  lost. 

We  were  following  the  canoe  that  had  attacked  us,  as  fast  as  we  possibly 
could  to  regain  our  things,  if  possible,  when  some  people  hailed  us  from  a  large 
canoe,  which  I  ibund  afterward  belonged  to  the  new  Calebar  river.  One  of  the 
people,  who  was  apparently  a  person  of  consequence,  called  out  lustily  to  me, 
"  Holloa,  white  man,  you  French,  you  English  ?"  "Yes,  Enghsh,"  I  answered 
immediately.  ''Come  here  in  my  canoe,"  he  said,  and  our  two  canoes  ap- 
proached each  other  rapidly.  I  accordingly  got  into  his  canoe,  and  he  put  three 
of  his  men  into  mine  to  assist  in  pulling  her  to  the  market.  The  people  of  the 
canoe  treated  me  with  much  kindness,  and  the  chief  of  her  who  had  hailed  me, 
gave  me  a  glass  of  rum.  There  were  several  females  also  in  the  canoe,  who 
appeared  to  take  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  my  safety. 

On  looking  around  me  I  now  observed  my  brother  coming  towards  us  in  the 
Damuggoo  canoe,  and  the  same  villain  who  had  plundered  me  was  the  first  to 
pursue  him.  As  we  had  been  absent  from  each  other  all  the  morning,  and  the 
tbregoing  transactions  relate  only  to  mvself,  the  following  narrative  of  my  broth- 
er will  give  the  reader  an  account  of  his  proceedings  to  3ie  time  I  saw  him,  and 
the  disaster  which  soon  after  followed. 

My  brother  left  the  village  nearly  two  hours  before  me,  and  therefore  he  was 
far  in  advance  when  the  Damuggoo  canoe,  in  which  I  had  remained,  was  pushed 
off  the  land.    Wishing  to  overtake  him,  for  he  had  no  guide,  the  men  exerted 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  553 

themselves  wonderfully,  to  make  amends  for  the  time  which  they  had  trifled 
away,  and  it  was  really  astonishing  to  see  the  rapidity  with  which  the  canoe  was 
impelled  through  the  water. 

The  morning  was  cool,  serene,  and  delightful,  and  the  sun  had  just  emerged 
from  a  mass  of  dense  clouds,  which  were  fringed  with  a  silvery  light.  On  each 
side  of  the  river,  gentle  and  undulating  hills  rose  one  behind  the  other,  covered 
with  verdure,  and  here  and  there  varied  by  groves  of  dark,  green  trees,  which 
served  to  render  the  prospect  yet  more  agreeable.  The  smooth,  transparent 
surface  of  the  river,  disturbed  only  by  the  motions  of  our  paddles,  so  calm,  so 
peaceful  in  its  gentle  course,  reflected  with  unerring  truth  the  enchanting  land- 
scape from  either  side,  and  lent  its  friendly  aid  to  hasten  us  to  our  long-wished 
for  destination. 

After  we  had  been  in  the  canoe  perhaps  an  hour,  one  of  the  men  who  happen- 
ed to  be  standing  in  the  bow,  fancied  that  he  could  descry,  in  another  canoe, 
then  at  a  considerable  distance  before  us,  a  sheep  and  goat  which  my  brother 
had  taken  away  with  him  in  the  morning.  All  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
animals  having  been  removed  from  his  own  mind,  and  those  of  his  companions, 
though  for  my  own  part  I  must  own  that  my  vision  was  not  near  keen  enough 
to  allow  me  to  agree  with  them  in  opinion,  we  gave  chase  to  the  suspected  ca- 
noe. The  men  summoned  all  their  resolution  and  strength  to  the  task,  and, 
like  an  arrow  from  a  bow,  our  narrow  vessel  darted  through  the  water.  We 
gained  rapidly  on  the  chase,  and  the  people,  perceiving  our  object,  and  mis- 
trusting our  intentions,  kept  near  the  shore,  and  laboured  hard  to  get  away  from 
us.  They  then  entered  a  branch  of  the  river,  and  sheltered  themselves  among 
a  number  of  canoes  that  were  lying  alongside  a  large  market  place,  situated  on 
the  right  bankc  This  did  not  damp  the  spirit  of  our  men,  or  deter  them  from 
following  the  pursued :  we  succeeded  in  discovering  their  hiding  place  ;  and  at 
length,  after  much  wrangling  and  many  threats,  the  robbers,  (for  such  they  pro- 
ved to  be,)  were  compelled  to  restore  the  animals.  But  how  my  brother  could 
have  suffered  two  men  to  plunder  his  canoe,  puzzled  me  exceedingly,  and  I  was 
totally  at  a  loss  to  account  for  it.  Nothing  could  exceed  my  surprise,  on  ap- 
proaching the  market,  to  observe,  as  I  thought,  large  European  flags,  aflixed  to 
poles,  and  waving  over  almost  every  canoe  that  was  there.  On  a  closer  exam- 
ination, 1  discovered  them  to  be  only  imitations,  though  they  were  executed 
with  uncommon  skill  and  neatness.  British  colours  apparently  were  the  most 
prevalent,  and  among  these  the  Union  flag  seemed  to  be  the  general  favourite. 
Nor  did  my  former  surprise  diminish  in  the  least  when  I  landed,  on  finding  that 
the  market  people  were  clad  in  European  apparel,  though,  with  the  odd  fancy 
which  is  remarkable  among  Indians  who  have  any  intercourse  with  Europeans, 
none  of  them  were  dressed  in  a  complete  suit  of  clothes.  One  wore  a  hat  only, 
with  a  Manchester  cotton  tied  round  his  waist,  another  a  shirt,  another  a  jacket, 
&c.  As  all  natives  with  the  exception  of  kings,  are  forbidden  by  law  to  wear 
trousers,  a  common  pocket  handkerchief  was  generally  substituted  for  that  arti- 
cle of  dress.  The  multitude  formed  the  most  motley  group  that  we  have  ever 
seen ;  nothing  on  earth  could  be  more  grotesque  or  ridiculous.  Many  of  the 
men  had  a  smattering  of  the  English  and  French  tongues. 

The  object  for  which  we  had  stopped  at  the  market,  having  been  effected  to 
our  satisfaction,  we  pulled  out  again  into  the  main  body  of  the  river,  and  here 
we  saw  several  canoes  of  amazing  size  coming  towards  us  from  the  southward. 
Totally  unsuspicious  of  danger  of  any  kind  from  this  quarter,  astonishment  at 
such  a  sight  was  the  only  emotion  that  entered  my  mind  ;  and  we  resolved  to 
pass  in  the  midst  of  these  canoes,  that  we  might  more  conveniently  look  on  each 
side  of  us,  for  tlie  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  they  contained  any  thing  be- 
longing to  us.  At  the  next  moment  another  squadron  of  the  same  description 
of  vessels,  came  in  sight,  in  one  of  wliich  I  could  discover  my  brother  by  his 
white  shirt,  and  I  fancied  that  he  was  returning  to  demand  restitution  of  the  ani- 
mals of  which  he  had  been  plundered,  therefore  1  felt  perfecfly  easy  in  my  mind. 

When  we  drew  nearer,  it  was  apparent  that  these  were  all  war-canoes,  of 
prodigious  dimensions ;  immense  flags  of  various  colours  were  displayed  in 
ihem,  a  six-pounder  was  lashed  to  the  bow  of  each,  and  they  were  filled  with 
47* 


554  RICHARD  AND  JOITN  LANDEB. 

women  and  children,  and  armed  men,  whose  weapons  were  in  their  hands. 
8uch  was  their  size,  that  each  of  them  was  paddled  by  nearly  forty  people.  In 
pursuance  of  our  arrangement  we  passed  through  the  midst  of  them,  but  could 
see  nothing ;  and  we  had  advanced  a  few  yards  when  on  looking  behind  us,  we 
discovered  that  the  war-canoes  had  been  turned  round  and  were  swiftly  pursu- 
ing us.  Appearances  were  hostile  ;  the  apprehension  of  danger  suddenly  flash- 
ed across  my  mind  ;  we  endeavoured  and  struggled  hard  to  escape  ;  but  fear 
had  taken  possession  of  the  minds  of  my  companions,  and  as  they  were  unable 
to  exert  themselves  we  did  not  get  on ;  all  was  vain.  Our  canoe  was  overtaken 
in  a  moment,  and  nearly  sent  under  water  by  the  violence  with  which  her  pur- 
suer dashed  against  her ;  a  second  crash  threw  two  or  three  of  the  Damuggoo 
people  overboard,  and  by  the  shock  of  the  third,  she  capsized  and  sunk.  All 
this  seemed  the  work  of  enchantment,  so  quickly  did  events  succeed  each  other; 
yet  in  this  interval,  a  couple  of  ill-looking  fellows  had  jumped  into  our  canoe, 
and  in  the  confusion  which  prevailed,  began  emptying  it  of  its  contents  with  as- 
tonishing celerity. 

On  finding  myself  in  the  water,  my  first  care  was,  very  naturally,  to  get  out 
again ;  and  therefore  looking  round  on  a  hundred  ruffians,  in  whose  counten- 
ances I  could  discover  not  a  single  trace  of  gentleness  or  pity,  I  swam  to  a  large 
canoe  apart  from  the  others,  in  which  I  observed  two  females  and  some  little 
ones,  for  in  their  breasts,  thought  I,  compassion  and  tenderness  mu.st  surely 
dwell.  Perceiving  my  design,  a  sturdy  man  of  gigantic  stature,  such  as  little 
children  dream  of,  black  as  a  coal,  and  with  a.moslt  hideous  countenance,  sud- 
denly sprang  towards  me,  and  stooping  down,  laid  hold  of  my  arm,  and  snatched 
me  with  a  violent  jerk  out  of  the  water,  letting  me  fall  like  a  log  into  the  canoe, 
without  speaking  a  word. 

I  soon  recovered,  and  sat  up  with  my  companions,  the  women  and  children, 
and  discovered  them  wiping  tears  from  their  faces.  In  momentary  expectation 
of  a  barbarous  and  painful  death,  '  for  what  else,'  said  I  to  myself,  '  can  all  this 
lead  to?'  the  scene  around  me  produced  little  impression  on  my  mind;  my 
thoughts  were  wandering  far  away,  and  this  day  I  thought  was  to  be  my  last. 
I  was  meditating  in  this  manner,  heedless  of  all  that  was  going  on  around  me, 
and  reckless  of  what  came  next,  when  I  looked  up  and  saw  my  brother  at  a  little 
distance,  gazing  steadfastly  upon  me  ;  when  he  saw  that  I  observed  him,  he  held 
up  his  arm  with  a  sorrowful  look,  and  pointed  his  finger  to  the  skies.  O  !  how 
distinctly  and  eloquently  were  all  the  emotions  of  his  soul  at  that  moment  de- 
picted in  his  countenance  !  Who  could  not  understand  him  ?  He  would  have 
said,  "Trust  in  God!"  I  was  touched  with  grief  Thoughts  of  home  and 
friends  rushed  upon  my  mind,  and  alnJdst  overpowered  me.  My  heart  hovered 
over  the  scenes  of  infancy  and  boyhood.  O  how  vividly  did  early  impressions 
return  to  my  soul !  But  such  feelings  could  be  indulged  only  for  a  moment. 
Recollecting  myself,  I  bade  them,  as  I  thought,  an  everlasting  adieu;  and  wean- 
ing my  heart  and  thoughts  from  all  worldly  associations,  with  fervour  I  invoked 
the  God  oi"  my  life,  before  whose  awful  throne  I  imagined  we  should  shortly 
appear,  for  fortitude  and  consolation  in  the  hour  of  trial.  My  heart  became 
subdued  and  softened ;  my  mind  regained  its  serenity  and  composure ;  and 
though  there  was  nothing  but  tumult  and  distraction  without,  within  all  was 
tranquillity  and  resignation. 

On  account  ofthe  eagerness  and  anxiety  with  which  every  one  endeavoured 
to  get  near  us  in  order  to  share  the  expected  plunder,  and  the  confusion  which 
prevailed  in  consequence,  many  of  the  war-canoes  clashed  against  each  other 
with  such  violence,  that  three  or  four  of  them  were  upset  at  one  time,  and  the 
scene  which  ensued  baffles  all  description.  Men,  women  and  children,  cling- 
ing to  their  floating  property,  were  struggling  in  the  river,  and  screaming  and 
crying  out  as  loud  as  they  were  able,  to  be  saved  from  drowning.  Those  that 
were  more  fortunate,  were  beating  their  countrymen  oft"  from  getting  into  their 
canoes,  by  striking  their  heads  and  hands  with  paddles,  as  they  laid  hold  ofthe 
sides  and  nearly  upset  them.  When  the  noise  and  disorder  had  in  some  measure 
ceased,  my  brother's  canoe  and  that  which  I  was  in  were  by  the  side  of  each 
otber,  and  he  instantly  took  his  shirt  from  his  back,  and  threw  it  over  me,  for  I 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER,  555 

was  naked.  I  then  stepped  into  his  canoe ;  for  whatever  might  be  our  fate,  it 
would  be  a  mournful  kind  of  pleasure  to  comfort  and  console  one  another  in  the 
hour  of  trial  and  suffering.  But  I  had  no  sooner  done  so,  than  I  was  dragged 
back  again  by  a  powerful  arm,  which  I  could  not  resist,  and  commanded,  by 
furious  gestures,  to  sit  still,  on  my  peril. 

Unwilling  to  aggravate  our  condition  by  obstinacy  or  bravado,  which  would 
have  been  vain  and  ridiculous,  I  made  no  reply,  but  did  as  I  was  desired,  and 
silently  watched  the  motions  of  our  keepers.  Now  there  were  still  other  canoes 
passing  by  on  their  way  to  the  market-place,  and  among  them  was  one  of  extra- 
ordinary size.  Fancying  it  to  be  neutral,  and  hoping  to  make  a  diversion  in  our 
favour,  I  beckoned  to  those  who  were  in  it,  and  saluted  them  in  the  most  friend- 
ly manner.  But  their  savage  bosoms  were  impenetrable  to  feeling.  Surely, 
they  are  destitute  of  all  the  amiable  charities  of  life.  I  almost  doubted  whether 
they  were  human  beings.  Their  hideous  features  were  darkened  by  a  terrible 
scowl ;  they  mocked  me,  clapped  their  hands,  and  thumped  upon  a  sullen  drum; 
then  with  a  loud  and  scornful  laugh,  the  barbarians  dashed  their  paddles  into  the 
water  and  went  their  way.  This  was  a  severe  mortification ;  I  felt  confused  and 
abashed ;  and  my  heart  seemed  to  shrink  within  itself.  I  made  no  more  such 
trials.  « 

Seeing  my  brother  swimming  in  the  river,  and  people  clinging  on  to  what 
they  could,  I  endeavoured  all  in  my  power  to  induce  the  people  of  my  canoe  to 
go  to  him.  But  all  I  could  do  was  in  vain.  Fearing  that  those  in  the  water 
might  upset  the  canoe  by  getting  into  her,  or  that  she  would  be  overloaded  with 
them,  they  kept  aloof,  and  let  them  take  their  chance.  My  feehngs  at  that  mo- 
ment were  not  to  be  described ;  I  saw  my  brother  nearly  exhausted,  and  could 
render  him  no  assistance,  in  addition  to  our  luggage  being  plundered  and  sunk, 
and  I  had  just  formed  the  resolution  of  jumping  into  the  water  after  him  when 
I  saw  him  picked  up. 

- .  The  canoes  near  me,  as  well  as  mine,  hastened  to  a  small  island  in  the  river, 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  market,  and  my  brother  arrived  soon  afterward.  In 
a  short  time  the  Damuggoo  people  made  their  appearance,  having  like  our- 
selves, lost  every  thing  that  they  had,  of  their  own  property  as  well  as  their 
master's,  this  was  in  consequence  of  the  confusion  which  had  taken  place;  for 
these  people,  no  doubt,  had  they  been  recognized,  would  not  have  been  molested, 
We  were  all  obliged  to  remain  in  our  respective  canoes,  and  made  a  sorry 
appearance  in  consequence  of  the  treatment  we  had  received,  which  was  in- 
creased by  the  tears  and  lamentations  of  our  own  canoemen,  as  well  as  of  those 
of  Damuggoo,  and  neither  my  brother  nor  myself  were  in  a  condition  to  oiFer 
them  any  consolation. 

We  had  been  laying  at  the  island ;  but  now  the  war-canoes  were  all  formed 
into  a  line,  and  paddled  into  tlie  market-place  before  alluded  to,  which  is  called 
Kirrce,  and  which  was  likewise  the  place  of  their  destination.  Here  we  were 
informed  that  a  palaver  would  be  held,  to  take  the  whole  affair  into  consideration ; 
and  about  ten  in  the  morning  a  multitude  of  men  landed  from  the  canoes,  to 
hold  a  council  of  war,  if  so  it  may  be  termed.  For  our  parts  we  were  not  suf- 
fered to  go  on  shore  ;  but  constrained  to  remain  in  the  canoes,  without  a  cover- 
ing for  the  head,  and  exposed  to  the  heat  of  a  burning  sun.  A  person  in  a  Mo- 
hammedan dress  came  to  us,  and  endeavoured  to  cheer  us,  by  saying  that  our 
hearts  must  not  be  sore, — that  at  the  palaver  which  would  be  held,  we  had  plenty 
of  friends  to  speak  for  us.  That  all  the  people  in  the  Mohammedan  dresses, 
who  had  come  from  Funda  to  attend  the  market,  were  our  friends,  besides  a 
great  number  of  females,  who  were  well  dressed  in  silk  of  different  colours. 
These  women  wore  large  ivory  anklets  of  about  four  or  five^pounds  weight,  and 
bracelets  of  the  same  material,  but  not  so  large.  About  twenty  canoes  full  of 
Damuggoo  people  had  arrived  from  the  various  towns  near  Damuggoo.  These 
persons  having  heard  how  we  had  been  treated,  also  became  our  friends,  so  that 
we  now  began  to  think  there  was  a  chance  of  escaping,  and  this  intelligence 
put  us  into  better  spirits 

A  short  time  before  noon,  the  river  being  pretty  clear,  several  guns  were  fired 
as  a  signal  for  ail  the  canoes  to  repair  to  the  market  and  attend  the  palaver. 


556  RICHARD    AND   JOHN  LANDER. 

Eager  to  learn  the  result  of  the  discussion  at  the  assembly,  in  which  we  were  so 
intimately  concerned,  but  without  the  means  of  gaining  any  intelligence,  we 
passed  the  hours  in  fearful  suspense,  yielding  by  turns  to  the  pleasing  illusion* 
of  hope,  and  the  gloomy  forebodings  of  despair. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  was  excessive,  and  having  no  shirt  even  to  protect  my 
shoulders  from  the  scorching  rays,  I  contrived  to  borrow  an  old  cloth  from  one 
of  the  canoemen,  who  spoke  a  little  English.  Some  of  the  market-women  came 
down  to  our  canoe,  and  looked  on  us  with  much  concern  and  pity,  spreading 
their  hands  out,  as  much  as  to  say,  God  has  saved  you  from  a  cruel  death.  They 
then  retired,  and  in  a  few  minutes  afterward  returned,  bringing  with  them  a 
bunch  of  plantains  and  two  cocoanuts.  This  was  an  acceptable  offering,  and  we 
gladly  took  it  and  divided  it  among  our  people  and  ourselves. 

A  stir  was  now  made  in  the  market  place,  and  a  search  commenced  through 
all  the  canoes  for  our  goods,  some  of  which  were  found,  although  the  greater 
part  of  them  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  river.  These  were  landed  and  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  market  place.  We  were  now  invited  by  the  mallams  to 
land,  and  told  to  look  at  our  goods  and  see  if  they  were  all  there.  To  my  great 
satisfaction,  I  immediately  recognized  the  box  containing  our  books,  and  one 
of  my  brother's  journals.  The  medicine  chest  was  by  its  side,  but  both  were 
filled  with  water.  A  large  carpet  bag,  containing  all  our  wearing  apparel,  was 
lying  cut  open,  and  deprived  of  all  its  contents  with  the  exception  of  a  shirt,  a 
pair  of  trousers  and  a  waistcoat.  Many  valuable  articles  which  it  had  contained 
were  gone.  The  whole  of  my  journal,  with  the  exception  of  a  note  book  with 
remarks  from  Rabba  to  this  place,  was  lost.  Four  guns,  one  of  wliich  had  been 
the  property  of  Mr.  Park,  four  cutlasses  and  two  pistols  were  gone.  Nine  ele- 
phant's tusks,  the  finest  I  had  seen  in  the  country,  which  had  been  given  me  by 
the  kings  of  Wowow  and  Boossa,  a  quantity  of  ostrich  feathers,  some  handsome 
leopard  skins,  a  great  variety  of  seeds,  all  our  buttons,  cowries,  and  needles, 
which  were  necessary  for  us  to  purchase  provisions  with,  all  were  missing,  and 
said  to  have  been  sunk  in  the  river.  The  two  boxes  and'the  bag  were  all  that 
could  be  found. 

We  had  been  desired  to  seat  ourselves,  which  as  soon  as  we  had  done,  a  circle 
gathered  round  us  and  began  questioning  us ;  but  at  that  moment  the  sound  of 
screams  and  the  clashing  of  arms  reached  the  spot;  and  the  multitude,  catching 
fire  at  the  noise,  drew  their  swords,  and  leaving  us  to  ourselves,  ran  away  to  the 
place  whence  it  proceeded.  The  poor  women  were  hurrying  with  their  little 
property  towards  the  river  from  all  directions,  and  imagining  that  we  ourselves 
might  be  trampled  under  foot,  were  we  to  remain  longer  sitting  on  the  ground, 
we  joined  the  fiying  fugitives  and  all  rushed  into  the  water,  jumped  into  the  ca- 
noes, and  pushed  olF  the  land,  whither  our  pursuers  dared  not  Ibllow  us.  The 
origin  of  all  this  was  a  dessirelfor  more  plunder  on  the  part  of  the  Eboe  people. 
Seeing  the  few  things  of  ours  in  the  market  place,  which  had  been  taken  from 
their  canoes,  they  made  a  rush  to  the  place  to  recover  them.  The  natives,  who 
were  Kirree  people,  stood  ready  for  them,  armed  with  swords,  daggers,  and 
guns;  and  the  savage  Eboes,  finding  themselves  foiled  in  the  attempt,  retreated 
to  their  canoes  without  risking  an  attack,  although  we  fully  expected  to  have  been 
spectators  of  a  furious  and  bloody  battle.  The  noise  and  uproar  which  this  pro- 
duced were  dreadful  and  beyond  all  description. 

This  after  all  was  a  fortunate  circumstance,  inasmuch  as  my  brother  and  I, 
having  unconsciously  jumped  into  the  same  canoe,  found  ourselves  in  each 
other's  company,  and  were  thus  afforded,  for  a  short  time  at  least,  the  pleasure 
of  conversing  without  interruption ;  and  he  then  related  to  me  all  that  had  hap- 
pened to  him  since  the  morning.  Like  me,  he  had  no  foresight  of  mischief,  or 
apprehensions  of  danger,  and  therefore  he  took  no  means  whatever  of  shunning 
the  immense  canoes  which  he  perceived  were  approaching  him  with  their  large 
flags.  But  on  the  contrary,  these  striking  and  uncommon  appendages,  to  which 
neither  of  us  had  been  accustomed,  served  to  excite  his  curiosity  and  win  his  ad- 
miration rather  than  awaken  any  fear  or  suspicion  of  danger. 

The  palaver  not  having  yet  concluded,  we  had  full  leisure  to  contemplate  the 
scene  around  us.    We  had  moved  a  httle  way  from  the  banks  of  the  river:  ia 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 


557 


front  of  us  was  the  market-place,  which  was  crammed  with  people,  from  all  parts 
of  the  neighbouring  country,  of  difierent  tribes,  a  great  multitude  of  wild  men, 
of  ferocious  aspect,  and  savage,  uncouth  manners.  To  these  belonged  the 
choice  of  either  giving  us  hfe  and  liberty,  or  dooming  us  to  death  or  slavel-y.  In 
the  latter  determination,  their  minds  might  be  swayed  by  suspicion  or  caprice,  or 
influenced  by  hatred  ;  in  the  former,  they  might  be  guided  by  the  hopes  of  gain, 
or  biassed  by  the  lears  of  punishment, — for  many  oithem  had  come  from  the 
sea-coast,  and  such  an  adventure  as  ours  could  not  long  remain  concealed  from 
the  knowledge  of  our  countrymen.  The  shore  for  a  long  way  was  lined  with 
their  canoes,  having  the  colours  of  various  European  nations  waving  from  long 
poles,  which  were  fastened  to  the  seats.  Several  of  these  had  as  many  as  three 
flags  in  each ;  they  were  all  of  immense  size,  and  fringed  with  blue  cotton  (baft) 
cut  into  scallops.     Besides  these  there  were  others  ol"  the  straneest  and   most 


tBUE    CANOK. 

grotesque  patterns,  such  as  representations  of  wild  beasts,  men's  legs,  wine- 
glasses, decanters,  and  things  of  still  more  whimsical  shapes.  Whence  the  bar- 
barians procured  these  emblematical  banners  we  cannot  tell;  but  we  understand 
that  each  tribe  has  its  own  peculiar  flags,  which  are  unfurled  whenever  they  un- 
dertake any  enterprise  of  importance.  Canoes  were  likewise  stationed  near 
an  island  or  sand-bank  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  which  we  considered  to  be 
neutral,  as  their  owners  did  not  seem  to  interfere  with  the  proceedings  of  the 
day.  But  there  happened  to  be  among  the  savages  a  few  well  dressed  Moham- 
medan priests,  who  had  come  late  to  the  market  from  the  northward.  These 
were  decidedly  our  friends.  Many  times  they  blessed  us  with  uplifted  hands  and 
compassionate  countenances,  exclaiming,  '■^  Alia  Sullikee!'^  (God  is  King!) 
Nor  did  they  confine  themselves  to  simple  expressions  of  pity  or  concern  ;  but 
as  we  subsequently  learned,  they  joined  the  assembly,  and  spoke  in  our  favour 
with  warmth  and  energy,  taxing  those  who  had  assaulted  us  with  cowardice, 
cruelty,  and  wrong,  and  proposing  to  have  them  beheaded  on  the  spot  as  a  just 
punishment  for  their  crime.  This  was  bold  language,  but  it  produced  a  salutary 
effect  on  the  minds  of  the  hearers. 

At  about  three  in  the  afternoon  we  were  ordered  to  return  to  the  small  island 
from  whence  we  had  come,  and  the  setting  of  the  sun  being  the  signal  for  the 
council  to  dissolve,  we  were  again  sent  for  to  the  market.  The  people  had  been 


558  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

engaged  in  deliberation  and  discussion  during  the  whole  of  the  day,  and  with 
throbbing  hearts  we  received  their  resolution  in  nearly  the  following  words  : — 
"  That  the  king  of  the  country  being  absent,  they  had  taken  upon  themselves,  to 
consider  the  occurrence  which  had  taken  place  in  the  morning,  and  to  give  judg- 
ment accordingly.  Those  of  our  things  which  had  been  saved  from  the  water 
should  be  returned  to  us,  and  the  person  that  had  first  commenced  the  attack  on 
my  brother  should  lose  his  head,  as  a  just  retribution  for  his  oflence,  having  acted 
without  his  chief's  permission ;  that  with  regard  to  us,  we  must  consider  our- 
selves prisoners,  and  consent  to  be  conducted  on  the  following  morning  to  Obie, 
king  of  the  Eboe  country,  before  whom  we  should  undergo  an  examination,  and 
whose  will  and  pleasure  concerning  our  persons  would  then  be  explained." 
We  received  the  intelligence  with  feelings  of  rapture,  and  with  bursting  hearts 
we  offered  up  thanks  to  our  Divine  Creator  for  his  signal  preservation*bf  us 
throughout  this  disastrous  day. 

It  was,  perhaps,  fortunate  for  us,  that  we  had  no  article  of  value  which  the 
natives  were  at  all  solicitous  about ;  and  to  this  circumstance,  added  to  the  envy 
of  those  who  had  joined  in  the  conquest,  but  who  had  not  shared  the  plunder, 
may  chiefly  be  attributed,  under  Providence,  the  preservation  of  our  lives. 

The  object  of  the  barbarians  in  coming  so  far  from  home  was  never  correctly 
explained  to  us ;  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  from  motives  of  plunder, 
which,  had  our  party  been  larger,  was  to  have  been  carried  into  effect  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale.  But  the  capture  of  two  white  men,  supposed  to  have  valuable 
goods  with  them,  seems  to  have  disconcerted  all  their  plans  for  the  present  by 
producing  division  and  distrust  among  them.  However,  it  was  apparent  to  us 
that  all  these  savage  warriors  had  left  their  country  not  only  to  plunder  whatever 
might  happen  to  fall  in  their  way,  but  Ukewise  to  attend  two  or  three  markets 
near  Kirree,  for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the  natives  whenever  they  might 
fancy  themselves  not  sufficiently  powerful  to  take  away  their  property  without 
fighting  and  bloodshed.  It  was  also  evident  at  Kirree  that  more  than  one  party 
of  these  robbers  had  made  several  attempts  at  plunder,  and  it  was  equally  noto- 
rious that  they  had  been  many  times  repulsed.  Hence  the  dreadful  screaming: 
at  the  market,  and  the  state  of  hurry,  tumult,  and  alarm,  that  prevailed  therein 
during  the  whole  of  the  day. 

In  the  evening,  when  every  thing  was  quiet,  fires  were  kindled  in  all  the  ca- 
noes, for  dressing  provisions,  and  there  being  a  vast  number  of  them,  the  Niger 
was  illuminated  by  streams  of  yellow  light,  which  produced  a  highly  romantic, 
but  melancholy  effect.  It  was  a  time  fitted  for  adoration  and  thanksgiving  to  the 
beneficent  Creator  and  Monarch  of  all.  But,  alas!  how  few  here  are  bending 
the  knee  to  him;  how  few  are  lifting  up  their  hearts  to  his  mercy  seat! 

The  Kirree  people  are  a  savage-looking  race.  They  are  amazingly  strong  and 
athletic,  and  are  also  well  proportioned.  Their  only  clothing  is  the  skin  either 
of  a  leopard  or  tiger  fastened  round  their  waist.  Their  hair  is  plaited  and  plas- 
tered with  red  clay  in  abundance,  and  their  face  is  full  of  incisions  in  every  part 
of  it;  these  are  cut  into  the  flesh  so  as  to  produce  deep  furrows,  each  incision 
being  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  and  died  with  indigo.  It  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  make  out  a  feature  of  their  faces,  and  I  have  never  seen  Indians  more 
disfigured.  The  Eboe  women  have  handsome  features,  and  we  could  not  help 
thinking  it  a  pity  that  such  savage  looking  fellows  as  the  men  should  be  blessed 
with  so  handsome  a  race  of  females.  The  mark  of  the  Eboe  people  is  the  point 
of  an  arrow  pricked  in  each  temple,  the  end  being  next  to  the  eye.  We  are  in- 
formed that  the  leading  man  who  attacked  us  in  the  river  this  morning  is  confined 
in  double  irons,  and  condemned  to  die  by  the  people  who  are  our  friends  at  tliis 
place.  It  is  said  they  have  taken  our  treatment  up  with  so  much  determination 
to  do  us  justice,  that  if  the  king  of  Eboe,  whose  subject  he  is,  refuses  to  put  him 
to  death,  no  more  of  his  canoes  will  be  allowed  to  come  to  this  country  to  trade. 
His  wives  have  been  crying  round  him,  and  making  great  lamentation. 

The  next  morning,  agreeable  to  the  decision  already  related,  the  Landers  bade 
adieu  to  Kirree,  the  scene  of  all  their  sorrows,  and  accompanied  by  six  large  war 
canoes,  again  took  their  station  in  the  canoe  with  the  Damuggoo  people.  Their 
condition  was  now  very  different  from  what  it  had  ever  been  before,  for  they 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  559 

Were  prisoners — and  bound  to  the  court,  they  had  reason  to  believe,  of  a  most 
fierce  and  savage  king,  at  whose  hands  they  were  to  receive  their  sentence  of 
liberty  or  slavery,  life  or  death.  They  had  lost  their  clothing,  their  money,  their 
goods,  they  had  not  even  any  thing  with  which  they  could  purchase  a  meal,  and 
their  sable  guardians  knowing  this,  neglected  to  take  into  consideration  the  state 
of  their  stomachs.  A  piece  of  roasted  yam  to  each,  washed  down  with  a  little 
water,  was  all  they  could  obtain  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

They  had  been  on  the  river  about  two  days  and  a  half,  when  one  of  the  Eboc 
men  in  their  canoe,  exclaimed,  "There  is  my  country !"  pointing  to  a  clump  of 
very  high  trees  at  some  distance  before  them,  and  after  passing  a  low  fertile 
island  they  quickly  came  to  it.  The  town  was  yet  a  good  way  down  the  river. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  they  came  to  an  extensive  morass,  intersected  by  little 
channels  in  every  direction,  and  by  one  of  these  got  into  clear  water  in  front  of 
the  town.  Here,  they  say,  we  found  hundreds  of  canoes,  some  of  them  even 
larger  than  any  we  had  previously  met  with.  They  were  furnished  with  sheds 
and  awnings,  and  afforded  commodious  habitations  for  a  vast  number  of  people, 
who  constantly  resided  in  them.  Perhaps,  one  of  these  canoes  which  was  made 
of  a  single  trunk,  afforded  accommodations  for  seventy  individuals. 

When  we  came  along  side  these  canoes,  two  or  three  huge  brawny  fellows, 
in  broken  English,  asked  how  we  did,  in  a  tone  which  Stentor  might  have  envi- 
ed ;  and  the  shaking  of  hands  with  our  powerful  friends  was  really  a  punish- 
ment on  account  of  the  violent  squeezes  which  we  were  compelled  to  suffer. 
The  chief  of  these  men  called  himself  Gun,  though  Blunderbuss,  or  Thunder 
would  have  been  an  appropriate  name  ;  and  without  solicitation,  he  informed  us 
that  though  he  was  not  a  great  man,  yet  he  was  "  a  little  military  king;"  that  his 
brother's  name  was  King  Boy,  and  his  father's  King  Forday,  who  with  King 
Jacket  governed  all  the  Brass  country.  But  what  was  infinitely  more  interesting 
to  us  than  this  ridiculous  list  of  kings,  was  the  information  he  gave  lis,  that,  be- 
sides a  Spanish  schooner,  an  Enghsh  vessel  called  the  "  Thomas  of  Liverpool," 
was  lying  in  the  first  Brass  river,  which  Mr.  Gun  said  was  frequented  by  Liver- 
pool traders  for  palm  oil. 

On  arriving  at  the  palace,  and  having  crossed  the  yard,  in  which  we  saw  no- 
thing remarkable,  we  entered  by  a  wooden  door  into  another  which  was  far  su- 
perior. This  formed  an  oblong  square;  it  was  cleanly  swept,  and  each  of  its 
sides  was  furnished  with  an  excellent  portico.  Near  the  door-way  we  saw  with 
surprise  a  large  heavy  cannon  lying  on  the  ground.  From  this  enclosure  we 
were  led  into  a  third.  Here  we  were  desired  to  place  ourselves  among  a  crowd 
of  half  dressed  armed  men,  who  were  huddled  together,  some  sitting  and  others 
standing,  and  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  prince.  Our  friend  Gun  was  among 
them,  and  he  immediately  claimed  priority  of  acquaintance  with  us.  He  chatted 
with  amazing  volubility,  and  in  less  than  two  minutes  he  was  on  the  most  fa- 
miliar footing,  slapping  us,  resting  his  heavy  arms  on  our  shoulders,  laughing 
loud  at  every  word  we  said,  looking  luiowingly,  and  occasionally  applying  the 
palm  of  his  hand  to  our  backs  with  the  most  feeling  energy,  as  a  token  of  his 
approbation.  We  wished  him  to  answer  questions  which  concerned  us  nearly, 
but  the  only  satisfaction  we  received  was  contained  in  the  expression,  "  O  yes, 
to  be  sure !"  and  this  was  repeated  so  often,  with  an  emphasis  so  pecuUar,  and 
with  a  grin  so  irresistibly  ludicrous,  that  in  spite  of  our  disappoiniment  we  were 
lustily  entertained  by  him. 

In  this  manner  was  the  time  beguiled,  till  we  heard  a  door  suddenly  open  on 
our  right,  and  the  dreaded  Obie,  king  of  the  Eboe  country,  stood  before  us ! 
And  yet  there  was  nothing  so  very  dreadful  in  his  appearance,  after  all,  for  he 
was  a  sprightly  young  man,  with  a  mild  open  countenance,  and  an  eye  which 
indicated  quickness,  intelligence,  and  good-nature,  rather  than  the  ferocity 
which,  we  had  been  told,  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree.  He  received  us 
with  a  smile  of  welcome,  and  shook  hands  with  infinite  cordiality,  often  compli- 
menting us  with  the  word  "yes!"  to  which  his  knowledge  of  English  is  confined, 
and  which,  no  doubt,  he  had  been  tutored  to  pronounce  for  the  occasion.  Seve- 
oral  attendants  followed  their  sovereign,  most  of  whom  were  unarmed,  atrd 


560  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

almost  naked ;  and  three  little  boys  were  likewise  in  attendance,  whose  office  it 
was  to  fan  him  when  desired. 

His  dress  somewhat  resembled  that  which  was  worn,  on  state  occasions,  by 
the  monarch  of  Yarriba.  Its  appearance  was  altogether  brilliavt,  and  from  the 
vast  profusion  of  coral  ornamenUj  with  which  he  was -decorated,  Obie  might 
have  been  not  inappropriately  styled,  "  the  coral  King."  He  was  seated  on  a 
throne  of  clay ;  a  cap  shaped  like  a  sugar  loaf,  and  thickly  covered  with  strings 
of  coral  and  pieces  of  broken  looking-glass,  graced  his  head;  strings  of  the  same 
materials  encircled  his  neck,  some  of"  them  reaching  almost  to  his  knees.  He 
wore  a  short  Spanish  surtout  of  red  cloth,  much  too  small,  ornamented  with  gold 
epauletts,  and  overspread  in  front  with  gold  lace.  Thirteen  or  fourteen  brace- 
lets were  fastened  to  each  wrist  with  old  copper  buttons ;  his  trousers  composed 
of  the  same  material  as  his  coat,  stuck  as  closely  to  the  skin,  and  reached  no 
lower  than  the  middle  part  of  his  legs,  were  ornamented  at  the  lower  part  with 
precisely  the  same  number  of  strings  of  beads  as  encircled  his  wrists;  besides 
which  a  string  of  little  brass  bells  encircled  each  leg  above  the  ankles,  but  the  feet 
were  naked.  Thus  splendidly  clothed,  Obie,  smiling  at  his  own  magnificence, 
shook  his  feet  for  the  bells  to  tinkle,  sat  down  widi  the  utmost  self-complacency, 
and  looked  around  him. 

Our  story  was  related  to  the  king  in  full  by  the  Bonny  messenger  who  had 
occompanied  us  from  Damuggoo,  who  also  dwelt  upon  the  losses  which  the 
people  of  that  place  and  his  own  had  met  with  at  Kirree.  If  we  may  be  allowed 
to  form  an  opinion,  it  was  a  fine  piece  of  savage  eloquence.  The  man's  looks 
and  gestures  were  natural,  animated,  forcible,  and  strictly  in  keeping  with  the 
feeling,  power,  and  energy  with  which  his  expressions  were  poured  forth.  The 
inflections  of  his  voice,  also,  were  truly  admirable.  This  singular  speech  lasted, 
as  nearly  as  we  could  guess,  two  whole  hours,  and  produced  a  visible  efiect  upon 
all  present.  As  soon  as  it  was  over  we  were  invited  by  Obie  to  take  some  re- 
freshment ;  being  in  truth  extremely  hungry,  we  thankfully  accepted  the  offer, 
and  fish  and  yams  swimming  in  oil  were  forthwith  brought  us  on  English  plates, 
the  king  retiring  in  the  meanwhile,  from  motives  of  delicacy. 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  we  were  informed  that  our  attendance  was  re- 
quired at  the  king's  house,  Obie  being  fully  prepared,  it  was  said,  to  resume  the 
hearing  of  our  case.  A  common  English  chair  placed  in  the  court,  and  covered 
with  red  cloth,  stood  ready  for  the  king's  use.  On  the  left  of  the  chair  stood 
about  fifty  of  the  king's  attendants,  and  to  the  right  of  it  Bonny,  Brass,  and  the 
Damuggoo  people  with  our  own  were  assembled.  In  less  than  half  an  hour, 
the  men  having  in  the  mean  time  been  regaled  with  a  large  quantity  of  palm 
wine,  tlie  monarch  dressed  in  every  respect  as  the  day  before,  entered  the  yard. 
His  fat,  round  cheeks  were  swelling  with  good  humour,  real  or  assumed,  as»  he 
shook  hands  with  a  sprightly  air,  and  instantly  sat  himself  down  to  receive  the 
prostrations  and  addresses  of  his  subjects. 

The  business  of  the  day  was  entered  into  with  spirit,  and  a  violent  jUtercation 
soon  arose  between  the  Brass  and  Bonny  people,  but  scarcely  any  part  of  the 
conversation  was  interpreted  to  us.  Sutiicient,  however,  was  explained  to  put 
us  in  a  very  bad  humour ;  for  notwithstanding  the  opinion  we  had  formed  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  chief,  we  were  assured  that  we  should  never  leave  the  coun- 
try unless  ransomed  at  a  high  price !  The  discussion  was  violent  and  strong, 
and  the  council  did  not  break  up  till  a  late  hour  in  the  ailernoon.  They  came  to 
no  decision,  but  were  to  meet  again  tlie  next  day. 

The  next  day  Obie,  with  a  serious  countenance,  announced  his  decision.  He 
said  that  there  w  as  no  necessity  for  further  discussion  respecting  the  white  men, 
his  mind  was  already  made  up  on  the  subject ;  and  for  the  first  time  he  briefly 
explained  himself  to  this  effect: — That  circumstances  having  tlirown  us  in  the 
way  of  his  subjects,  by  the  laws  and  usages  of  the  country,  he  was  not  only  en- 
titled to  our  persons,  but  had  equal  right  to  those  of  our  attendants ;  that  he 
should  take  no  further  advantage  of  his  good  fortune  than  by  exchanging  us  for 
as  much  English  goods  as  would  amount  to  twenty  slaves ;  that  he  should  pre- 
vent our  leaving  5ie  town,  till  such  time  as  our  countrymen  at  Brass  or  Bonny 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  561 

should  pay  for  our  ransom.  Concerning  the  goods  of  which  we  had  been  rob- 
bed at  Kirree,  he  would  use  his  utmost  exertions  to  get  them  restored.  He 
lamented  that  circumstance  more  than  any  one,  but  denied  that  a  single  subject 
of  his  had  any  thing  to  do  with  it,  and  attributed  it  to  the  rashness  and  brutaUty 
of  a  certain  people  who  inhabited  a  country  nearly  opposite  to  his  own,  whose 
monarch  was  his  particular  friend ;  therefore  he  apprehended  little  difficulty  in 
seeing  justice  done  us ;  '  but  then,' said  he,  'it  is  necessary  that  you  should  wait 
here  for  an  indefinite  time,  till  a  council  of  that  nation  be  held,  when  the  plun- 
derers will  be  examined  and  your  claims  established.' 

The  king  was  assured  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  necessity  for  our  deten- 
tion, that  our  countrymen  would  pay  the  ransom  the  moment  they  should  see  us, 
but  not  before.  But  it  was  all  in  vain ;  it  was  of  no  use  either  to  implore  or  re- 
monstrate. This  determination,  however,  it  will  be  seen  was  subsequently 
altered. 

One  evening  after  this  Obie,  in  his  showy  coral  dress,  but  barefooted,  came  to 
visit  us  in  our  hut,  to  inspect  our  books,  and  examine  the  contents  of  our  medi- 
cine chest.  His  approach  was  announced  by  the  jingling  of  the  little  bells  which 
encircled  his  feet.  He  appeared  greatly  pleased  with  every  thing  he  saw,  and 
looked  aghast  when  informed  of  the  powerful  properties  of  some  of  the  medi- 
cines, whicli  ended  in  a  fit  of  laughter.  He  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  have 
a  little,  especially  of  the  purgatives ;  and  as  we  treated  the  Sultan  of  Yaoorie 
and  family,  so  we  treated  him.  Obie  was  evidently  fearful  of  our  books,  having 
been  informed  that  they  could  '*  tell  all  things !"  and  appeared  to  shrink  with 
horror  at  one  which  was  offered  him,  shaking  his  head,  saying  that  he  must  not 
accept  it,  for  that  it  was  good  only  for  white  men,  "  whose  God  was  not  his 
god !" 

The  next  day  on  being  introduced  to  the  palace,  we  found  King  Boy  in  the 
inner  yard,  and  from  his  significant  physiognomy,  we  conjectured  that  he  had 
someihing  of  consequence  to  communicate.  Obie  received  us  with  his  usual 
politeness  and  jocularity,  but  instantly  directed  his  attention  and  discourse  to 
King  Boy,  who  maintained  an  earnest  and  pretty  animated  conversation  with 
him  for  some  time.  As  we  were  frequently  pointed  out,  and  named,  we  had  no 
doubt  whatever  that  it  was  chiefly  concerning  ourselves,  which  opinion  wag 
soon  after  confirmed. 

Shortly  after  the  termination  of  the  palaver  how  transported  we  were  to  hear 
King  Boy  explain  himself  in  broken  English  to  this  effect:  "In  the  conversation 
which  I  have  just  had  with  Obie,  I  have  been  induced  to  olfer  him  the  goods 
,which  he  demands  for  your  ransom,  on  the  faith  that  they  be  hereafter  repaid 
me  by  the  master  of  the  brig  Thomas  which  is  now  lying  in  the  first  Brass  River, 
and  that  the  value  of  fifteen  bars,  or  slaves,  be  added  thereto  in  Europiean  goods, 
and  likewise  a  cask  of  rum,  as  a  remuneration  for  the  hazard  and  trouble  which 
I  shall  inevitably  incur  in  transporting  you  to  Brass.  If  you  consent  to  these 
conditions,  and  on  these  only,  1  consent  to  redeem  you ;  you  will  Ibrthwith  give 
me  a  bill  on  Captain  Lake  for  the  receipt  of  the  articles  to  the  value  of  thirty-five 
bars,  after  which,  you  will  be  at  liberty  to  leave  this  place,  and  go  along  with  me 
whenever  you  may  think  proper,  agreeably  to  the  understanding  at  present  ex- 
isting between  Obie  and  myself 

This  was  heavenly  news  indeed,  and  we  immediately  gave  the  bill  on  Mr. 
Lake,  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity  which  seemed  so  providentially  opened  to  ua 
of  getting  down  to  the  sea.  Obie  perceived  by  the  great  and  sudden  change  in 
our  countenances  the  joy  that  filled  our  breasts;  and  having  asked  us  whether 
we  were  not  pleased  with  his  arrangements,  in  the  fullness  of  our  hearts,  he  ex- 
acted from  us  a  promise  that  on  returning  to  England,  we  should  inform  our 
countrymen  that  he  was  a  good  man,  and  that  we  would  pay  him  a  visit  when- 
ever we  should  come  again  into  the  country. 

When  King  Boy  came  for  his  book,  I  gave  it  him,  and  he  wished  to  send  it 
down  to  the  brig,  to  know  if  it  was  good.  This  I  had  expected,  so  I  told  him 
that  the  book  would  be  of  no  use  unless  we  were  sent  along  with  it,  and  that  the 
captain  would  not  pay  it  before  he  had  taken  us  on  board  the  brig,  on  which  he 
put  it  into  his  pocket-book. 
48 


562  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

Fearing  that  something  might  yet  occur  to  detain  us,  and  ultimately  change  th<i 
king's  resolution  altogether,  we  lost  not  a  moment,  but  hastened  to  oni  lodgings, 
and  having  sent  our  people  on  board  Boy's  ranoe,  we  hurried  after  them  imme- 
diately, and  embarked  at  three  in  the  afternoon.  This  canoe  was  extremely 
large  and  heavily  laden.  It  was  paddled  by  i'orty  men  and  boys,  in  addition  to 
whom  there  might  have  been  about  twenty  individuals,  go  that  the  whole  number 
would  amount  to  at  least  sixty.  At  seven  in  the  evening  we  settled  ourselves  for 
the  night. 

King  Boy  slept  on  shore  with  his  wife  Addizetta,  Obie's  favourite  daughter, 
and  on  her  account  we  waited  till  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  in  themorn- 
ing,  when  she  made  her  appearance  with  her  husband.  On  stepping  into  tlie 
canoe,  with  a  spirit  of  gallantry.  Boy  handed  her  to  the  best  seat,  on  a  box  close 
to  which  he  himself  sat,  and  which  we  had  relinquished  in  her  favour  fiom  mo- 
tives of  delicacy.  Addizetta  might  have  been  between  twenty  and  thirty  years 
of  age;  her  person  was  tall,  stout,  and  well  proportioned,  her  countenance 
round  and  open,  but  dull,  and  singularly  inexpressive,  her  forehead  was  smooth, 
and  shining  as  politfhed  ebony,  her  eyes  full,  large,  and  beautiful,  though  languid; 
her  cheeks  of  a  Dutch-like  breadth  and  fulness,  her  nose  finely  compressed,  her 
mouth  pretty,  and  embellished  by  a  set  of  elegant  teeth,  perfectly  even  and  regu- 
lar, and  white  as  the  teeth  of  a  greyhound;  her  chin — but  I  cannot  describe  a 
chin ;  I  only  know  that  it  agreed  well  with  the  other  features  of  the  face.  Her 
dress  consisted  of  a  piece  of  figured  silk  encircling  the  waist  and  extending  as 
low  as  the  knees,  her  woolly  hair  tastily  braided  and  enclosed  in  a  net,  ended 
in  a  peak;  the  net  was  adorned  with  coral  beads,  strings  of  which  hung  from 
the  crown  to  the  forehead.  She  wore  necklaces  of  the  same  costly  bead,  copper 
rings  encircled  her  fingers  and  great  toes,  bracelets  of  ivory  her  wrists,  and  enor- 
mous rings  also  of  elephant's  tusks  decorated  her  legs,  near  the  ankle,  by  which 
she  was  almost  disabled  from  walking,  on  account  of  their  prodigious  weight 
and  immense  size.  Her  person  was  tattooed  in  various  parts,  and  by  the  side 
of  each  eye  near  the  temple  vein  was  formed  the  representation  of  the  point  of 
an  arrow. 

About  ten  in  the  morning  a  mess  of  fish,  boiled  with  yams  and  plantains,  was 
provided  for  breakfast.  As  King  Boy  was  fearful  that  our  presence  might  in- 
commode his  lady,  we  were  desired  to  move  farther  back,  that  she  might  eat 
with  additional  confidence  and  comfort,  for  alas!  we  were  not  placed  on  an 
equality  with  Addizetta  and  her  kingly  spouse. 

No  two  individuals  in  the  world  have  had  greater  reason  (o  complain  of  dis- 
turbed slumbers  or  nightly  watching  than  ourselves.  Hitherto  it  had  been  occa- 
sioned chiefly  by  exposure  to  damps,  rains,  and  dews,  mosquito  attacks,  frightful 
and  piercing  noises,  or  over-fatigue,  or  anxiety  of  mind.  But  now  in  the  ab- 
sence of  most  of  these  causes,  we  were  cramped  for  want  of  room,  insomuch 
that  we  found  it  impossible  to  place  ourselves  in  a  recumbent  posture  witl.out 
having  the  heavy  legs  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boy,  with  their  prodigious  ornaments  of 
ivory,  placed  either  on  our  faces  or  on  our  breasts.  It  would  Le  ridiculous  to 
suppose  that  one  could  enjoy  the  refreshment  of  sleep,  when  two  or  more  un- 
covered legs  and  feet,  huge,  black,  and  rough,  were  traversing  one's  face  and 
body,  stopping  up  the  passages  of  respiiaiion,  and  pressing  so  heavily  as  at 
times  to  threaten  tufiocation.  I  could  not  long  cnduie  fo  serious  an  inconve- 
nience, but  preferred  last  night  to  sit  up  in  the  canoe.  My  brother  was  indis- 
posed and  unable  to  follow  ray  example,  and  therefore  I  endeavoured,  if  possi- 
ble, to  render  his  situation  more  tolerable.  With  this  object  in  view,  I  pinched 
the  feet  of  our  snoring  companions,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boy,  till  the  pain  caused 
them  to  awake  and  remove  them  from  his  face. 

We  continued  our  course  down  the  river  until  about  two  houre  after  mid- 
night, when  we  stopped  near  a  small  village,  and  taking  my  mat  in  my  hand,  I 
went  on  shore  determined,  if  possible,  to  sleep  on  the  ground.  Overccme  by 
fatigue,  and  the  fJaar  of  being  attacked  by  alligators,  or  any  thing  else,  1  selected 
adry  place  and  laid  myself  down  on  my  mat.  fi  had  nearly  dropped  asleep  when 
1  was  roused  by  severv.1  severe  stings,  and  found  myself  covered  with  black  ants. 
Tiicy  had  £0t  up  my  trpwsers,  and  were  lormeutiug  me  dreadfully.    At  first 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  563 

1  knew  not  what  to  do,  and  ran  about  as  fast  as  I  could  with  the  idea  of  shaking 
them  off,  but  with  all  my  endeavours,  it  was  long  before  I  could  get  rid  of  them. 
Our  men,  Pascoe,  Sam,  and  Jowdie,  seeing  the  condition  I  was  in,  landed  from 
the  canoe,  and  made  large  fires  in  the  form  of  a  ring.  I  laid  down  in  the  midst 
of  them  and  slept  till  day-light  The  sting  of  a  black  ant  is  quite  as  painful  as 
that  of  a  wasp. 

In  about  four  days  from  the  time  of  leaving  the  Eboe  country,  the  travellers 
under  conduct  of  King  Boy  and  his  escort,  arrived  at  Brass  town,  which  stands 
about  sixty  miles  ft-om  the  ocean.  It  is  described  as  a  most  wretched,  filthy,  and 
abominable  place.  Properly  speaking,  it  consisted  of  two  towns,  one  of  them 
under  the  domination  of  a  noted  scoundrel  called  King  Jacket,  and  the  other 
governed  by  a  rival  chief  named  King  Forday,  This  chief  soon  sent  Richard 
Lander  a  summons  to  visit  him,  and  he  accordingly  complied  with  it.  His  house 
stood  about  a  hundred  yards  from  that  of  King  Boy,  with  whom  the  travellers 
were  lodged.  On  entering  it,  Richard  Lander  says,  I  found  him  sitting  half- 
drunk,  with  about  a  dozen  of  his  Wives  and  a  number  of  dogs  in  a  filthy  room. 
I  was  desired  to  sit  down  by  his  side,  and  to  drink  a  glass  of  rum.  He  then  gave 
me  to  understand  as  well  as  he  could  that  it  was  customary  for  every  white  man 
who  came  to  the  river,  to  pay  him  four  bars.  I  expressed  my  ignorance  and 
surprise  at  this,  but  was  soon  silenced  by  his  saying  "  That  is  my  demand,  and  I 
shall  not  allow  you  to  leave  this  town  until  you  give  me  a.  book  for  that  amount." 
Seeing  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  comply  with  his  demand,  I  gave  him  a  bill 
on  Lake,  the  commander  of  the  English  vessel,  after  which  he  said,  "To-morrow 
you  may  go  to  the  brig,  and  take  one  servant  with  you  :  but  your  mate,"  mean- 
ing my  brother,  "  must  remain  here  with  your  seven  people,  until  my  son.  King 
Boy,  shall  bring  the  goods  for  himself  and  me  ;  after  this  they  shall  be  sent  on 
board  without  delay."  Much  as  I  regretted  the  necessity  of  parting  with  my 
brother,  I  was  obliged  to  agree  to  this  arrangement ;  and  with  the  hopes  of  profit- 
ing by  it,  I  told  King  Forday  that  we  were  all  very  hungry,  and  begged  him  to 
send  us  a  fowl  or  two  ;  which  he  promised  to  do. 

In  order  that  I  might  make  a  decent  appearance  before  my  countrymen,  I  was 
obliged  to  sit  all  the  afternoon  with  an  old  cloth  wrapped  round  me,  until  my 
clothes  were  washed  and  dried.  Six  o'clock  in  the  evening  came,  and  the  mean 
old  king  sent  us  neither  fowls  nor  yams.  This  was  the  most  starving  place  that 
we  had  yet  seen.  Mr.  Gun  gave  us  two  meals,  consisting  of  a  Kttle  pounded 
yam,  and  fish  stewed  in  palm  oil,  and  for  this  he  had  the  impudence  to  demand 
two  muskets  in  payment.  These  fellows,  hke  the  rest  on  the  coast,  were  a  set 
of  imposing  rascals,  little  better  than  downright  savages.  We  were  told  that 
they  had  lately  absolutely  starved  three  white  men  to  death,  who  were  wrecked 
in  a  slaving  vessel  when  crossing  the  bar. 

The  next  day,  agreeable  to  the  arrangment  imposed  upon  him  by  King  For- 
day, Richard  Lander  with  one  attendant,  leaving  his  brother  and  the  others  of 
his  party  at  Brass  town,  embarked  with  King  Boy  on  board  his  canoe,  and  the 
next  morning  arrived  in  the  main  branch  of  the  Q,uorra  river,  which  is  called  the 
river  Nun,  or  the  First  "Brass  River,  having  entered  it,  he  says,  opposite  to  a 
large  branch,  which  King  Boy  informed  me  runs  to  Benin.  The  direction  of  the 
river  Nun  was  here  nearly  north  and  south,  and  we  kept  on  our  com'se  down 
the  stream. 

About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  we  had  entered  the  river  Nun,  we  descried, 
at  a  distance  before  us  two  vessels  lying  at  anchor.  The  emotions  of  delight 
which  the  sight  of  them  occasioned  were  quite  beyond  my  powers  of  description. 
The  one  nearest  to  us  was  a  schooner,  a  Spanish  slave  vessel,  whose  captain  we 
had  seen  at  Brass  town.  Our  canoe  was  quickly  by  her  side,  and  I  went  on 
board.  The  captain  received  me  very  kindly,  and  invited  me  to  take  some  spirits 
and  water  with  him. 

We  next  directed  our  course  to  the  English  brig,  which  was  lying  about  three 
hundred  yards  lower  down  the  river.  Having  reached  her  with  feelings  of  de- 
light mingled  with  doubt,  I  went  on  board.  Here  I  found  every  thing  in  a  sad 
condition:  four  of  the  crew  had  just  died  of  fever;  four  more  which  completed 
tbe  whole,  were  lying  sick  in  their  hammocks,  and  the  captain  appeared  to  be 


564  RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 

in  the  very  last  stage  of  illness.  I  now  stated  to  him  who  I  was,  explained  my 
situation  to  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and  had  my  instructions  read  to  him  hy  one 
of  his  own  people,  that  he  might  see  1  wiis  not  imposing  on  him.  1  then  re- 
quested that  he  would  redeem  us  by  paying  what  had  been  demanded  hy  King 
Boy;  and  assured  him  that  whatever  he  might  give  to  him  on  our  account,  would 
certainly  be  repaid  to  him  by  the  British  government.  To  my  utter  surprise 
and  consternation,  he  ilatfy  refused  to  give  u  single  thing,  and  ill  and  weak  as  he 
was,  made  use  of  the  most  offensive  and  shameful  oaths  I  ever  heard.  "  If  you 
think,  "  said  he,  "that  you  have  a  fool  to  deal  with,  you  are  mistaken:  I'll  riot 

give  a  b y  flint  for  your  bill ;  I  would  not  give  a for  it."     Petrified  with 

amazement,  at  such  conduct,  I  shrunk  iVom  him  with  terror.  I  could  scarcely 
believe  what  I  heard  till  my  ears  were  assailed  with  a  repetition  of  the  same. 
Disappointed  beyond  measure  at  such  brutal  conduct  from  one  of  my  own 
countrymen,  my  feelings  totally  overpowered  me,  and  I  was  ready  to  sink  witli 
grief  and  shame. 

Returning  to  the  canoe,  I  told  King  Boy  that  he  must  take  us  to  Bonny,  as 
plenty  of  English  ships  were  there.  "No,  no,"  .said  he,  "dis  captain  no  pay, 
Bonny  captain  no  pay  ;  I  wont  take  you  any  further."  As  this  would  not  do, 
I  again  had  recourse  to  the  captain,  and  implored  him  to  do  something  for  me, 
telling  him  if  he  would  let  me  have  only  ten  muskets.  Boy  might  be  content  with 
them,  when  he  found  that  he  could  get  nothing  else.  The  only  reply  I  received 
was,  "  I  have  told  you  already  I  will  not  let  you  have  even  a  flint,  so  bother  me 
no  more."  "  But  I  have  a  brother  and  eight  people  at  Brass  town,"  I  said  to 
him ;  "  and  if  you  do  not  intend  to  pay  King  Boy,  ut  least  persuade  him  to  bring 
them  heie,  or  else  he  will  poison  or  starve  my  brother  before  I  can  get  any  assis- 
tance from  a  man-of-war,  and  sell  all  my  people."  The  only  answer  I  received 
was,  "  If  you  can  get  them  on  board,  I  will  take  them  away  ;  but  as  I  have  told 
you  before,  you  do  not  get  a  flint  from  me."  I  then  endeavoured  to  persuade 
lioy  to  go  back  for  my  people,  and  that  he  should  be  paid  some  time  or  other. 
"Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "make  haste  and  brin^  them."  Boy  very  naturally 
required  some  of  his  goods  before  he  went,  and  it  was  with  no  small  difliculty 
I  prevailed  on  lum  to  go  without  them.  He,  however,  got  ready  to  depart,  and 
I  sent  my  man  in  his  canoe  with  a  note  for  my  brother.  I  desired  him  to  give 
Antonio  a  note  on  any  English  captain  he  might  find  at  Bonny  for  his  wages, 
and  also  one  for  the  Damuggoo  people,  that  they  might  receive  tlie  small  present 
I  had  promised  to  their  good  old  chief  At  two  in  the  afternoon.  King  Boy  left 
me,  promising  to  return  with  my  brother  and  people  in  three  days,  but  grumbhug 
at  not  having  been  paid  his  goods. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Lake  seemed  to  be  much  better  and  I  ventured  to 
ask  him  for  a  change  of  linen,  of  which  I  was  in  great  want.  He  readily  com- 
plied with  my  request.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  I  conversed  with  him 
about  our  travels,  related  to  him  the  particulars  of  our  conditon,  pointed  out  the 
injurious  consequences  that  would  result  from  not  keeping  our  word  witli  King 
Boy,  and  again  asked  him  to  give  me  ten  muskets  for  my  bill  on  Government. 
He  had  listened  to  my  story  with  attention,  but  I  no  sooner  advanced  my  wants, 
than  with  a  furious  oath  he  repeated  his  refusal,  and  finding  him  as  deterniined 
as  ever  he  had  been,  I  mentioned  it  no  more.  He  moreover  told  me,  in  the 
most  unkind  and  petulcnt  manner,  "  If  your  brother  and  people  are  not  here 
in  three  days,  I  go  without  them." 

Fearing  he  would  do  this,  I  took  an  opportunity  of  begging  him,  in  the  event 
of  my  brother  and  men  not  arriving  by  the  23d,  (the  expiration  of  the  three 
days)  to  wait  a  little  longer  for  them,  asserting  that  if  he  went  away  without 
them,  they  would  be  assuredly  starved  or  sold  as  slaves,  but  he  replied,  "  I  cant 
help  it,  I  shall  wait  no  longer." 

The  22d  I  was  on  the  look-out  the  whole  day  for  him  and  our  men.  Lake, 
observing  the  distress  I  was  in,  told  me  not  to  trouble  myself  any  more  about 
them ;  adding,  that  he  was  sure  he  was  dead,  and  that  I  need  not  expect  to  see 
him  again.  "  If  he  had  been  alive",  said  Lake,  "  he  would  have  been  here  by 
this  time  ;  to-morrow  morning  I  shall  leave  the  river." 

The  next  morning,  to  my  great  joy  and  the  mortification  of  Lake,  the  sea- 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  565 

freeze  was  so  strong  as  to  raise  a  considerable  surf  on  the  bar,  and  prevented  us 
from  getting  out.  This  was  an  anxious  time,  and  the  whole  of  the  day  my  eyes 
were  riveted  to  the  part  of  the  river  where  I  knew  my  brother  must  come,  with- 
out my  seeing  any  thing  of  him.  The  day  passed  away  in  tedious  watching,  and 
the  night  was  far  spent  without  my  seeing  him.  About  midnight,  I  saw  several 
large  canoes  making  their  way  over  to  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  in  one  of 
which  I  imagined  I  could  distinguish  my  brother.  I  observed  them  soon  after 
land,  and  saw,  by  the  fires  which  they  made,  that  they  had  encamped  under  some 
mangrove  trees.  All  my  apprehensions  vanished  in  an  instant,  and  I  was  over- 
joyed with  the  tfioughLs  of  meeting  my  brother  in  the  morning. 

The  Captam  of  the  brig  having  observed  them,  suddenly  exclaimed: — "Now 
we  shall  have  a  little  fighting  to-morrow  ;  go  you  and  load  seventeen  muskets, 
and  put  five  btick-shot  into  each.  I  will  take  care  that  the  cannon  shall  be  load- 
ed to  the  muzzle  with  balls  and  flints,  and  if  there  is  any  row,  I  will  give  them 
such  a  scouring  as  they  never  had."  He  then  directed  me  to  place  the  muskets 
and  cutlasses  out  of  sight,  near  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  and  said  to  me ; — The  in- 
stant your  people  come  on  board  call  them  aft,  and  let  them  stand  by  the  arms. 
Tell  them,  if  there  is  any  row,  to  arm  themselves  directly,  and  drive  all  the  Brass 
people  overboard."  Tnis  was  summary  work,  with  a  vengeance,  and  every 
thing  betokened  that  Lake  was  in  earnest. 

In  the  morning  at  day-break,  I  was  on  the  lookout  for  my  brother,  and  ob- 
served him  and  Uie  people  get  into  the  canoe.  They  had  no  sooner  embarked 
than  they  all  landed  again,  which  I  could  account  for  in  no  other  way  than  by 
supposing  that  it  was  the  intention  of  Boy  to  keep  them  on  shore  until  he  had 
received  his  goodrf.  I  was  not  long  in  this  state  of  anxiety,  for  at  about  seven 
o'clock  they  embarked  and  were  brought  on  board. 

My  station,  during  the  time  the  canoe  was  coming  from  the  shore  to  the  ves- 
sel, had  been  by  the  cannon ;  it  was  the  only  one  on  board,  but  had  been  loaded 
as  Lake  had  directed,  and  pointed  to  the  gangway  of  the  brig  where  the  Brass 
people  must  come.  The  muskets  were  all  ready,  lying  concealed  where  Lake 
had  directed  them  to  be  placed,  and  he  repeated  the  same  orders  that  he  had 
given  me  yesterday,  respecting  the  part  my  people  were  to  take  in  the  business. 
Lake  received  my  brother  civilly,  but  immediately  expressed  his  determination 
to  dismiss  Boy  without  giving  him  a  single  article,  and  to  make  the  best  of  his 
way  out  of  the  river. 

Meanwhile  King  Boy,  full  of  gloomy  forebodings,  had  been  lingering  about 
the  deck.  He  had  evidently  foresight  enough  to  suspect  what  was  to  take  place, 
and  he  appeared  troubled  and  uneasy,  and  bewildered  in  thought.  The  poor 
fellow  was  quite  an  altered  person ;  his  habitual  haughtiness  had  entirely  forsak- 
en him,  and  given  place  to  an  humble  and  cringing  demeanour.  A  plate  of 
meat  was  presented  him,  of  which  he  ate  sparingly,  and  showed  clearly  that  he 
was  thinking  more  of  his  promised  goods  than  of  his  appetite,  and  a  quantity  of 
rum  that  was  given  him  was  drank  carelessly,  and  without  affording  any  appa- 
rent satisfaction.  Knowing  how  things  were  like  to  terminate,  we  endeavour- 
ed to  get  Boy  into  a  good  humour  by  telling  him  he  should  certainly  have  his 
goods  some  time  or  other,  but  it  was  all  to  no  purpoae,  the  present  was  the  only 
thing  in  his  mind. 

I  rummaged  over  the  few  things  left  us  from  our  disaster  at  Kirrec,  and 
found,  to  my  suprise,  five  silver  bracelets  wrapped  up  in  a  piece  of  flannel.  I 
was  not  aware  of  having  these,  and  immediately  offered  them  to  him,  along  v/ith 
a  native  sword — a  great  curiosity,  which  we  had  brought  with  us  from  Yarriba, 
with  the  intention  of  taking  it  to  England.  Boy  accepted  of  these,  and  my 
brother  then  offered  him  his  watch.  This  was  refused  with  disdain,  for  Bo/ 
knew  not  its  value  ;  and  calling  one  of  his  men  to  look  at  what  he  said  we  wish- 
ed to  impose  on  him  in  lieu  of  his  bars,  both  of^  them,  witli  a  significant  groan, 
turned  from  u;^  with  scorn  amd  indignation,  nor  would  they  speak  to  us  or  even 
look  at  us  again. 

Boy  now  ventured  to  approach  Captain  Lake  on  the  quarter  deck,  and  with 
an  anxious,  petitioning  countenance,  asked  for  the  goods  which  had  been  prom- 
ised him.    Prepared  for  the  desperate  game  he  was  about  to  play,  it  was  the  ob-. 
46^ 


566 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER. 


ject  of  Lake  to  gain  as  much  time  as  possible  that  he  might  get  his  vessel  under 
way  before  he  came  to  an  open  rupture.  Therefore  he  pretended  to  be  busy 
in  writing,  and  desired  Boy  to  wait  a  moment.  Becoming  impatient  with  delay, 
Boy  repeated  his  demand  a  second  and  a  third  time,  "  Give  me  my  bars."  "I 
NO  WILL,"  said  Lake,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  I  no  will,  I  tell  you  ;  I  won't  give 

you  a flint."     Terrified  by  the  demeanour  of  Lake,  and  the  threats  and 

oaths  he  made  use  of,  poor  King  Boy  suddenly  retreated,  and  seeing  men  going 
aloft  to  loosen  the  sails,  apprehensive  of  being  carried  off"  to  sea,  he  quickly  dis- 
appeared from  the  deck,  and  was  soon  observed  making  his  way  on  shore  in  his 
canoe,  with  the  rest  of  his  people  ;  this  was  the  last  we  saw  of  him. 

At  ten  in  the  morning,  the  vessel  was  got  under  way  and  we  dropped  down 
the  river.  At  noon  the  breeze  died  away,  and  we  were  obliged  to  let  go  an 
anchor  to  prevent  our  .drifting  on  the  western  breakers  at  the  mouth  of  the  riv- 
er. A  few  minutes  more  would  have  been  fatal  to  us,  and  the  vessel  was  fortu- 
nately stopped,  although  the  depth  of  water  where  she  lay  was  only  five  fathoms. 
The  rollers  which  came  into  the  river  over  the  bar  were  so  high  that  they  some- 
times passed  nearly  over  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  and  caused  her  to  ride  very  un- 
easily by  her  anchor. 

The  vessel  rode  very  uneasy  all  night,  in  consequence  of  the  long  heavy 
waves  which  set  in  from  the  bar,  and  which  are  called  by  the  sailors  ground  sicell. 
About  eleven  we  got  under  way,  but  were  obliged  to  anchor  again  in  the  after- 
noon, as  the  water  was  not  deep  enough  for  the  vessel  to  pass  the  bar.  The 
next  morning,  the  wind  favouring  us,  we  made  another  attempt  at  getting  out  of 
the  river.  We  had  already  made  some  progress  when  the  wind  again  died 
away,  and  the  current  setting  us  rapidly  over  to  the  eastern  breakers,  we  were 
obliged  to  let  go  an  anchor  to  save  us  from  destruction.  Immediately  the  tide 
rushed  past  the  vessel  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour. 

We  passed  a  restless  and  most  uneasy  night.  The  Captain  and  the  people 
were  much  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  brig.  The  heavy  ground  swell  which 
set  in,  increased  by  the  strength  of  the  tide,  caused  her  to  pitch  and  labour  so 
hard  that  a  man  was  placed  to  watch  the  cable,  and  give  notice  the  moment  it 
complained.  Daylight  had  scarcely  dawned  when  the  pall  of  the  windlass  broke. 
The  chain  cable  ran  out  so  swiftly  that  in  half  a  minute  the  windlass  was  broken 
to  atoms.  My  brother  and  I,  with  our  people,  rendered  all  the  assistance  in  our 
power  to  prevent  the  ship  from  drifting.  We  succeeded  in  fastening  the  cable 
to  ringbolts,  but  soon  the  ringbolts  were  fairly  drawn  out  of  the  deck  by  the  strain 
on  Che  cable. 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  terrific  wave,  called  by  sailors  a  sea, 
struck  the  vessel  with  tremendous  force  and  broke  the  chain  cable.  "  The  cable 
is  gone,"  shouted  a  voice,  and  the  next  instant  the  Captain  cried  out  in  a  firm, 
collected  tone,  "  cut  away  the  kedge,"  which  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  ves- 
sel was  again  stopped  from  drifting  among  the  breakers. 

We  were  riding  by  the  kedge,  a  small  anchor,  on  which  the  safety  of  the  brig 
now  depended.  The  breakers  were  close  under  our  stern,  and  this  was  not  ex- 
pected to  hold  ten  minutes — it  was  a  forlorn  hope — every  eye  was  fixed  on  the 
raging  surf,  and  every  heart  thrilled  with  agitation,  expecting  every  moment  that 
tlie  vessel  would  be  dashed  in  pieces.  A  few  long  and  awful  minutes  were  pas- 
sed in  this  state,  which  have  left  an  indelible  impression  on  our  minds.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  chief  mate  saying  to  me,  "  Now,  Sir,  every  one  for  himself; 
a  few  minutes  will  be  the  last  of  us."  The  tumultuous  sea  was  raging  in  moun- 
tainous waves  close  by  us,  their  foam  dashing  against  the  sides  of  the  brig,  which 
was  only  prevented  fiom  being  carried  among  them  by  a  weak  anchor  and  ca- 
ble. 'J  he  natives,  from  whom  we  could  expect  no  favours,  were  busy  on  shore 
making  large  fires,  and  other  signals  for  us  to  desert  the  vessel  and  land  at  cer- 
tain places,  expecting,  no  doubt,  every  moment  to  see  her  a  prey  to  tlie  waves, 
and  those  who  escaped  their  fury  to  lall  into  their  hands.  Wretched  resource ! 
the  eea  would  have  been  far  more  merciful  than  they. 

Such  was  our  perilous  situation,  when  a  fine  sea-breeze  set  in  which  literally 
«aved  us  from  destiuction.  The  sails  were  loosened  to  relieve  the  anchor  from 
the  atrain  of  the  vessel,  and  she  rode  out  the  ebb  tide  widiout  drifting.    At  ten 


RICHARD  AND  JOHN  LANDER.  567 

A.  M.  the  tide  had  nearly  ceased  running  out,  and  the  fury  of  the  sea  rather 
abated.  At  half-past  ten  the  wind  fell  light,  and  instead  of  drifting  over  to  the 
western  breakers  as  yesterday  and  the  day  before,  the  bi'ig  was  now  set  towards 
those  on  the  eastern  side,  and  again  we  had  a  narrow  escape.  But  with  the  as- 
sistance of  the  boat,  and  good  management,  we  at  length  passed  clear  over  the 
bar  on  the  edge  of  the  breakers,  in  a  depth  of  water  less  than  three  fathoms, 
and  made  sail  to  the  eastward.  Our  troubles  were  now  at  an  end ;  by  the  pro- 
tection of  a  merciful  Providence,  we  had  escaped  dangers,  the  very  thoughts  of 
which  had  filled  our  hearts  with  horror ;  and  with  a  grateful  heart  and  tears  of 
joy  for  all  his  mercies,  we  offered  up  a  silent  prayer  of  thanlts  for  our  dehv- 
erance. 

The  great  problem  of  the  termination  of  the  Niger  was  now  solved;  Richard 
and  John  Lander,  beginning  at  the  point  where  Park  lost  his  hfe  in  the  attempt, 
had  the  honour  of  being  the  first  Europeans  to  traverse  it  to  its  termination,  and 
to  behold  it,  with  absolute  certainty,  minghng  its  far  descending  waters  with  the 
waves  of  the  ocean  in  the  bay  of  Benin. 

In  two  days  time.  Captain  Lake  landed  them  in  the  island  of  Fernando  Po, 
whence  they  took  passage  for  Rio  Janeiro,  and  thence  sailed  to  England,  where 
they  arrived  and  landed  at  Portsmouth,  June  9th,  1831,  having  been  absent  about 
one  year  and  four  months.  Richard  Lander,  leaving  his  brother  here,  hastened 
to  London,  where  he  arrived  the  next  morning,  and  reported  their  discovery  to 
Lord  Goderich,  his  Majesty's  Colonial  Secretary. 


SAMUEL   HEARNE. 


Samuel  Hearne  was  born  in  London  in  the  year  1742.  For  a  short  time 
in  early  life  he  was  a  midshipman  in  the  navy.  Having  entered  into  the  service 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  he  soon  gave  proof  of  his  zeal  and  ability,  in  ex- 
amining the  northern  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  in  improving  the  fishery. 

The  native  Indians,  who  range  over  rather  than  inhabit  the  large  tract  of  coun- 
try north  of  Churchill  river,  having  repeatedly  brought  specimens  of  copper  ore 
to  the  company's  factory,  it  was  plausibly  conjectured  that  these  had  been  found 
not  far  from  the  British  settlements ;  and  as  the  ravages  affirmed  that  the  mines 
were  not  very  distant  from  a  large  river,  it  was  imagined,  most  erroneously,  as 
was  proved  by  the  result,  that  this  stream  must  empty  itself  into  Hudson's  Bay. 
In  1768,  the  Indians  who  came  to  trade  at  Prince  of  Wales'  Fort  brought  further 
accounts  of  this  river,  exhibiting  at  the  same  time  samples  of  copper,  which  they 
affirmed  to  be  the  produce  of  a  mine  in  its  vicinity.  The  governor  now  deter- 
mined to  despatch  an  intelligent  person  across  the  continent  to  obtain  more  pre- 
cise information.  Samuel  Hearne  was  chosen  for  this  service,  a  man  of  great 
hardihood  and  sagacity,  bred  in  the  employment  of  the  company,  and  who,  with- 
out pretensions  to  high  scientific  attainments,  possessed  sufficient  knowledge  to 
enable  him  to  construct  a  chart  of  the  country  through  which  he  travelled.  His 
instructionyUirected  him  to  proceed  to  the  borders  of  the  country  of  the  Athabas- 
ca Indians,f;vhere  it  was  expected  he  would  meet  with  a  river  represented  by 
the  Indians  to  abound  with  copper  ore,  and  to  be  so  far  nortli  that  in  the  middle 
of  summer  the  sun  did  not  set.  It  was  called  by  the  natives  Neetha-sansan  Da- 
zey,  or  the  Far-otF Metal  River;  and  Mr.  Hearne  was  directed  to  explore  its 
course  to  the  mouth,  where  he  was  to  determine  the  latitude  and  longitude,  to 
ascertain  whether  it  was  navigable,  and  to  judge  of  the  practicability  of  a  settle- 
ment. He  was  enjoined  also  to  examine  the  mines  alleged  to  exist  in  that  dis- 
trict, the  nature  of  the  soil  and  its  productions,  and  to  make  every  inquiry  and 
observation  towards  discovering  the  north-west  passage. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1769,  he  set  out  from  the  Prince  of  Wales'  Fort, 
Hudson's  Bay,  upon  his  perilous  journey.  He  was  accompanied  by  two  Eng- 
lishmen only — Ilbester,  a  sailor,  and  Merriman,  a  landsman ;  by  two  of  the  Home 
Guard  Southern  Indians — a  name  given  to  those  natives  residing  as  servants  on 
the  company's  plantation,  and  employed  in  hunting ;  and  by  eight  Northern  In- 
dians, under  the  command  of  Captain  Chawchinahaw  and  Lieutenant  Nabyah. 
He  was  provided  with  amunition  for  two  years,  some  necessary  iron  imple- 
ments, a  few  knives,  tobacco,  and  other  useful  articles.  As  to  his  personal  out- 
fit, his  stock  consisted  simply  of  the  shirt  and  clothes  he  wore,  one  spare  coat,  a 
pair  of  drawers,  as  much  cloth  as  would  make  two  or  three  pairs  of  Indian  stock- 
ings, and  a  blanket  for  his  bed.  "  The  nature  of  travelling  long  journies,"  he 
observes,  "in  these  countries  will  not  admit  of  carrying  even  the  most  common 
article  of  clothing;  so  that  the  traveller  is  obliged  to  depend  on  the  district  he 
traverses  for  his  dress  as  well  as  his  sustenance."  The  baseness  and  treachery 
of  the  Indians,  however,  soon  put  a  period  to  the  first  journey,  and  the  desertion 
of  Chawchinahaw  with  his  whole  escort  rendered  it  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  little  party  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  back  to  the  fort,  where  they  arrived 


SAMUEL    IIEARNE.  569 

on  the  8th  of  December,  after  penetrating  only  two  hundred  miles  into  the 
interior. 

It  was  now  determined  to  resume  the  expedition  with  greater  precautions 
against  failure.  The  Indian  women,  who  accompanied  their  husbands  in  the 
first  journey,  were  left  behind,  as  were  the  two  Englishmen,  who  had  been  of 
Httle  service  ;  and  instead  of  the  treacherous  Chawchinahaw,  Hearne  selected 
an  Indian  named  Connequeesee,  who  affirmed  he  was  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try, having  once  been  near  the  river,  the  discovery  of  which  formed  one  great 
object  of  the  journey.  Attended  by  this  man,  along  with  three  Northern  In- 
dians and  two  of  the  Home-guard  natives,  the  traveller  once  more  set  out,  on 
the  23d  February,  while  the  snow  was  so  deep  on  the  top  of  the  ramparts  of  the 
fort  that  few  of  the  cannon  could  be  seen.  After  undergoing  the  severest  ex- 
tremeties  from  hunger  and  fatigue,  Mr.  Hearne  reached,  in  August,  the  river 
Doobaunt,  in  latitude  63  deg.  10  min.  north.  The  progress  thus  far,  however, 
had  been  painful  beyond  measure,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  pushing  forward 
through  a  wild  unexplored  country,  intersected  with  rivers,  lakes,  and  woods, 
at  the  outset  thickly  covered  with  snow ;  and  on  the  approach  of  the  warmer 
months  so  flooded  and  marshy  as  to  render  travelling  on  foot  inexpressibly  fa- 
tiguing. To  add  to  this,  the  voracity,  improvidence,  and  indolence  of  the  In- 
dians, subjected  the  party  to  repeated  distress.  If  from  fishing  or  hunting  a  lar- 
ger supply  than  usual  was  procured,  instead  of  using  it  with  moderation,  and 
laying  up  a  store  for  future  necessities,  all  was  devoured  by  the  savages,  who, 
like  the  boa  after  he  has  gorged  his  prey,  coiled  themselves  up,  and  remained  in 
a  state  of  sleepy  torpor  till  the  call  of  hunger  again  roused  them  to  activity. 

At  first  the  party  subsisted  without  difficulty  on  the  fish  which  abounded  in 
the  lakes  and  rivers;  but  in  the  beginning  of  April  they  entirely  disappeared; 
and  as  the  "  goose  season,"  or  period  when  the  geese,  swans,  ducks,  and  other 
migratory  birds  resort  to  these  latitudes,  was  yet  distant,  they  began  to  sufl:er 
grievously  for  want  of  provisions.  Occasionally  they  were  relieved  by  killing 
a  few  deer  or  musk-oxen ;  but  the  ground  and  the  brushwood  were  so  saturat- 
ed with  moisture  from  the  melting  of  the  snow,  that  to  kindle  a  fire  was  impos- 
sible ;  with  their  clothes  drenched  in  rain,  their  spirits  depressed,  they  were  com- 
pelled to  eat  their  meat  raw — a  necessity  grievous  at  all  times,  but  in  the  case  of 
the  flesh  of  the  musk-ox.  which  is  rank,  tough,  and  strongly  impregnated  with 
the  sickening  substance  from  which  it  derives  its  name,  peculiarly  repulsive  and 
unwholesome. 

The  simple  and  modest  manner  in  which  these  severe  sufferings  are  describ- 
ed by  Hearne  is  peculiarly  striking.  *'  The  record,"  says  he,  "in  detail  of  each 
day's  fare  since  the  commencement  of  this  journey  would  be  little  more  than  a 
dull  repelition  of  the  same  circumstances.  A  sufficient  idea  of  it  may  be  given  in 
a  few  words,  by  observing,  that  it  may  justly  be  said  to  have  been  either  all 
feasting  or  all  famine;  sometimes  we  had  too  much,  seldom  just  enough,  fre- 
quently too  little,  and  often  none  at  all.  It  will  be  only  necessary  to  say,  that  we 
fasted  many  t'mes  tvvo  whole  days  and  nights,  twice  upwards  of  three  days,  and 
once,  while  at  Shenanhee,  near  seven  days,  during  which  we  tasted  not  a 
mouthful  of  any  thing,  except  a  few  cranberries,  water,  scraps  of  old  leather, 
and  burnt  bones."  On  these  pressing  occasions  Hearne  often  saw  the  Indians 
examine  their  wardrobe,  which  consisted  chiefly  of  skin  clothing,  considering 
attentively  what  part  could  best  be  spared,  when  sometimes  a  piece  of  half 
rotten  deer-skin,  at  others  a  pair  of  old  shoes  would  be  sacrificed  to  alleviate  ex- 
treme hunger.  "None  of  our  natural  wants,"  he  observes,  "if  we  except  thirst, 
are  so  distressing  or  hard  to  endure  as  hunger,  and  in  wandering  situations  like 
that  which  I  now  experienced,  the  hardship  is  greatly  aggravated  by  the  uncer- 
tainty with  regard  to  its  duration,.and  the  means  most  proper  to  be  used  to  remove 
it,  as  well  as  by  the  labour  and  fatigue  we  must  necessarily  undergo  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  the  disappointments  which  too  frequently  frustrated  our  best  concert- 
ed plans  and  most  strenuous  exertions.  It  not  only  enfeebles  the  body,  but  de- 
presses the  spirits,  in  spite  of  every  effort  to  prevent  it.  Besides  which,  for  want 
of  acfion,  the  stomach  so  far  looses  its  digestive  powers,  that  after  a  long  fast,  it 
resumes  its  office  with  pain  and  reluctance.     During  this  journey  I  have  too 


570  SAMUEL    HEABNB. 

frequently  experienced  the  dreadful  effects  of  this  calamity,  and  more  than  once 
been  reduced  to  so  low  a  state  by  hunger,  that  when  Providence  threw  any  thing 
in  my  way,  my  stomach  has  been  scarcely  able  to  retain  more  than  two  or  three 
ounces  without  producing  the  most  oppressive  pain." 

On  the  30th  ol' June  they  arrived  at  a  small  river  called  Cathawhachaga,  which 
empties  itself  into  White  Snow  Lake,  in  64  deg.  north  latitude.  Here,  as  the 
guide  declared  they  could  not  that  summer  reach  the  Coppermine  River,  Hearne 
determined  to  pass  the  winter,  with  the  intention  of  pushing  on  to  his  destina- 
tion in  1771.  They  accordingly  ibrsook  their  northward  route,  and  taking  a 
westerly  course  were  joined  in  a  few  days  by  many  troops  of  wandering  In- 
dians; so  that  by  the  30th  of  July  they  mustered  about  seventy  tents,  contain- 
ing nearly  six  hundred  souls,  and  ou  moving  in  the  morning  the  whole  ground 
seemed  alive  with  men,  women,  children,  and  dogs.  The  deer  were  so  plenty 
that,  though  lately  five  or  six  individuals  had  almost  perished  with  hunger,  this 
numerous  body  supported  themselves  with  great  ease,  and  often  killed  their 
game  for  the  skins,  leaving  the  carcass  to  be  devoured  by  the  foxes.  In  this 
manner,  engaged  alternately  in  hunting  and  fishing,  making  observations  on  the 
country,  and  studying  the  extraordinary  manners  of  his  associates,  the  English 
traveller  was  preparing  for  his  winter  sojourn,  when  an  accident  rendered  his 
quadrant  useless,  and  compelled  him,  on  the  13th  of  August,  to  set  out  on  his 
return  to  the  ibrt. 

The  hardships  he  endired  on  his  route  homeward  were  various  and  accumu- 
lated. He  was  plundered  by  the  Northern  Indians,  who,  adding  insult  to  injury, 
entered  his  tent,  smoked  a  pipe  which  they  filled  with  the  white  man's  tobacco, 
asked  to  see  his  luggage,  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer  turned  the  bag  inside 
out,  and  spread  every  article  on  the  ground.  The  work  of  appropriation  was 
equally  rapid,  and  the  empty  bag  was  flung  to  the  owner;  but  a  fit  of  compunc- 
tion seizing  them,  they  restored  a  knife,  an  awl,  and  a  needle.  On  begging  hard 
for  his  razors,  they  consented  to  give  up  one,  and  added  soap  enough  to  shave 
him  during  the  remainder  of  his  journey,  making  him  understand  that  the  sur- 
render of  these  articles  called  for  his  warmest  gratitude. 

As  the  cold  weather  approached,  the  party  thus  plundered  suffered  grievous- 
ly for  want  of  that  warm  deer-skin  clothing  used  by  the  Indians  at  this  season. 
A  dress  of  this  kind  is  rather  costly,  requiring  the  prime  parts  of  from  eight  to 
eleven  skins.  These  Hearne  at  last  managed  to  collect ;  but  as  the  Indian  women 
alone  could  prepare  them,  he  was  compelled  to  carry  this  load  along  with  him 
from  day  to  day,  earnestly  begging  the  natives,  at  each  successive  resting  place, 
to  permit  their  wives  to  dress  his  skins.  He  met,  however,  with  a  surly  and 
uniform  refusal;  and  at  last,  after  bearing  the  burden  for  several  weeks,  was 
forced  to  throw  it  olF,  and  sustain  tlie  cold  as  he  best  could,  without  either  skin- 
clothing  or  snow-shoes.  When,  continuirg  their  course  in  this  forlorn  condition 
to  the  southeast,  they  met  with  Captain  Matonabbee,  a  powerful  and  intelligent 
chief,  who  was  then  on  his  way  to  Prince  of  Wales'  Fort,  with  furs  and  other 
articles  of  trade.  It  was  this  person  who  brought  the  accounts  of  the  Copper- 
mine River,  which  induced  the  company  to  fit  out  the  expedition,  and  he  was 
naturally  interested  in  its  success.  He  evinced  the  utmost  activity  in  relieving 
their  wants,  furnished  them  with  a  warm  suit  of  otter  and  other  skins,  and,  not 
being  able  to  provide  them  with  snow-shoes,  directed  them  to  a  small  range  of 
woods,  where  they  found  materials  for  both  shoes  and  sledges.  Matonabbee 
then  treated  the  party  to  a  feast,  and  took  occiision  in  his  conversation  with 
Hearne  to  explain  the  causes  of  his  failure,  and  to  offer  his  assisiance  in  a  third 
expedition.  He  attiibuted  all  their  misfortunes  to  the  misconduct  of  the  guide, 
and  to  their  having  no  women  with  them.  "  In  an  expedition  of  this  kind,"  said 
he,  "  when  the  men  are  all  so  heavily  laden  that  they  can  neither  hunt  nor  trav- 
el to  any  considerable  distance,  in  case  they  meet  with  success  in  hunting  who  i.s 
to  carry  the  produce  of  their  labour?  Women  were  made  for  labour;  one  of 
them  can  carry  or  haul  as  nmch  as  two  men  can  do.  They  also  pitch  our  tents, 
make  and  mend  our  clothing,  keep  us  warm  at  night;  and,  in  fact,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  travelling  any  considerable  distance,  or  for  any  length  of  time,  in 
tliis  country,  without  Uiem;  and  yet,  though  they  do  every  thing,  they  are  main•^ 


SAMUEL    HEARNE.  571 

tained  at  a  trifling  expense ;  for,  as  they  always  cook,  the  very  licking  of  their 
fingers,  in  scarce  times,  is  sufficient  for  their  subsistence."  Assisted  by  this  friend- 
ly chief,  the  English  traveller  again  set  forward,  and  after  experiencing  an  in- 
tense degree  of  cold,  by  which  the  favourite  dog  in  his  sledge  was  frozen  to 
death,  he  reached  the  fort  on  the  25th  of  November,  having  been  absent  eight 
months  and  twenty-two  days.     Matonabbee  arrived  a  few  days  after. 

Though  twice  compelled  to  return,  Hearne,  whose  spirit  was  not  to  be  over- 
come by  fatigue  or  disappointment,  offered  his  services  to  proceed  on  a  third 
journey,  which  was  ultimately  crowned  with  success.  For  this  he  engaged  Mat- 
onabbee as  guide,  and  declined  taking  any  Home-guard  Indians.  Their  place, 
however,  was  occupied,  according  to  the  principles  already  laid  down,  by  seven 
of  Matouabbee's  wives,  who,  by  the  assistance  thpy  afforded  did  no  disparage- 
ment to  the  singular  picture  of  female  activity  which  he  had  drawn.  They  set 
out  oil  the  7th  of  December,  and  notwithstanding  frequent  privations,  want  of 
food,  and  intense  cold,  their  sufferings  were  not  so  aggravated  as  in  the  former 
attempts.  The  country  through  which  they  passed  towards  the  west  was  wild 
and  barren,  occasionally  covered  with  thick  shrubby  woods  of  stunted  pine  and 
dwarf  juniper,  studded  with  frequent  lakes  and  swamps,  whose  sides  were  fring- 
ed with  willows.  Through  this  ground  they  travelled  in  high  spirits,  but  on 
rather  short  commons,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  deer,  and  the  improvidence  of  the 
Indians,  who  consumed  every  thing  in  store  during  the  first  days  of  their  march, 
trusting  to  find  a  stock  of  provisions  which  they  had  hid  in  a  certain  spot  on 
their  way  to  the  fort.  On  reaching  the  place,  however,  they  discovered  that  the 
provisions  had  been  carried  off;  and  the  equanimity  with  which  the  Indians  bore 
the  disappointment,  and  travelled  forward  under  the  conjoined  miseries  of  hun- 
ger and  fatigue,  was  very  striking.  At  last  they  succeeded  in  killing  a  few  deei, 
and  halted  to  take  some  refreshment.  For  a  whole  day  they  never  ceased  eat- 
ing, and  an  additional  repast  on  two  large  buck  deer,  which  they  killed  a  few  days 
after,  at  last  fairly  overcame  Captain  Matonabbee,  who,  after  devouring  at  one 
flitting  as  much  as  would  have  satisfied  six  moderate  men,  seemed  somewhat  un- 
reasonably astonished  to  find  himself  indisposed. 

Having  recovered  from  the  eflects  of  this  surfeit,  they  proceeded  from  Island 
Lake  toward  the  main  branch  of  the  Cathawhachaga,  which  they  crossed,  and 
■directing  their  course  by  Patridge  Lake,  and  Snow  Bird  Lake,  arrived  on  the  2d 
•of  March  at  a  large  tent  of  Northern  Indians,  not  far  from  the  Doobaunt  Whoi« 
River.  Although  these  people  had  remained  in  the  same  spot  since  the  begin- 
ning of  winter,  they  found  a  plentiful  subsistence  by  catching  deer  in  a  pound. 
Their  mode  of  accompUshing  this  is  to  select  a  well  frequented  deer  path,  and 
enclose  with  a  strong  f'ence  of  twisted  trees  and  brushwood  a  space  of  about  a 
mile  in  circumference,  and  sometimes  more.  The  entrance  of  the  pound  is  not 
larger  than  a  common  gate,  and  its  inside  is  crowded  with  innumerable  small 
hedges,  in  the  openings  of  which  are  fixed  snares  of  strong  well  twisted  thongs. 
One  end  is  generally  fastened  to  a  growing  tree;  and  as  all  the  wood  and  jun- 
gle within  the  enclosure  is  left  standing,  its  interior  forms  a  complete  labyrinth. 
On  each  side  of  the  door,  a  line  of  small  trees,  stuck  up  in  the  snow  fifteen  or 
twenty  yards  apart,  form  two  sides  of  an  acute  angle,  widening  gradually  from 
the  entrance,  from  which  they  sometimes  extend  two  or  three  miles.  Between 
these  rows  of  brushwood  runs  the  path  frequented  by  the  deer.  When  all  things 
are  prepared,  the  Indians  take  their  station  on  some  eminence  commanding 
a  prospect  of  this  path,  and  the  moment  any  deer  are  seen  going  that  way,  the 
whole  encampment,  men,  women,  and  children,  steal  under  cover  of  the  woods 
till  they  get  behind  them.  They  then  show  themselves  in  the  open  ground,  and, 
drawing  up  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  advance  with  shouts.  The  deer,  finding 
themselves  pursued,  and  at  the  same  time  imagining  the  rows  of  brushy  poles  to 
be  people  stationed  to  pievent  their  passing  en  either  side,  run  straight  lorward 
till  they  get  into  the  pound.  The  Indians  instantly  close  in,  block  up  the  en- 
trance, and  while  the  women  and  children  run  round  the  outside  to  prevent 
them  from  breaking  or  leaping  the  fence,  the  men  enter  with  their  spears  and 
bows,  and  speedily  dispatch  such  aa  are  caught  in  the  snares  or  are  runmng 
loose. 


572  SAMUEL    HEARNE. 

On  the  8th  of  April,  they  reached  an  island  in  a  small  lake  named  Thelewey- 
aza-weth,  and  pitched  their  tent;  and  as  the  deer  were  numerous,  and  the  party, 
which  had  been  joined  by  various  wandering  Indians,  now  amounted  to  seventy 
persons,  they  determined  to  remain  (or  some  time,  and  make  preparations  for 
their  enterprise  in  the  ensuing  summer.  They  were  busily  employed  during 
their  intervals  from  hunting,  in  providing  staves  of  birch  about  one  and  a  quarter 
inch  square  and  seven  or  eight  feet  long,  which  served  for  tent-poles  all  the  sum- 
mer, and  were  converted  into  snow-shoes  in  winter.  Birch-rind,  with  timbers 
and  other  wood  for  canoes,  formed  also  objects  of  attention ;  and  as  Clowey, 
the  place  fixed  upon  for  building  their  canoes,  was  still  many  miles  distant,  all 
the  wood  was  reduced  to  its  proper  size  to  make  it  Ught  for  carriage.  At  this 
place  Matonabbee  solaced  himself  by  purchasing  of  some  Northern  Indians  an- 
other wife,  who  for  size  and  sinews,  might  have  shamed  a  grenadier.  "Take 
them  in  a  body,"  says  Hearne,  "and  the  Indian  women  are  as  destitute  of  real 
beauty  as  those  of  any  nation  I  ever  saw,  although  there  are  some  few  of  them 
when  young  who  are  tolerable;  but  the  care  of  a  family,  added  to  their  constant 
hard  labour,  soon  make  the  most  beautiful  among  them  look  old  and  wrinkled, 
even  before  they  are  thirty,  and  several  of  the  more  ordinary  ones  at  that  age  are 
perfect  antidotes  to  the  tender  passion.  Ask  a  Northern  Indian,  What  is  beauty  ? 
he  will  answer,  A  broad  flat  face,  small  eyes,  high  cheek-bones,  three  or  four 
broad  black  lines  across  each  cheek,  a  low  forehead,  a  large  broad  chin,  a  hook 
nose,  and  a  tawny  hide.  These  beauties  are  greatly  heightened,  or  at  least  ren- 
dered more  valuable,  if  the  possessor  is  capable  of  dressing  all  kinds  of  skins, 
and  able  to  carry  eight  or  ten  stone  in  summer,  and  to  haul  a  far  greater  weight  in 
winter.  Such  and  similar  accomplishments  are  all  that  are  sought  after  or  ex- 
pected in  an  Indian  Northern  woman.  As  to  their  temper,  it  is  of  little  conse- 
quence ;  for  the  men  have  a  wonderful  facility  in  making  the  most  stubborn 
comply  with  as  nmch  alacrity  as  could  be  expected  from  those  of  the  mildest  and 
most  obliging  turn  of  mind." 

Before  starting  from  this  station,  Matonabbee  took  the  precaution  of  sending 
in  advance  a  small  party  with  tlie  wood  and  birch-rind;  they  were  directed  to 
press  forward  to  Clowey,  a  lake  near  the  barren  ground,  and  there  build  the  boat, 
to  be  ready  upon  their  arrival.  When  the  journey  was  about  to  be  resumed,  one 
of  the  women  was  taken  in  labour.  The  moment  the  poor  creature  was  de- 
livered, "  which,"  says  Hearne,  "was  not  till  she  had  suffered  a  severe  labour  of 
fifty-two  hours,"  the  signal  was  made  for  setting  forward;  the  mother  took  her 
infant  on  her  back,  and  walked  with  the  rest ;  and  though  another  person  had 
the  humanity  to  haul  her  sledge  lor  one  day  only,  she  was  obliged  to  carry  a  con- 
siderable load  in  addition  to  her  little  one,  and  was  compelled  lirequently  to  wade 
knee-deep  in  water  and  wet  snow.  Amid  all  this,  her  looks,  pale  and  emaciated, 
and  the  moans  which  burst  from  her,  sutiiciently  proved  the  intolerable  pain  she 
endured,  but  produced  no  effect  upon  the  hard  hearts  of  her  husband  and  his 
companions.  When  an  Indian  woman  is  taken  in  labour,  a  small  tent  is  erected 
for  her,  at  such  a  distance  from  the  encampment  that  her  cries  cannot  be  heard, 
and  the  other  women  are  her  attendants,  no  male  except  children  in  arms,  ever 
offering  to  approach ;  and  even  in  the  most  critical  cases  no  assistance  is  ever 
given, — a  conduct  arising  from  the  opinion  that  nature  is  sufticient  to  perform 
all  that  is  necessary.  When  Hearne  niformed  them  of  the  assistance  derived  by 
European  women  from  the  skill  and  attention  of  regular  practitioners,  tlieir  an- 
swer was  ironical  and  characteristic.  "No  doubt,"  said  they,  "  the  many  hump- 
backs, bandy-legs,  and  other  deformities  so  common  among  you  tnglish  are 
owing  to  the  great  skill  of  the  persons  who  assisted  in  bringing  them  into  the 
world,  and  to  the  extraordinary  care  of  tlieir  nurses  afterward." 

In  eleven  days  they  travelled  a  distance  of  eighty -five  miles,  and  on  Uie  3d  of 


May  arrived  at  Clowey,  where  they  were  joined  by  some  t^trange  Indians,  aiu 
commenced  the  important  business  of  building  their  canoes.  The  party  ton: 
ahead  lor  this  purpose  arrived  only  two  days  belore,  and  had  made  no  progress 
injoining  the  timbers  they  had  carried  along  with  them.  The  whole  tools  ysed 
by  an  Indian  in  this  operation,  in  making  snow-shoes,  and  all  other  kinds  of 
wood-work,  are  a  hatchet,  a  knife,  a  file,  and  an  awl ;  but  in  the  use  of  these  tlwOT . 


SAMUEL    HEARNE.  573 

are  very  dexterous.  In  shape,  their  canoes  bear  some  resenibla'nce  to  a  weaver's 
shuttle,  having  flat  bottoms,  with  strait  upright  sides,  and  sharp  at  each  end; 
The  stern  is  the  widest  part,  being  constructed  Cor  the  reception  of  the  baggage; 
and  occasionally  it  admits  a  second  person,  who  hes  at  full  length  in  the  bottom 
of  the  little  vessel,  which  seldom  exceeds  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  in  length,  and 
about  two  feet  in  breadth  at  the  widest  part.  The  forepart  is  unnecessarily  long 
and  narrow,  and  covered  with  birch'bark,  which  adds  to  the  weight  without  con- 
tributing to  the  burden  of  the  canoev  The  Indians,  for  the  most  part,  employ 
a  single  paddle;  double  ones,  like  those  of  the  Esquimaux,  are  seldom  used  un- 
less by  hunters,  who  he  in  ambush  for  the  purpose  of  killing  deer  as  they  cross 
rivers  and  narrow  lakes.  Upon  the  whole,  their  vessels,  though  formed  of  the  same 
materials  as  those  of  the  Southern  Indians,  are  much  smaller  and  lighter ;  and, 
from  the  extreme  simplicity  of  build,  are  the  best  that  could  be  contrived  for  the 
necessities  of  these  poor  savages,  who  are  frequently  obliged  to  carry  them  upon 
their  back  a  hundred  and  sometimes  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  without  having 
occasion  to  launch  them. 

At  Clowey  the  expedition  was  joined  by  nearly  two  hundred  Indians  from 
various  quarters,  most  of  whom  built  canoes  there  ;  and  on  the  23d  of  May,  Mr. 
Hearne  and  Matonabbee,  whose  character  and  consequence  effectually  protected 
the  white  man  from  plunder,  proceeded  northward.  For  some  time  they  met 
with  no  distresses,  except  those  occasioned  by  the  intense  cold,  which  had  been 
preceded  by  thunder-storms  and  torrents  of  rain.  Misfortune,  however,  now 
attacked  Matonabbee  on  the  tender  side  of  his  eight  wives,  the  handsomest  of 
whom  eloped  in  the  night,  accompanied  by  another  woman.  Both  having  been 
carried  off  by  force,  it  was  suspected  they  had  fled  to  the  eastward  with  the  plan 
of  rejoining  their  former  husbands.  Scarcely  had  the  savage  polygamist  recov- 
ered from  this  blow,  when  he  experienced  a  fresh  mortification :  an  Indian  of 
great  strength,  from  whom  Matonabbee  a  short  time  before  had  purchased  a 
stout,  and  therefore  valuable  wife,  insisted  on  taking  her  back,  unless  he  instant- 
ly surrendered  a  certain  quantity  of  ammunition,  a  kettle,  some  pieces  of  iron, 
and  other  articles.  The  hardship  of  this  case  arose  from  an  extraordinary  custom, 
by  which  the  men  are  permitted  to  wrestle  for  any  woman  to  whom  they  are 
attached,  the  victorious  party  carrying  off  the  prize.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
the  greatest  emulation  prevails  in  all  the  athletic  exercises  among  the  young  In- 
dians ;  and  the  children  are  perpetually  seen  trying  their  powers  at  wrestling, 
under  the  idea  that  this  is  the  education  which  will  chiefly  benefit  them  when 
they  grow  up.  A  weak  man  seldom  long  retains  a  wife  whose  services  another 
wants ;  for  when  the  helpmates  of  an  able-bodied  savage  are  too  heavily  laden 
with  furs  or  provisions,  he  makes  no  scruple  in  seizing  the  spouse  of  his  weaker 
neighbour,  and  transferring  part  of  the  burden  to  her  back ;  while,  if  the  injured 
party  cannot  challenge  the  aggressor  to  a  wrestling-match,  he  must  not  otherwise 
complain.  The  distress,  therefore  of  Matonabbee  upon  this  occasion  may  be 
easily  accounted  for,  as  he  was  wounded  in  his  pride  and  in  his  property  ii  not 
in  his  affections.  But  a  personal  contest  was  out  of  the  question,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  purchase  his  favourite  over  again,  by  yielding  up  all  that  was  demand- 
ed by  his  antagonist.  This  affair  had  nearly  proved  a  serious  obstacle  to  the 
expedition  ;  for  so  bitterly  did  the  chief  resent  the  affront,  entertaining  the  high- 
est ideas  of  his  personal  consequence,  that  he  had  resolved,  like  a  Coriolanus  of 
the  New  World,  to  renounce  all  further  alliance  with  his  countrymen,  and 
join  the  Athabasca  Indians,  among  whom  he  had  formerly  resided.  But 
Hearne  strenuously  opposed  this  project,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  dissuading  hinj 
from  it. 

Having  agreed  to  proceed,  Matonabbee,  for  the  better  prosecution  of  the 
enterprise,  determined  to  make  some  new  arrangements :  he  selected  his  two 
youngest  wives,  who  were  unencumbered  with  children,  as  alone  worthy  to  ac- 
company him,  while  the  remainder,  with  all  their  luggage,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  men,  were  commanded  to  await  the  return  of  the  party  from  the 
Coppermine  Uiver.  This  change  of  plan,  however,  was  not  carried  through 
without  difhculty.  When  the  hour  of  separation  came,  and  Matonabbee  and 
Hearne  set  out  in  the  evening  of  the  31st  of  May,  alow  murmur  of  lamentation 
49 


574  SAMUEL    HEARNE. 

proceeded  from  the  tents  of  the  women  who  were  left  behind,  which,  running 
through  all  the  notes  of  increasing  grief,  at  last  burst  into  a  loud  yell.  This  con- 
tinued as  long  as  the  party  were  in  sight;  nor  was  it  without  much  angry  ex- 
postulation that  some  of  them  were  prevented  from  following  their  husbands. 
The  Indians,  however,  regarded  all  this,  which  deeply  aifected  their  European 
associates,  with  indifference,  walking  forward  without  casting  behind  them  a 
single  look  or  word  of  sympathy,  and  joyfully  congratulating  themselves  on 
getting  rid  of  the  women,  dogs,  children,  and  other  encumbrances,  which  added 
so  greatly  to  the  toil  of  the  journey.  One  article  they  all  carried,  although  to 
Hearne  it  appeared  unnecessary,  considering  the  expedition  to  be  pacific, — this 
was  a  target  of  thin  boards,  two  feet  broad  and  about  three  feet  long.  On  in- 
quiring for  what  purpose  these  shields  were  to  be  used,  he  discovered  that  the 
main  consideration  which  reconciled  the  Indians  to  this  expedition  was  the  hope 
of  attacking  and  murdering  the  Esquimaux  who  frequented  tlie  Coppermine 
River,  between  whom  and  the  other  Indian  tribes  there  had  long  existed  a  dead- 
ly enmity.  All  the  arguments  employed  by  Hearne  were  insufficient  to  dissuade 
them  from  these  hostile  intentions. 

The  party,  having  crossed  the  arctic  circle,  arrived  at  Cogead  Lake,  which 
they  found  frozen  over ;  so  that  they  traversed  its  creeks  and  bays  without  the 
aid  of  their  canoes.  Thence  they  directed  their  course  due  north  till  they  met 
with  a  branch  of  the  Congecathawhachaga  River,  where  some  Copper  Indians 
received  them  with  great  kindness,  and  readily  sent  all  their  canoes  to  their  as- 
sistance,—a  piece  of  courtesy  particularly  seasonable,  as  the  ice  had  now  broken 
up.  To  these  Indians  Hearne  explained  the  object  of  his  journey,  and  his  guide 
being  personally  known  to  them,  they  treated  the  party  which  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons,  with  distinguished  honour;  a  feast  was  given,  the 
English  traveller  smoked  with  them  his  calumet  of  peace,  and  their  chiefs  ex- 
pressed the  greatest  anxiety  that  a  European  settlement  should  be  established  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  Coppermine  River.  They  acknowledged  they  had 
never  found  tlie  sea  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  free  from  ice ;  but  with  singular 
simplicity  seemed  to  consider  this  a  very  trifling  objection,  observing,  that  the 
water  was  always  so  smooth  between  the  ice  and  the  shore,  that  even  small 
boats  could  sail  there  with  great  ease ;  and  inferring  that  what  a  canoe  could  do 
a  large  ship  must  be  sure  to  accomplish.  As  Hearne  was  the  first  white  man  they 
had  seen,  he  was  surrounded  by  numbers,  who  examined  him  with  the  utmost 
minuteness.  The  result,  however,  was  satisfactory ;  for  they  at  last  pronounced 
him  to  be  a  perfect  human  being,  except  in  the  colour  of  his  hair  and  eyes:  the 
first  they  insisted  was  like  the  stained  hair  of  a  buffalo's  tail,  and  the  last,  being 
light,  were  compared  to  those  of  a  gull.  The  whiteness  of  his  skin,  also,  was  a 
circumstance  on  which  they  demurred  a  little,  observing,  that  it  looked  like 
meat  which  had  been  sodden  in  water  till  all  the  blood  was  extracted.  He  con- 
tinued,, however,  to  be  viewed  with  a  mixture  of  curiosity  and  admiration,  and 
at  his  toilet  was  generally  attended  by  a  body  of  the  Indians,  who,  when  he  used 
his  comb,  asked  lor  the  hairs  which  came  ofl^.  These  they  carefully  wrapped  up, 
saying,  "  When  I  see  you  again,  you  shall  again  see  your  hair." 

On  reaching  Congecatliawhachaga  in  latitude  68°  4G'  north,  Matonabbee 
deemed  it  expedient  to  leave  all  the  women,  talcing  the  precaution  to  kill  as 
many  deer  as  were  necessary  for  their  support  during  his  absence.  The  flesh 
was  cut  into  thin  slices,  and  dried  in  the  sun, — a  frequent  mode  of  preserving  it 
)n  these  high  northern  latitudes,  by  which  it  is  kept  palatable  and  nourishing  i'o  ■ 
a  twelvemonth.  Having  completed  tl^ese  arrangements,  the  party  resumed  the 
journey  on  tlie  1st  of  July,  proceeding  amid  dreadful  storms  of  snow,  and  occ>. 
rtional  torrents  of  rain,  which  drenched  them  to  the  skin,  through  a  biirren  an 
desolate  country,  where  it  was  impossible  with  the  wet  mos^s  and  green  brush 
v/ood  to  kindle  a  fire.  Compelled  to  take  shelter  in  caves  at  night, — for  they 
had  no  tents,— obliged  to  eat  their  meat  raw,  with  the  enjoyment  of  no  higher 
luxury  than  a  pipe,  they  yet  pushed  forward  with  unshaken  perseverance,  and 
after  a  week  ot  great  suffering  hiid  the  comfort  to  observe  a  complete  change  in 
the  weather,  which  first  became  moderate,  and  soon  alter  eo  sultry  that  it  wa« 
sometimes  impossible  to  move  at  all. 


SAMUEL    HEARNE.  575 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  July,  the  expedition  crossed  a  long  chain 
of  hills,  from  the  top  of  which  they  discerned  a  branch  that  joins  the  Copper- 
mine, about  forty  miles  from  its  j^nflux  into  the  sea.  Here  the  Indians  killed  a 
few  fine  buck-deer,  procured  so nle  excellent  firewood,  and,  as  it  was  not  certain 
that  so  favourable  an  opportunity  would  soon  occur  again,  they  sat  dov/n  with 
appetites  sharpened  by  long  privation,  spirits  raised  by  the  recollection  of  hard- 
ships overcome,  and  the  almost  certain  prospect  of  ere  long  accomplishing  the 
great  object  of  their  expedition,  to  the  most  cheerful  and  comfortable  meal  they 
had  enjoyed  for  a  long  period.  The  reader  will  be  amused  with  Hearne's  de- 
scription of  this  delicious  repast,  and  of  the  mysteries  of  Indian  cookery.  "As 
such  favourable  opportunities  of  indulging  the  appetite,"  says  he,  "happen but 
seldom,  it  is  a  general  rule  with  the  Indians,  which  we  did  not  neglect,  to  exert 
every  art  irr  dressing  their  food  which  the  most  refined  skill  in  Indian  cooking 
has  been  able  to  invent,  and  which  consists  chiefly  in  boiling,  broiling,  and  roast- 
ing; but  of  all  the  dishes  cooked  by  these  people,  a  bacate,  as  it  is  called  in  their 
language,  is  certainly  the  most  delicions  (at  least  for  a  change)  which  can  be  pre- 
pared from  a  deer  only,  without  any  other  ingredient.  It  is  a  kind  of  Scotch 
'  haggis,'  made  with  the  blood,  a  good  quantity  of  fat  shred  small,  some  of  the 
tenderest  of  the  flesh,  together  with  the  heart  and  lungs,  cut,  or  more  commonly 
torn  into  small  shivers, — all  which  is  put  into  the  stomach  and  roasted,  by  being 
suspended  over  the  fire  by  a  string.  Care  must  be  taken  that  it  does  not  get  too 
much  heat  at  first,  as  the  bag  would  thereby  be  liable  to  be  burnt,  and  the  con- 
tents let  out.  When  it  it  is  sufficiently  done  it  will  emit  a  rich  steam,  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  fowl  or  a  joint  of  meat,  which  is  as  much  as  to  sayj  'Come  eat  me 
now  !'  and  if  it  be  taken  in  time,  before  the  blood  or  the  contents  are  too  much 
done,  it  is  certainly  a  most  deUcious  morsel,  even  without  pepper,  salt,  or  any 
other  seasoning." 

Having  regaled  themselves  in  this  sumptuous  manner,  and  taken  a  few  hours' 
rest,  they  once  more  set  out,  and  after  a  walk  of  nine  or  ten  miles,  at  last  arrived 
at  the  Coppermine.  Scarcely  had  Hearne  congratulated  himself  on  reaching 
the  great  object  of  his  mission,  unpacked  his  surveying  instruments,  and  pre- 
pared to  follow  its  progress  to  the  great  Arctic  Ocean,  when  one  of  those  dark 
and  terrible  scenes  occurred  which  are  so  strikingly  characteristic  of  savage  life. 
As  soon  as  Matonabbee  and  his  party  gained  the  banks  of  the  river,  three  spies 
were  sent  out  to  discover  whether  any  Esquimaux,  were  in  the  neighbourhood. 
After  a  short  absence  they  returned  with  intelligence  that  they  had  seen  five  tents, 
about  twelve  miles  distant  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  All  was  now  warlike 
preparation ;  the  guns,  knives,  and  spears  were  carefully  examined ;  and  as  they 
learned  that  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  render  it  easy  to  advance  unper- 
ceived,  it  was  determined  to  steal  upon, their  victims  in  this  manner,  and  put 
them  to  death.  This  plan  was  executed  with  the  most  savage  exactness;  and 
nothing  could  present  amore  dreadful  view  of  human  nature  in  its  unenlighten- 
ed state  than  the  perfect  unanimity  of  purpose  which  pervaded  the  whole  body 
of  Indians  upon  this  horrid  occasion,  although  at  other  times  they  were  in  no 
respect  amenable  to  discipline. 

Each  man  first  painted  his  target,  some  with  a  representation  of  the  sun,  others 
of  the  moon,  and  several  with  the  pictures  of  beasts  and  birds  of  prey,  or  of  ima- 
ginary beings,  which  they  atfirmed  to  be  the  inhabitants  of  the  elements  upon 
whose  assistance  they  relied  for  success  in  their  enterprise.  They  then  moved 
with  the  utmost  stealth  in  the  direction  of  the  tents,  taking  care  not  to  cross  any 
of  the  hills  which  concealed  their  approach.  It  was  a  miserable  circumstance 
that  these  poor  creatures  had  taken  up  their  abode  in  such  ground  that  their  ene- 
mies, without  being  observed,  formed  an  ambuscade  not  two  hundred  yards 
distant,  and  lay  for  sometime  watching  the  motions  of  the  Esquimaux,  as  if 
marking  their  victims  Here  the  last  preparations  lor  the  attack  were  made : 
the  Indians  tied  up  their  long  black  hair  in  a  knot  behind,  lest  it  should  be  blown 
in  their  eyes ;  painted  their  faces  black  and  red,  which  gave  them  a  hideous  as- 
pect; deliberately  tucked  up  the  sleeves  of  their  jackets  close  under  the  armpits, 
and  pulled  off  their  stockings;  while  some,  still  more  eager  to  render  themselves 
light  for  running,  threw  oft'  their  jackets,  and  stood  with  their  weapons  in  their 


570^ 


SAMUEL    HEARNE. 


SAMUEL    HEARNE.  577 

hands  quite  naked,  except  their  breech-clothes  and  shoes.  By  the  time  all  were 
ready  it  was  near  one  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  when,  finding  the  Esquimaux 
quiet,  they  rushed  from  their  concealment.  In  an  instant,  roused  by  the  shouts 
of  the  savages,  the  unfortunate  wretches,  men,  women,  and  children,  ran  naked 
out  of  the  tents,  and  attempted  to  escape;  but  the  Indians  had  surrounded  them 
on  the  land  side,  and  as  none  dared  to  leap  into  the  river,  all  were  murdered  in 
cold  blood ;  vv'hile  Hearne,  whom  a  regard  for  his  personal  safety  had  compelled 
to  accompany  the  party,  stood  a  short  way  off  rooted  to  the  ground  in  horror 
and  agony. 

"  The  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  poor  expiring  wretches,"  says  he,  in  his  strik- 
ing account  of  this  dreadful  episode  in  savage  hfe,  "  were  truly  distressing;  and 
my  hori-or  was  much  increased  at  seeing  ayoung  girl,  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  killed  so  near  me  that  when  the  first  spear  was  stuck  into  her  side  she  fell 
down  at  my  feet  and  twisted  round  my  legs,  so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
I  could  disengage  myself  from  her  dying  grasps.  As  two  Indian  men  pur- 
sued this  unibrtunate  victim,  I  solicited  very  hard  for  her  life ;  but  the  mur- 
derers made  no  reply  till  they  had  stuck  both  their  spears  through  her  body 
and  transfixed  her  to  the  ground.  They  then  looked  me  sternly  in  the 
face,  and  began  to  ridicule  me  by  asking  if  1  wanted  an  Esquimaux  wife,  while 
they  paid  not  the  slightest  regard  to  the  shrieks  and  agony  of  the  poor  wretch, 
who  was  turning  round  their  spears  hke  an  eel.  Indeed,  after  receiving  from 
them  much  abusive  language  on  the  occasion,  I  was  at  length  obliged  to  desire 
that  they  would  be  more  expeditious  in  despatching  their  victim  out  of  her  misery, 
otherwise  I  should  be  obliged  out  of  pity  to  assist  in  the  friendly  oflice  of  putting 
an  end  to  the  existence  of  a  fellow-creature  who  was  so  cruelly  wounded.  On 
this  request  being  made,  one  of  the  Indians  hastily  drew  his  spear  from  the  place 
where  it  was  first  lodged,  and  pierced  it  through  her  breast  near  the  heart.  '  The 
love  of  life,  however,  even  in  this  most  miserable  state,  was  so  predominant,  that 
though  this  might  be  justly  called  the  most  merciful  act  which  could  be  done  for 
the  poor  creature,  it  seemed  to  be  unwelcome  ;  for,  though  much  exhausted  by 
pain  and  loss  of  blood,  she  made  several  efibrts  to  ward  ott  the  friendly  blow. 
My  situation  and  the  terror  of  my  mind  at  beholding  this  butchery  cannot  easily 
be  conceived,  much  less  described :  though  I  summed  up  all  the  fortitude  I  was 
master  of  on  the  occasion,  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could  refrain  from  tears ; 
and  I  am  confident  that  my  features  must  have  feelingly  expressed  how  sincerely 
I  was  affected  at  the  barbarous  scene  I  then  witnessed.  Even  at  this  hour  I  can- 
not reflect  on  the  transactions  of  that  horrid  day  without  shedding  tears." 

After  making  an  accurate  survey  of  the  river  till  its  junction  with  the  sea, 
Hearne  proceeded  to  one  of  the  copper-mines,  which  he  found  scarcely  to  de- 
serve the  name,  it  being  nothing  more  than  a  chaotic  mass  of  rocks  and  gravel, 
rent  by  an  earthquake,  or  some  other  convulsion,  into  numerous  fissures,  through 
one  of  which  fllovved  a  small  river.  Although  the  Indians  had  talked  in  magnifi- 
cent terms  of  this  mine,  after  a  search  of  four  hours  a  solitary  piece  of  ore  was 
all  that  could  be  discovered  ;  and  instead  of  pointing  out  the  hills  composed  en- 
tirely of  copper,  and  the  quanfity  of  rich  ore  with  which  they  had  atfirmed  it 
would  be  ea^sy  to  freight  a  large  vessel,  they  now  told  a  ridiculous  story  of  some 
insults  offered  to  the  goddess  of  the  mine,  who  in  revenge  declared  that  she 
would  sit  upon  it  till  she  and  it  sunk  together  into  the  earth.  In  consequence 
of  this  threat,  they  next  year  found  her  sunk  up  to  the  waist,  and  the  quantity  of 
copper  much  decreased,  while  the  following  summer  she  had  entirely  disappear- 
ed, and  the  whole  mine  along  with  her. 

In  reaching  the  sea,  Hearne  had  accomplished  the  great  object  of  his  journey, 
and  his  homeward  route  did  not  vary  materially  from  his  course  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean.  On  the  31st  of  July,  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  Indians  had 
left  their  families,  and  on  the  9th  of  August  resumed  their  course  to  the  south- 
west; travelling  with  frequent  intervals  of  rest,  till,' on  the  24th  of  November, 
they  reached  the  northern  shore  of  the  great  Athabasca  L^ke.  In  this  latitude,  at 
this  season,  the  sun's  course  formed  an  extremely  small  segment  of  a  circle 
above  the  horizon,  scarcely  rising  half-way  up  the  trees ;  but  the  brilliancy  of 
the  stars,  and  the  brilliant  and  beautiful  light  emitted  by  the  aurora  borealis,  even 
49* 


578  SAMUEL    HEARNE. 

without  the  aid  of  the  moon,  amply  compensated  for  the  want  of  the  sun,  so 
that  at  midnight  Hearne  could  see  to  read  very  small  print.  In  the  deep  stillness 
of  the  night,  also,  these  northern  meteors  were  heard  to  make  a  rushing  and 
crackhng  noise,  like  the  waving  of  a  large  flag  in  a  fresh  gale  of  wind.  Accord- 
ing to  the  information  of  the  natives,  the  Athabasca  Lake  is  nearly  one  hundred 
and  twenty  leagues  long  from  east  to  west,  and  twenty  wide  from  north  to  south. 
It  was  beautifully  studded  with  islands,  covered  with  tall  poplars,  birch,  and 
pines,  which  were  plentifully  stocked  with  deer,  and  abounded  with  pike,  trout, 
and  barbel,  besides  the  species  known  by  the  Indians  under  the  name  of  tittameg, 
methy,  and  shees. 

The  country  through  which  they  had  hitherto  travelled  had  been  extremely 
barren  and  hilly,  covered  with  stunted  firs  and  dwarf  willows ;  but  it  now  sub- 
sided into  a  fine  plain,  occasionally  varied  with  tall  woods,  and  well  stocked  with 
buffalo  and  moose-deer.     The  party  spent  some  days  with  much  pleasure  in 
hunting  ;  and  as  the  flesh  of  the  younger  buftaloes  was  delicious,  their  exhausted 
stock  of  provisions  was  seasonably  supphed.     In  one  of  their  excursions  an  inci- 
dent occurred  strikingly  characteristic  of  savage  life.     The  Indians  came  sudden- 
ly on  the  track  of  a  strange  snow-shoe,  and  following  it  to  a  wild  part  of  the 
country,  remote  from  any  human  habitation,  they  discovered  a  hut,  in  which  a 
young  Indian  woman  was  sitting  alone.     She  had  Uved  for  the  last  eight  moons 
in  absolute  solitude,  and  recounted  with  affecting  simplicity  the  circumstances 
by  which  she  had  been  driven  from  her  own  people.     She  belonged,  she  said, 
to  the  tribe  of  the  Dog-ribbed  Indians,  and  in  an  inroad  of  the  Athabasca  nation, 
in  the  summer  of  1770,  had  been  taken  prisoner.     The  savages,  according  to 
their  invariable  practice,  stole  upon  the  tents  in  the  night,  and  murdered  before 
her  face  her  father,  mother,  and  husband,  while  she  and  three  other  young  women 
were  reserved  from  the  slaughter,  and  made  captive.     Her  child,  four  or  five 
months  old,  she  contrived  to  carry  with  her,  concealed  among  some  clothing; 
but  on  arriving  at  the  place  where  the  party  had  left  their  wives,  her  precious 
bundle  was  examined  by  the  Athabasca  women,   one   of  whom  tore  the  infant 
from  its  mother,  and  killed  it  on  the  spot.     In  Europe,  an  act  so  inhuman  would, 
in  all  probability,  have  been  instantly  followed  by  the  insanity  of  the  parent ;  but 
in  North  America,  though  maternal  affection  is  equally  intense,  the  nerves  are 
more  sternly  strung.     So  horrid  a  cruelty,  however,  determined  her,  though  the 
man  whose  property  she  had  become  was  kind  and  careful  of  her,  to  take  the 
first  opportunity  of  escaping,  with  the  intention  of  returning  to  her  own  nation; 
but  the  great  distance,  and  the  numerous  winding  rivers  and  creeks  she  had  to 
pass,  caused  her  to  lose  the  way,  and  winter  coming  on,  she  had  built  a  hut  in 
this,  secluded  spot.     When  discovered,  she  was  in  good  health,  well  fed,  and  in 
the  opinion  of  Hearne  one  of  the  finest  Indian  women  he  had  ever  seen.     Five 
or  six  inches  of  hoop  made  into  a  knife,  and  the  iron  shank  of  an  arrow-head, 
which  served  as  an  awl,  were  the   only  implements  she  possessed ;  and  with 
these  she  mode  snow-shoes  and   other  useful  articles     For  subsistence  she 
snared  partridges,  rabbits,  and  squirrels,  and  had  killed  two  or  three  beavers  and 
some  porcupines.     After  the  few  deer-sinews  she  had  brought  with  her  were 
expended  in  making  snares  and  sewing  her  clothing,  she  supplied  their  place 
with  the  sinews  of  rabbit's  legs,  which  she  twisted  together  with  great  dexterity. 
Thus  occupied,  she  not  only  became  reconciled  to  her  desolate  situation,  but  had 
found  time  to  amuse  herself  by  manufacturing  litde  pieces  of  personal  orna- 
ment.    Her  clothing  was  formed  of  rabbit-skins  sewed  together;  the  materials, 
though  rude,  being  tastefully  disposed  so  as  to  make  her  garb  assume  a  pleasing, 
though  desert-bred  appearance.     The  singular  circumstances  under  which  she 
.  was  I'ound,  her  beauty  and  useful  accomplishments,  occasioned  a  contest  among 
the  Indians,  as  to  who  should  have  her  for  a  wife  ;  and  the  matter  being  decided, 
she  accompanied  them  in  their  journey.    On  the  1st  of  March  they  left  tlie  level 
country  ot  the  Athabascas,  and  approached  the  stony  hills  bounding  the  teirito- 
ries  of  the  Northern  Indians,  traversing  which,  they  arrived  in  safety  at  Prince : 
of  Wales'  Fort,  on  the  !<J9th  of  June,  1772,  having  been  absent  eighteen  monthij 
and  twenty-three  days. 


SAMUEL   HEARNE.  579 

The  journey  of  Kearne  must  be  regarded  as  forming  an  important  era  in  the 
geography  of  America.  For  some  time  it  had  been  supposed  that  this  vast  con- 
tinent extended  in  an  almost  unbroken  mass  towards  the  Pole ;  and  we  find  it 
thus  depicted  in  the  maps  of  that  period.  The  circumstance  oT  Hearne  having 
reached  the  shore  of  the  great  Arctic  Ocean  at  once  demonstrated  the  fallacy  of 
all  such  ideas.  It  threw  a  new  and  clear  light  upon  the  structure  of  this  portion 
of  the  globe,  and  resting  upon  the  results  thus  distinctly  ascertained,  the  human 
mind,  indefatigable  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  started  forward  in  a  career  of 
still  more  enlarged  and  interesting  discovery. 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 


While  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  by  the  mission  of  Mr.  Hearne,  vindicat- 
ed their  character  from  the  charge  of  indifference  to  the  cause  of  geographical 
discovery,  anoUier  institution  had  arisen,  under  the  tide  of  the  North  West  Fur 
Company,  which  although,  in  its  earliest  exertions,  it  experienced  many  severe 
reverses,  at  last  arrived,  by  the  intelligence  and  perseverance  of  its  partners  and 
servants,  at  a  degree  of  prosperity  v/hich  surpassed  the  chartered  companies  of 
France  and  England.  In  the  counting-house  of  Mr.  Gregory,  a  partner  of  tliis 
company,  was  bred  a  native  of  Inverness,  named  Alexander  Mackenzie.  In 
conducting  the  practical  details  of  the  fur  trade,  he  had  been  settled  at  an  early 
period  of  life  in  the  country  to  the  north-west  of  Lake  Superior,  and  became 
animated  with  the  ambition  of  penetrating  across  the  continent:  for  this  under- 
taking he  was  eminentiy  qualified,  possessing  an  inquisitive  and  enterprising 
mind,  witli  a  strong  frame  of  body,  and  combining  the  fervid  and  excursive  gen- 
ius which  has  been  said  to  characterize  the  Scots  in  general,  with  that  more  cau- 
tious and  enduring  temperament  which  belongs  to  the  northern  Highlander, 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE.  581 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1789,  Mackenzie  set  out  from  Fort  Chepewyan,  at  the 
head  of  the  Athabasca  Lake,  a  station  nearly  central  between  Hudson's  Bay 
and  the  Pacific.  He  had  resided  here  for  eight  years,  and  was  familiar  with  the 
difficulties  of  the  journey  as  well  as  aware  of  the  most  likely  methods  of  sur- 
mounting them.  He  took  with  him  four  canoes.  In  the  first  he  embarked  with 
a  German  and  four  Canadians,  two  of  the  latter  being  accompanied  by  their 
wives.  A  Northern  Indian,  called  the  English  Chief,  who  had  been  a  follower 
of  Matonabbee,  the  guide  of  Mr.  Hearne,  occupied  the  second  with  his  two 
wives.  The  third  was  paddled  by  two  stout  young  Indians,  who  acted  in  the 
double  capacity  of  hunters  and  interpreters;  while  the  fourth  was  laden  with 
provisions,  clothing,  amunition,  and  various  articles  intended  as  presents  for 
the  Indians.  This  last  canoe  was  committed  to  the  charge  of  Mr.  Le  Roux,  one 
of  the  company's  clerks. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  the  party  reached  Slave  River,  which  connects  the  Atha- 
ba.sca  and  Slave  Lakes,  in  a  course  of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles; 
and  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  they  arrived  at  the  Slave  Lake,  without  ex- 
periencing any  other  inconveniences  than  those  arising  from  the  attacks  of  the 
mosquitoes  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  the  extreme  cold  in  the  morning  and 
evening.  In  the  river  were  frequent  rapids,  which  obliged  them  to  land  and 
transport  their  (•anoes  and  luggage  over  the  carrying  places, — a  toilsome  pro- 
cess, but  attended  with  no  danger,  as  the  path  had  been  cleared  by  the  Indians 
trading  with  the  conipany.  The  banks  were  covered  with  various  kinds  of 
trees ;  but,  owing  to  its  inferior  level  and  its  rich  black  soil,  the  western  side  was 
more  thickly  wooded  than  the  other.  On  the  eastern  bank,  composed  of  a  yel- 
low clay  mixed  with  gravel,  the  trees  were  smaller,  but  in  full  leaf,  though  the 
ground  was  not  thawed  above  fourteen  inches  in  depth.  At  a  little  distance 
from  the  river  were  extensive  plains  frequented  by  herds  of  buffaloes;  the  woods 
bordering  its  sides  were  tenanted  by  moose  and  reindeer;  and  numerous  colo- 
nies of  beavers  built  their  habitations  on  the  small  streams  which  fed  the  lake. 
This  large  body  of  water  was  covered  with  ice,  which  had  not  given  way  except 
in  a  small  strip  round  tlie  shore,  where  the  depth,  nowhere  exceeding  three  feet, 
was  scarcely  sufficient  to  float  the  canoes.  Though  now  the  9th  of  June,  there 
was  every  appearance  that  the  ice  would  detain  the  expedition  for  a  considera- 
ble time ;  and  it  was  thought  necessary  to  pitch  their  tents.  The  nets  were  now 
set;  the  Indians  went  off  in  different  directions  to  hunt;  the  women  gathered 
berries  of  various  sorts,  which  abounded  in  the  neighboring  woods ;  and  their 
larder  was  soon  supplied  with  plenty  of  geese,  ducks,  and  beaver,  excellent 
trout,  carp,  and  white  fish,  and  some  dozens  of  swan  and  duck  eggs,  which  were 
picked  up  on  an  adjacent  island.  Their  stay,  therefore,  was  far  from  unpleas- 
ant, combining  the  novelty  of  a  residence  in  a  strange  country  with  the  excite- 
ment and  variety  of  a  hunter's  life;  and  on  the  15th,  after  a  rest  of  six  days,  as 
tlie  ice  had  given  way  a  little,  they  resumed  their  journey. 

Since  leaving  Athabasca,  the  twilight  had  been  so  bright,  owing  to  the  short 
disappearance  of  the  sun  below  the  horizon,  that  even  at  midnight  not  a  star 
was  to  be  seen ;  but  as  they  glided  along  the  lake  they  were  greeted  by  the 
moon,  which  rose  beautifully  above  the  woods,  with  her  lower  horn  in  a  state  of 
eclipse.  The  obscuration  continued  for  about  six  minutes  in  a  cloudless  sky. 
CoEisting  along  the  shore,  they  came  to  a  lodge  of  Red  Knife  Indians,  so  denom- 
inated from  their  using  copper  knives.  One  of  these  men  engaged  to  conduct 
them  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  which  was  the  object  of  their  search;  but  such 
were  the  impediments  encountered  from  drift  ice,  contrary  winds,  and  the  igno- 
rance of  the  guide,  whom  the  English  Chief  threatened  to  murder  for  engaging 
in  a  service  for  which  he  was  unfit,  that  it  was  the  29th  of  the  month  before  they 
embarked  upon  the  river  since  known  by  the  name  of  the  traveller  who  now  first 
ascended  it.  On  leaving  the  lake,  the  Mackenzie  River  was  found  to  run  to  the 
westward,  becoming  gradually  narrower  for  twenty-four  miles,  till  it  diminished 
into  a  stream  not  more  than  half  a  mile  wide,  with  a  strong  current,  and  a  depth 
of  three  and  a  half  fathoms.  A  stiff"  breeze  from  the  eastward  now  drove  them 
on  at  a  great  rate,  and  after  a  rapid  run  of  ten  miles,  the  channel  gradually  widen- 
ed till  It  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  small  lake,  which  proved  to  be  the  utmost 


582  SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 

limit  known  to  their  guide.  They  now  came  in  sight  of  the  chain  of  the  Horn 
Mountains,  bearing  north-west,  and  had  some  difiicuhy  in  recovering  the  channel 
of  the  river. 

Having  resumed  their  course  on  the  Ist  of  July,  they  met  with  no  interrup- 
tion for  five  days,  when  they  observed  several  smokes  on  the  northern  bank. 
On  landing  they  discovered  an  encampment  of  five  famiHes  of  Slave  and  Dog- 
ribbed  Indians,  who  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  party  fled  into  the  woods  in 
consternation.  The  entreaties  of  the  Knglish  Chief,' whose  language  they  un- 
derstood, at  length  dissipated  their  apprehensions;  and  the  distribution  of  a  few 
beads,  rings,  and' knives,  with  a  supply  of  grog,  reconciled  them  entirely  to  the 
strangers.  Their  account  of  the  difficulties  in  the  farther  navigation  of  the  river 
was  not  a  little  appalling;  they  asserted  that  it  would  require  several  winters  to 
reach  the  sea,  and  that  old  age  would  inevitably  overtake  the  party  before  their 
return.  Monsters  of  horrid  shapes  and  malignant  disposition  were  represented 
as  having  their  abodes  in  the  rocky  caves  on  the  banks,  ready  to  devour  the  pre- 
sumptuous traveller  who  approached;  and  the  more  substantial  impediment  of 
two  impassable  falls  was  said  to  exist  about  thirty  day's  march  from  where  they 
then  were. 

Though  such  tales  were  treated  with  contempt  by  Mackenzie,  the  Indians,  al- 
ready tired  of  the  voyage,  drank  them  in  with  willing  ears,  and  they  could  scarce- 
ly be  persuaded  to  pursue  their  journey.  On  consenting  to  proceed,  one  of  the 
Dog-ribbed  Indians  was  induced,  by  the  present  of  a  kettle,  an  axe,  and  some 
other  articles,  to  accompany  them  as  a  guide;  but  when  the  time  of  embarkation 
arrived,  his  love  of  home  came  upon  him  with  such  violence  that  he  used  every 
artifice  to  escape  from  his  agreement,  and  at  last  was  actually  forced  on  board. 
Previous  to  his  departure,  a  singular  ceremony  took  place:  with  great  solemnity 
he  cut  off  a  lock  of  his  hair,  and  dividing  it  into  three  parts,  fastened  one  to  the 
upper  part  of  his  wife's  head,  blowing  on  it  thrice  with  the  utmost  violence,  and 
uttering  certain  words  as  a  charm.  The  other  two  locks  he  fixed  with  the  same 
ceremonies  to  the  heads  of  his  two  children.  These  Indians  were,  in  general, 
a  meager,  ugly,  and  ill-favoured  race,  particularly  ill-made  in  their  legs.  Some 
of  them  wore  their  hair  very  long,  others  allowed  a  tress  to  fall  behind,  cutting 
the  rest  short  round  their  ears.  A  few  old  men  had  beards,  while  the  young 
and  middle-aged  appeared  to  have  pulled  out  every  hair  on  their  chin.  Each 
cheek  was  adorned  by  two  double  lines  tattooed  from  the  ear  to  the  nose,  of 
which  the  gristle  was  perforated  so  as  to  admit  a  goose  quill  or  a  small  piece  of 
wood.  Their  clothing  consisted  of  dressed  deer-skins.  For  winter  wear  these 
were  prepared  with  the  fur,  and  the  shirts  made  of  them  decorated  with  a  neat 
embroidery,  composed  of  porcupine  quills  and  the  hair  of  the  moose  deer,  col- 
oured red,  black,  yellow,  or  white  Their  shirts  reached  to  the  mid-thigh,  while 
their  upper  garments  covered  the  whole  body,  having  a  fringe  round  the  bottom. 
Their  leggins,  which  were  embroidered  round  the  ankle  and  sewed  to  their 
shoes,  reached  to  mid-thigh.  The  dress  of  the  women  was  nearly  the  same  as 
that  of  the  men.  They  wore  gorgets  of  wood  or  horn,  and  had  bracelets  of  the 
same  materials.  On  their  head  was  placed  a  fillet  or  bandeau,  formed  of  strips 
of  leather,  embroidered  richly  with  porcupine  quills,  and  stuck  round  with  bears' 
claws  or  talons  of  wild  fowl.  Their  belts  and  garters  were  neatly  constructed 
of  the  ^nevvs  of  wild  animals  and  porcupine  quills.  From  these  belts  descended 
a  long  fringe  composed  of  strings  of  leathei,  and  worked  round  witli  hair  of  va- 
rious colours,  and  their  mittens  hung  from  their  neck  in  a  position  convenient 
for  the  reception  of  their  hands.  Their  arms  and  weapons  for  the  chase  were 
bows  and  arrows,  spears,  daggers,  and  a  large  club  formed  of  the  reindeer 
horn,  called  a  pogamagan.  The  bows  were  about  five  or  six  feet  long,  with 
strings  of  sinews ;  and  Hint,  iron,  or  copper,  supplied  barbs  to  the  arrows.  Their 
spears,  nearly  six  feet  long,  were  pointed  with  bone,  while  their  stone  axes  were 
fastened  with  cords  of  green  skin  to  a  wooden  handle.  Their  canoes  were  light, 
and  so  small  as  to  carry  only  one  person. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  the  party  re-embarked.  Continuing  their  course  west- 
south-west  they  passed  the  Great  Bear  Lake  River;  and  steering  tlirough  nu- 
merous islands,  came  in  sight  of  a  ridge  of  snowy  mountains,  frequented,  ac~ 


I 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE.  583 

tjording  to  their  guide,  by  herds  of  bears  and  small  white  buiTaloes.  The  banks 
of  the  river  appeared  to  be  pretty  thickly  peopled;  and  though  at  first  the  na- 
tives uniformly  attempted  to  escape,  the  offer  of  presents  generally  brought  them 
back,  and  procured  a  seasonable  supply  of  hares,  partridges,  fish,  or  reindeer. 
The  same  stories  of  spirits  or  manitous  which  haunted  the  stream,  and  of  learful 
rapids  which  would  dash  the  canoes  to  pieces,  were  repeated  by  these  tribes; 
and  the  guide  upon  whom  such  representations  had  a  powerful  effect  decamped 
in  the  night  during  a  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning.  His  place,  however,  was 
soon  supplied ;  and,  after  a  short  sail  they  approached  an  encampment  of  In- 
dians, whose  brawny  figures,  healthy  appearance,  and  great  cleanliness,  showed 
them  to  be  a  superior  race  to  those  lately  passed.  From  them  Mackenzie  learn- 
ed that  he  must  sleep  ten  nights  before  arriving  at  the  sea,  and  in  three  nights 
would  meet  the  Esquimaux,  with  whom  they  had  been  formerly  at  war,  but 
were  now  in  a  state  of  peace.  One  of  these  people,  whose  language  was  most 
intelligible  to  the  interpreter,  agreed  to  accompany  the  party ;  but  became  dread- 
fully alarmed  when  some  of  the  men  discharged  their  fowhng  pieces.  It  was 
evident  none  of  his  race  had  ever  heard  the  report  of  firearms.  To  reconcile 
him  to  his  departure,  his  two  brothers  followed  in  their  canoes,  and  diverted  him 
with  native  songs,  and  other  airs  said  to  be  imitations  of  those  of  the  Esquimaux. 
The  triumph  of  music  was  never  more  strikingly  exhibited;  from  deep  dejection 
the  Indian  at  once  passed  into  a  state  of  the  highest  and  most  ludicrous  excite- 
ment, keeping  time  to  the  songs  by  a  variety  of  grotesque  gesticulations,  per- 
formed with  such  unceasing  rapidity  and  so  little  regard  to  the  slenderness  of  the 
bark,  which  quivered  under  his  weight,  that  they  expected  every  moment  to  see 
it  upset.  In  one  of  his  paroxysms,  shooting  his  canoe  along  side  of  Mackenzie's, 
he  leaped  into  it,  and  commenced  an  Esquimaux  dance.  At  last  he  was  restored 
to  some  degree  of  composure,  which  became  complete  on  their  passing  a  hill, 
where  he  informed  them  that  three  winters  ago  the  Esquimaux  had  slain  his 
grandfather. 

Mackenzie  soon  after  reached  the  tents  of  a  tribe  named  Deguthee-Dinees,  or 
Q-uarrellers,  who  justified  their  name  by  the  menacing  gestures  with  which  they 
received  the  stranger's  approach.  A  few  presents,  however,  reconciled  them  to 
the  intrusion ;  and  they  communicated  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  the  distance 
overland  to  the  sea,  either  by  an  easterly  or  westerly  route  was  inconsiderable. 
The  party  now  pushed  on  with  renewed  hopes;  and  the  river  soon  after  sepa- 
rating into  several  streams,  they  chose  the  middle  and  largest,  which  ran  north. 
This  shortly  brought  in  sight  a  range  of  snowy  mountains,  stretching  far  to  the 
northward;  and,  by  an  observation,  Mackenzie  found  the  latitude  to  be  67°  47', 
which  convinced  him  that  the  waters  on  which  their  frail  barks  were  then  gliding 
must  flow  into  the  great  Hyperborean  Ocean.  At  this  moment,  when  within  a 
few  days  of  accomplishing  the  great  object  of  their  journey,  the  Indians  sank  into 
a  fit  of  despondency,  and  hesitated  to  proceed.  The  guide  pleaded  ignorance 
of  the  country,  as  he  had  never  before  penetrated  to  the  shores  of  the  BenahuUa 
Toe,  or  White  Man's  Lake.  Mackenzie  assured  them  he  would  return  if  they 
did  not  reach  it  in  seven  days,  and  prevailed  on  them  to  continue  their  course. 

It  was  now  the  11th  of  July,  and  ihe  sun  at  midnight  was  considerably  above 
the  horizon,  while  every  thing  denoted  the  proximity  of  the  sea.  On  landing  at 
a  deserted  encampment,  still  marked  by  the  ashes  of  some  Esquimaux  fires,  they 
observed  several  pieces  of  whale  bone,  and  a  place  where  train  oil  had  been 
spilt.  Soon  after  they  came  to  three  houses  recently  left  by  the  natives.  The 
ground-plot  of  these  habitations  was  oval,  about  fifteen  feet  long,  ten  feet  wide 
in  the  middle,  and  eight  feet  at  either  end;  the  whole  was  dug  about  twelve  inch- 
es below  the  surface,  one  half  being  covered  with  willow  branches,  and  probably 
forming  the  bed  of  the  whole  /amily.  In  the  middle  of  the  other  half,  a  space 
of  four  feet  wide,  which  had  been  hollowed  to  the  depth  of  twelve  inches,  was 
the  only  spot  where  a  grown  person  could  stand  upright.  One  side  of  it  was 
covered  with  willow  branches,  and  the  other  foruied  the  hearth.  The  door,  iu 
one  end  of  the  house,  was  about  two  feet  and  a  half  high  by  two  feet  wide,  and 
was  reached  through  a  covered  way  about  five  feet  long;  so  that  the  only  ac- 
cess to  this  curious  dwelling  wa(j  by  creeping  on  all  fours.    On  the  top  was  tin 


584  SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 

orifice  about  eighteen  inches  square  which  served  the  triple  purpose  oi'a  window, 
a  chimney,  and  an  occasional  door.  The  under-ground  part  of  the  floor  was 
lined  with  split  wood,  while  cross  pieces  of  timber,  laid  on  six  or  eight  upright 
stakes,  supported  an  oblong  square  roof;  the  whole  being  formed  of  drift  wood, 
and  covered  with  branches  and  dry  grass,  over  which  was  spread  earth  a  foot 
thick.  On  either  side  of  these  houses  were  a  few  square  holes,  about  two  feet 
deep,  covered  with  split  wood  and  earth,  excepting  one  small  place  in  the  mid- 
dle, which  appeared  to  be  contrived  for  the  preservation  of  the  winter  stock  of 
provisions.  In  and  about  the  houses  lay  sled  runners,  and  bones,  pieces  of 
whalebone,  and  poplar  bark  cut  in  circles,  used  evidently  to  buoy  the  nets;  and 
before  each  habitation  a  great  number  of  stumps  of  trees  were  driven  into 
the  ground,  upon  which  its  late  possessors  had  probably  hung  their  nets  and  fish 
to  dry  in  the  sun. 

The  signs  of  vegetation  were  by  this  time  scarcely  perceptible ;  the  trees  had 
dwindled  into  a  few  dwarf  willows,  not  more  than  three  feet  high ;  and  though 
the  footmarks  on  the  sandy  beach  of  some  of  the  islands  showed  that  the  natives 
had  recently  been  there,  all  attempts  to  obtain  a  sight  of  them  proved  unavail- 
ing. The  discontent  of  the  guide  and  of  the  Indian  hunters  was  now  renewed ; 
but  their  assertion  that  on  the  morrow  they  were  to  reach  a  large  lake  in  which 
the  Esquimaux  killed  a  huge  fish,  and  whose  shores  were  inhabited  by  white 
bears,  convinced  Mackenzie  that  this  description  referred  to  tlie  Arctic  Sea, 
with  its  mighty  denizen  the  whale.  He  accordingly  pressed  forward  with  fresh 
ardour,  and  the  canoes  were  soon  carried  by  the  current  to  the  entrance  of  the 
lake,  which,  from  all  the  accompanying  circumstances,  appears  to  have  been  an 
arm  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  It  was  quite  open  to  the  westward,  and  by  an  obser- 
vation the  latitude  was  found  lo  be  69°.  From  the  spot  where  this  survey  was 
taken  they  now  continued  their  course  to  the  westernmost  point  of  a  high  isl- 
and, which  they  reached  after  a  run  of  fifteen  miles,  and  around  it  the  utmost 
depth  of  water  was  only  five  feet.  The  lake  appeared  to  be  covered  with  ice 
for  about  two  leagues'  distance,  no  land  was  seen  ahead,  and  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  proceed  farther.  Happily,  when  they  had  thus  reached  the  liirthest 
point  of  their  progress  northward,  and  were  about  to  return  in  great  disappoint- 
ment, two  circumstances  occurred  which  rendered  it  certain  that  they  had  pene- 
trated to  the  sea:  the  first  was  the  appearance  of  many  large  floating  substances 
in  the  water,  believed  at  first  to  be  masses  of  ice,  which,  on  being  approached, 
turned  out  to  be  whales ;  and  the  second,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide,  observed 
both  at  the  eastern  and  western  end  of  the  island,  which  they  named  Whale  Isl- 
and. Having,  in  company  with  the  Enghsh  Chief,  ascended  to  its  highest 
ground,  Mackenzie  saw  the  solid  ice  extending  to  the  east ;  and  to  the  west,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  they  dimly  discerned  a  chain  of  mountains,  apparent- 
ly about  twenty  leagues'  distance,  stretching  to  the  northward.  Many  isl- 
ands were  seen  to  the  eastward;  but  though  they  came  to  a  grave,  on  which  lay 
a  bow,  a  paddle,  and  a  spear,  they  met  no  living  human  beings  in  these  arctic 
solitudes.  The  red  fox  and  tlie  reindeer,  flocks  of  beautiful  plovers,  some  ven- 
erable white  owls,  and  several  large  white  gulls  were  the  only  natives.  Previous 
to  setting  out  on  their  return,  a  post  was  erected  close  to  tlie  tents,  upon  which  the 
traveller  engraved  the  latitude  of  the  place,  his  own  name,  the  number  of  per- 
sons by  whom  he  was  accompanied,  and  the  time  they  had  spent  on  the  island. 

It  was  now  the  16th  of  July,  and  they  re-embarked  on  dieir  homeward  voy- 
age. On  the  21st  the  sun,  which  for  some  time  had  never  set,  descended  below 
the  horizon,  and  the  same  day  eleven  of  the  natives  joined  them.  They  repre- 
sented their  tribe  fis  numerous,  and  perpetually  at  war  with  the  Esquimaux,  who 
had  broken  a  treaty  into  which  they  had  inveigled  the  Indians,  and  butchered  ma- 
ny of  them.  Occasionally  a  strong  body  ascended  the  river  in  large  canoes,  in 
search  of  flints  to  point  their  spears  and  arrows.  At  present  they  were  on  the 
banks  of  a  lake  to  the  eastward,  hunting  reindeer,  and  would  soon  begin  to  catch 
big  fish  (whales)  for  tlieir  winter  stock.  They  had  been  informed  that  the  same 
Esquimaux,  eight  or  ten  winters  ago,  saw  to  the  westward,  on  White  Man's 
Lake,  several  large  canoes  full  of  white  men  who  gave  iron  in  exchange  for 
leather.    On  landing  at  a  lodge  of  the  natives  farther  down  the  river,  the  Eng- 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE.  585 

lish  Chfef  obtained  some  other  particulars  from  a  Dog-ribbed  Indian,  who  had 
been  driven  by  some  private  quarrel  from  his  own  nation,  and  lived  among  the 
Hare  Indians.  According  to  his  information  there  was  a  much  larger  river  to 
the  south-west  of  the  mountains,  which  fell  into  White  Man's  Lake.  The  peo- 
ple on  its  banks  were  a  gigantic  and  wicked  race,  who  could  kill  common  men 
with  their  eyes,  and  sailed  in  huge  canoes.  There  was,  he  added,  no  known 
communication  by  water  with  this  great  river;  but  those  who  had  seen  it  went 
over  the  mountains  and  it  flowed  toward  the  mid-day  sun.  This  description 
proceeded,  he  acknowledged,  not  from  personal  observation,  but  was  taken 
from  the  report  of  others  who  inhabited  the  opposite  mountains.  Mackenzie, 
having  fallen  in  with  one  of  these  strangers,  by  a  bribe  of  some  beads  prevailed 
upon  him  to  dehueate  the  circumjacent  country  and  the  course  of  the  unknown 
river  upon  the  sand.  The  map  proved  a  very  rude  production.  He  traced  out 
a  long  point  of  land  between  the  rivers  without  paying  the  least  attention  to 
their  courses.  This  isthmus  he  represented  as  running  into  the  great  lake,  at 
the  extremity  of  which,  as  he  had  been  told  by  Indians  of  other  nations,  there 
was  built  a  Benabulla  Couin,  or  White  Man's  Fort.  "This,"  says  Mackenzie, 
''  I  took  to  be  Oonalaska  Fort,  and  consequently  the  river  to  the  west  to  be 
Cook's  River,  and  that  the  body  of  water  or  sea  into  which  the  river  discharges 
itself  at  Whale  Island  communicated  with  Norton  Sound." 

Mackenzie  now  endeavourecl  to  procure  a  guide  across  the  mountains,  but 
the  natives  steadily  refused ;  and  any  additional  intelligence  which  they  commu- 
nicated regarding  the  country  only  consisted  of  legends  concerning  the  super- 
natural power  and  ferocity  of  its  inhabitants.  They  were  represented  as  a  sort 
of  monsters  with  wings,  who  fed  on  huge  birds,  which,  though  they  killed  them 
with  ease,  no  other  mortal  would  venture  to  assail.  Having  gravely  stated  this, 
they  began  both  young  and  old  to  jump  and  dance  with  astonishing  violence  and 
perseverance,  imitating  the  cries  of  the  reindeer,  bear,  and  wolf,  in  the  hope  of 
intimidating  Mackenzie;  but  when  he  threatened  with  an  angry  aspect  to  force 
one  of  them  along  with  him  across  the  mountains,  a  sudden  fit  of  sickness  seized 
the  whole  party,  and  in  a  faint  tone,  which  formed  a  ludicrous  contrast  to  their 
former  vociferation,  they  declared  they  would  expire  the  instant  they  were  taken 
from  their  homes.  In  the  end  the  traveller  was  compelled  to  leave  them  with- 
out accomplishing  his  object* 

On  the  J  St  of  August,  as  the  expedition  approached  the  river  of  the  Bear 
Lake,  the  stars,  which  hitherto,  from  the  extreme  clearness  of  the  twihght,  had 
continued  invisible,  began  to  twinkle  in  the  sky:  and  the  air,  from  being  oppres- 
sively sultry,  became  so  cold  that  perpetual  exercise  could  scarcely  keep  the 
men  warm.  The  women  w^ere  now  constantly  employed  in  making  shoes  of 
moose  skin,  as  a  pair  did  not  last  more  than  a  day,  while  the  hunters  brought  in 
supplies  of  geese,  reindeer,  and  beaver;  and  on  one  occasion  a  wolf  was  killed, 
roasted,  and  eaten  with  great  satisfaction.  On  the  22d  of  August,  they  reached 
the  entrance  of  the  Slave  Lake,  after  which  their  progress  homeward  presented 
no  feature  of  interest,  and  on  the  12th  of  September  they  arrived  in  safety  at 
Fort  Chepewyan,  after  an  absence  of  102  days.  The  importance  of  this  jour- 
ney must  be  apparent,  on  considering  it  in  connexion  with  the  expedition  of 
Hearne.  Both  travellers  had  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shores  of  an  artic  sea ; 
and  it  became  not  only  an  established  fact  that  there  was  an  ocean  of  great  ex- 
tent in  the  north  of  America,  but  it  was  rendered  extremely  probable  that  this 
sea  formed  its  continuous  boundary. 

Mackenzie  concluded  his  first  journey  in  September,  1789,  and  about  three 
years  afterward  undertook  a  second  expedition,  which  proved  still  more  difficult 
and  hazardous,  and  equally  important  and  satisfactory  in  its  results.  His  object 
was  to  ascend  the  Peace  River,  which  rises  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  cross- 
ing these,  to  penetrate  to  that  unknown  river  which  in  his  former  journey  had 
been  the  subject  of  his  unceasing  inquiry.  This  he  conjectured  must  commu- 
nicate with  the  sea;  and,  pursuing  its  course,  he  hoped  to  reach  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific.  Setting  out  accordingly,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1792,  he  pushed 
on  to  the  remotest  European  settlement,  where  he  spent  the  winter  in  a  traffic 
for  furs  with  the  Beaver  and  Rocky  Indians.  Having  despatched  six  canoes  to 
50 


586      .         SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 

Fort  Chepewyan  with  the  cargo  he  had  collected,  he  engaged  hunters  and  in- 
terpreters, and  launched  the  canoe  in  which  he  had  determined  to  prosecute  his 
discoveries.  Her  dimensions  were  twenty-five  feet  long  within,  exclusive  of  the 
curves  of  stem  and  stem,  twenty-six  inches  hold,  and  four  feet  nine  inches 
beam.  She  was  at  the  sajne  time  so  light  that  two  men  could  carry  her  three  or 
four  miles  without  resting.  In  this  slender  vessel  they  not  only  stowed  away 
their  provisions,  presents,  arms,  ammunition,  and  baggage,  to  the  weight  of  3000 
pounds,  but  found  room  for  seven  Europeans,  two  Indians,  and  the  leader  him- 
self On  embarking,  the  winter  interpreter  left  in  charge  of  the  fort  could  not 
refrain  from  tears  when  he  anticipated  the  dangers  they  were  about  to  encoun- 
ter, while  they  themselves  offered  up  their  prayers  to  Almighty  God  for  a  safe 
return. 

The  commencement  of  their  voyage  was  propitious ;  and  under  a  serene  sky, 
with  a  keen  but  healthy  air,  the  bark  glided  through  some  beautiful  scenery. 
On  the  west  side  of  the  river  the  ground  rose  in  a  gently-ascending  lawn,  brok- 
en at  intervals  by  abrupt  precipices,  and  extending  in  a  rich  woodland  perspec- 
tive as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  This  magnificent  ampitheatre  presented 
groves  of  poplar  in  every  direction,  whose  openings  were  enlivened  with  herds 
of  elks  and  buffaloes ;  the  former  choosing  the  steeps  and  uplands,  the  latter  " 
preferring  the  plains.  At  this  time  the  buffaloes  were  attended  by  their  young 
ones,  which  frisked  about,  while  the  female  elks  were  great  with  young.  The 
whole  country  displayed  an  exuberant  verdure  :  the  trees  which  bore  blossoms 
were  rapidly  bursting  into  flower,  and  the  soft  velvet  rind  of  the  branches  re- 
flected the  oblique  rays  of  a  rising  or  a  setting  sun,  imparting  a  cheerfulness  and 
brilliancy  to  the  scene,  which  gladdened  the  heart  with  the  buoyant  influences 
of  the  season.  After  a  few  days  the  air  became  colder,  the  country  more  deso- 
late, the  track  of  the  large  grisly  bear  was  discerned  on  the  banks,  and  the  weatli- 
er  was  occasionally  broken  by  storms  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

From  this  time  till  the  21st  of  May,  the  passage  was  attended  with  difficulties 
that  would  have  disheartened  a  less  energetic  leader.  The  river  being  broken 
by  frequent  cascades  and  dangerous  rapids,  it  was  necessary  to  carry  their  canoe 
and  luggage  till  they  could  resume  their  voyage  in  safety.  On  their  nearer  ap- 
proach to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  stream,  hemmed  in  between  stupendous 
rocks,  presented  a  continuance  of  frightful  torrents  and  impracticable  cataracts. 
The  dangers  to  which  they  had  already  been  exposed  had  greatly  disheartened 
the  men,  and  they  began  to  murmur  audibly,  so  that  no  alternative  was  left  but 
to  return.  Indeed  there  was  some  reason  for  this  irresolution;  by  water  farther 
progress  was  impossible,  and  they  could  only  advance  over  a  mountain  whose 
sides  were  broken  by  sharp  jagged  rocks,  and  thickly  covered  with  wood.  Mac- 
kenzie despatched  a  reconnoitering  party,  with  orders  to  ascend  the  mountain, 
and  proceed  in  a  straight  course  from  its  summit,  keeping  the  line  of  the  river 
till  they  ascertained  that  it  was  navigable.  During  their  absence  his  people  re- 
paired the  canoe,  while  he  took  an  altitude,  which  ascertained  the  latitude  to  be 
56°  6'.  At  sunset  the  scouts  returned  by  different  routes.  They  had  penetrat- 
ed through  thick  woods,  ascended  hills  and  dived  into  valleys,  till  they  got  be- 
yond the  rapids,  and  agreed,  that  though  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  by 
land  were  alarming,  it  was  their  only  course.  Unpromising  as  the  task  ai)pear- 
ed,  their  spirits  had  risen  and  their  murmurs  were  forgotten;  so  that  a  kettle  of 
wild  rice  sweetened  with  sugar,  with  the  usual  evening  regale  of  rum,  renewed 
their  courage  ;  and  after  a  night's  rest,  they  proceeded  at  break  of  day  on  their 
laborious  journey. 

In  the  first  place  the  men  cut  a  road  up  the  mountain  where  the  trees  were 
smallest,  felling  some  in  such  a  maimer  as  to  make  them  fall  parallel  to  the  road 
without  separating  them  entirely  from  the  stumps,  in  this  way  forming  a  kind  of 
railing  on  either  side.  The  baggage  and  the  canoe  were  then  brought  from  the 
water  side  to  the  encan)pment,  an  undertaking  exceedingly  perilous,  as  a  single 
false  step  must  have  been  followed  by  immersion  into  the  river,  which  flowed 
here  with  furious  rapidity.  Having  accomplished  this  labour,  tlie  party  breathed 
a  little,  and  then  ascended  the  mountain  with  tlie  canoe,  having  the  line  or  rope 
by  which  it  was  drawn  up  doubled,  and  fastened  successively  to  the  stiunps  leA. 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE.  587 

for  this  purpose  while  a  man  at  the  end  hauled  it  round  a  tree,  holding  it  on  and 
shifting  it  as  they  advanced.  In  this  manner  the  canoe  was  warped  up  the  steep ; 
and  by  two  in  the  afternoon  every  thing  had  been  carried  to  the  summit.  Men 
were  then  despatched  to  cut  the  road  onwards :  and  the  incessant  labour  of  an- 
other day  could  only  penetrate  about  three  miles,  while  mountains  much  more 
elevated  raised  their  snowy  summits  around  in  every  direction.  These,  howev- 
er, were  at  a  distance  ;  and  another  day's  exertion  brought  them  through  a  wood 
of  tall  pines  to  the  banks  of  the  river  above  the  rapids.  Before  again  embark- 
ing, Mackenzie  left  attached  to  a  pole  a  knife,  a  steel,  flint,  beads,  and  other  tri- 
fles, as  a  token  of  amity  to  the  natives:  and  one  of  his  Indians  added  a  small 
round  stick  of  green  wood,  chewed  at  one  end  in  the  form  of  a  brush,  used  to 
pick  marrow  out  of  bones, — an  instrument  which  he  explained  to  be  intended  as 
an  emblem  to  the  people  of  a  country  abounding  in  animals. 

They  now  resumed  their  voyage,  enclosed  on  all  sides  by  mountains  whose 
summits  were  covered  with  snow,  and  one  of  which  to  the  south  rose  to  a  majes- 
tic height.  The  air  became  chill;  the  water,  through  which  they  frequently 
waded,  towing  or  pushing  their  bark,  was  intensely  cold ;  and  on  the  31st  of 
May,  they  reached  a  point  minutely  described  to  them  before  setting  out  by  an 
old  Indian  warrior.  Here  the  river  separated  into  two  streams,  one  running 
west-north-virest,  and  the  other  south-south-east.  The  first  of  these  they  had 
been  warned  to  avoid,  as  it  soon  lost  itself  in  various  smaller  currents  among  the 
mountains;  and  the  steersman  accordingly  proceeded  into  the  eastern  branch, 
which  though  not  so  broad  as  the  other,  was  far  more  rapid.  The  course  of 
their  journey  now  led  them  through  many  populous  beaver  settlements.  In 
some  places  these  animals  had  cut  down  several  acres  of  large  poplars ;  and  they 
saw  multitudes  busy  from  sunrise  to  sunset  erecting  houses,  procuring  food,  su- 
perintending their  dikes,  and  going  diligently  through  all  the  labours  of  their  lit- 
tle commonwealth.  Perceiving  soon  after  a  smoke  in  the  forest  which  lined 
the  banks,  and  hearing  the  sounds  of  human  voices  in  great  confusion,  they  be- 
came aware  that  they  were  near  an  Indian  encampment  from  which  the  inhabi- 
tants were  retreating.  Accordingly,  on  approaching  the  shore,  two  ferocious 
looking  men  sprang  from  the  woods  and  took  their  station  on  a  rising  ground, 
brandishing  their  spears  with  loud  vociferations.  A  few  words  of  explanation 
from  the  interpreter,  and  some  presents  pacified  them,  and  Mackenzie  made 
anxious  enquiries  regarding  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  great  river  which 
formed  the  object  of  his  search.  To  his  mortification  he  found  that  they  were 
unacquainted  with  any  river  to  the  westward;  they  had  just  arrived  over  a  car- 
rying place  of  eleven  days  from  another  stream,  which  was  nothing  else  than  a 
branch  of  the  one  the  expedition  was  then  navigating.  Their  iron,  they  said, 
was  procured  in  exchange  for  beaver  and  dress  moose  skins  from  the  people 
there,  who  travelled  during  a  moon  to  the  country  of  other  tribes  Uving  in  hous- 
es, and  these  in  their  turn  extended  their  journies  to  the  ocean;  or,  to  use  their 
disparaging  epithet,  the  Great  Stinking  Lake,  where  they  traded  with  white  peo- 
ple, who  came  in  canoes  as  large  as  islands.  Their  knowledge  of  the  country, 
however,  appeared  so  vague,  that  all  hope  of  procuring  a  guide  was  vain,  and 
the  heart  of  the  traveller  sank  within  him  a§  he  felt  that  his  favorite  project  was 
on  the  point  of  being  disconcerted. 

Amid  this  despondency  a  faint  hope  remained  that  the  natives,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  superstition,  timidity,  or  from  imperfectly  understanding  the  interpre- 
ter, had  not  communicated  all  they  knew;  and  after  a  night  of  sleepless  anx- 
iety, the  traveller  rose  with  the  sun  to  repeat  his  inquiries.  At  first  nothing 
satisfactory  could  be  elicited;  but  suddenly,  Mackenzie,  who  stood  beside  the  in- 
terpreters, understood  from  the  few  words  he  knew  of  their  language,  that  one 
person  mentioned  a  great  river,  while  he  pointed  significantly  to  that  which  lay 
before  them.  On  a  strict  inquiry,  the  in.erpreter,  who  had  been  tired  of  the  voy- 
age, and  of  whose  fidelity  some  suspicion  was  entertained,  acknowledged  that 
the  Indian  spoke  of  a  large  river  whose  course  was  toward  the  mid-day  sun,  a 
branch  of  which  flowed  near  the  source  of  the  stream  they  were  now  navigating. 
This  branch,  he  added,  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  reach,  there  being  only  three 
»mall  lakes  and  as  many  carrying  places  on  the  way  to  it;  but  he  also  insisted 


588 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENSSTE. 


that  the  great  river  did  not  discharge  itself  into  the  sea.  This  last  assertion  was 
imputed  to  his  ignorance  of  the  country,  while  a  rude  map,  which  he  delineated 
with  a  piece  of  coal  on  a  strip  of  bark,  convinced  them  that  his  information  so  far 
as  it  went  was  to  be  relied  on.  A  new  ray  of  hope  now  arose;  and  having  in- 
duced an  Indian  to  go  forward  as  a  guide  to  the  borders  of  the  small  lakes,  Mac- 
kenzie resumed  his  journey  on  the  10th  of  June,  promising,  if  successful  in  his 
object,  to  revisit  these  friendly  Indians  in  two  moons. 

These  people  were  of  low  stature  and  meagre  frame,  owing  probably  to  the 
difficulty  of  procuring  subsistence ;  round  faces,  high  cheek  bones,  black  hair 
hanging  in  elf-locks  over  their  shoulders,  and  a  swarthy  yellow  complexion,  com- 
bined to  give  them  a  forbidding  aspect;  while  their  garments  of  beaver,  reindeer, 
and  ground  hog  skins,  dressed  with  the  hair  outward,  having  the  tail  of  this  last 
animal  hanging  down  the  back,  might,  when  seen  at  a  distance,  occasion  some 
doubt  whether  they  belonged  to  the  human  race.  Their  women  were  extreme- 
ly ugly,  lustier  and  taller  than  the  men,  but  much  inferior  in  cleanliness.  Their 
warlike  weapons  were  cedar  bows,  six  feet  long,  with  a  short  iron  pike  at  one 
end,  so  that  they  might  also  be  used  as  spears.  The  arrows  were  barbed  with 
iron,  flint,  stone,  or  bone,  from  two  to  two  feet  and  a  half  long,  and  feathered 
with  great  neatness.  They  had  two  kinds  of  spears,  both  double-edged,  of  well 
polished  iron,  and  with  shafts  from  six  to  eight  feet  long.  Their  knives  were  of 
iron  worked  by  themselves,  and  their  axes  resembled  a  carpenter's  adze.  They 
used  snares  of  green  skin,  nets  and  fis  ling  lines  of  willow  bark,  hooks  of  small 
bones,  and  kettles  oi'watape  so  closely  woven  a.<  not  to  leak.  Besides  these  ihey 
had  various  dishes  of  wood  and  bark,  horn  and  wooden  spoons  and  buckets,  and 
leathern  and  network  bags.  Their  canoes,  of  spruce  bark,  calculated  to  hold 
from  two  to  five  persons,  were  propelled  by  paddles  six  feet  long,  with  the  blade 
shaped  like  a  heart. 

Pursuing  their  journey  under  the  direction  of  the  new  guide,  they  reached  a 
small  lake  in  latitude  54°  24',  which  Mackenzie  considered  as  the  highest  or 
southernmost  source  of  the  Ungigah  or  Peace  River.  They  passed  two  other 
lakes,  and  again  entered  the  river,  the  navigaion  of  which,  from  its  rapidity  and 
the  trees  and  rocks  in  its  channel,  now  became  dangerous.  The  canoe  struck 
on  a  sharp  rock,  which  shattered  the  stern,  and  drove  her  to  the  other  side,  where 
the  bow  met  the  same  fate ;  to  complete  the  disaster,  she  passed  at  this  moment 
over  a  cascade,  which  broke  several  holes  in  her  bottom,  and  reduced  her  to  a 
complete  wreck,  lying  flat  upon  the  water.  All  hands  now  jumped  out,  and 
clinging  desperately  to  the  sides,  were  hurried  several  hundred  yards  through  a 
foaming  torrent  b.eset  with  sharp  rocks,  upon  which  they  were  every  instant  in 
danger  of  being  dashed  to  pieces.  Being  carried,  however,  into  shallow  water, 
where  the  canoe  rested  on  the  stones,  they  were  relieved  from  their  perilous  sit- 
uation by  their  companions  on  shore. 

After  this  escape  a  consultation  was  held  regarding  their  future  proceedings. 
Benumbed  with  cold,  and  intimidated  be  their  recen^.  dangers,  the  Indians  pro- 
posed an  immediate  return;  but  the  remonstrances  of  their  leader,  enforced  by 
the  usual  arguments  of  a  hearty  meal  and  an  allowance  of  rum,  banished  tjjeir 
fears.  It  was  next  proposed  to  abandon  the  wreck,  to  carry  the  ba«fgage  to  the 
river,  which  the  guide  alHrmed  to  be  at  no  great  distance,  and  there  to  construct 
a  new  vessel.  But  as  it  was  suspected  that  this  representation  was  not  to  be  re- 
lied on,  a  party  was  despatched  to  reconnoitre,  and  brought  back  a  very  confus- 
ed and  unpromising  account  of  the  country.  It  was  therelbre  determined  to 
repair  the  canoe  and  proceed  as  before.  For  this  purpose  bark  was  collected, 
which,  with  a  few  pieces  of  oilcloth  and  plenty  of  gum,  restored  their  shattered 
boat  to  something  like  a  sea-worthy  condition.  Her  frail  state,  however,  ren- 
dered it  necessary  to  carry  part  of  the  lading  on  meji's  shoulders  along  the  banks ; 
and  as  the  road  had  to  be  opened  with  hatchets,  their  progress  was  extremely 
slow. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  Mr.  Mackay  ami  two  Indians  were  despatched  with  or- 
ders to  penetrate  if  possible  to  the  great  river  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
guide.  Tney  succeeded ;  but  returned  with  a  discouraging  account  of  tlie  in-, 
terminable  woods  and  deep  morasses  that  intervened.    Th^se  glpomy  prospectti 


i 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE.  589 

were  increased  by  the  desertion  of  their  guide ;  but  nothing  could  repress  Mac- 
kenzie's ardour.  Cutting  a  passage  through  the  woods,  carrying  the  canoe 
round  the  rapids  and  cascades,  they  held  on  their  slow  and  toilsome  way,  till 
at  last,  after  passing  a  swamp,  in  many  places  wading  to  mid-thigh,  they  en- 
joyed the  satisfaction  of  reaching  the  bank  of  the  great  river,  which  had  been  the 
object  of  so  much  anxious  expectation  and  protracted  hope. 

Embarking  anew,  they  were  borne  along  by  a  strong  current,  which,  slacken- 
ing after  a  short  time,  allowed  them  to  glide  gently  between  banks  of  high  white 
cliffs,  surmounted  with  grotesque  and  singularly  shaped  pinnacles.  After  some 
progress,  the  party  were  alarmed  by  a  loud  whoop  from  the  thick  woods;  at  the 
same  moment  a  canoe  guided  by  a  single  savage  shot  out  from  the  mouth  of  a 
small  tributary  stream,  and  a  number  of  natives,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
appeared  on  an  adjacent  rising  ground,  uttering  loud  cries,  and  manifesting  by 
their  gestures  that  instant  death  would  be  inflicted  on  any  one  who  landed.  Ev- 
ery attempt  to  conciliate  them  proved  unavailing;  and  a  canoe  was  obsei-ved  to 
steal  swiftly  down  the  river,  with  the  evident  design  of  communicating  the  alarm 
and  piocuring  assistance.  At  this  critical  moment  the  courage  and  prudence  of 
Mackenzie  providentially  saved  his  party.  He  landed  alone,  with  two  pistols 
stuck  in  his  belt ;  having  first,  however,  given  orders  to  one  of  his  Indians  to 
steal  into  the  woods  with  a  couple  of  guns,  and  to  keep  near  him  in  case  of  at- 
tack. ''  I  had  not  been  long,"  says  he,  "  in  my  station  on  the  bank,  with  my  In- 
dian in  ambush  behind  me,  when  two  of  the  natives  came  off  in  a  canoe,  but 
stopped  when  they  got  within  one  hundred  yards  of  me.  I  made  signs  to  them 
to  land,  and  as  an  inducement  displayed  looking-glasses,  beads,  and  other  allur- 
ing trinkets.  At  length,  but  with  every  mark  of  extreme  apprehension,  they 
approached  the  shore,  taking  care  to  turn  their  canoe  stern  foremost,  and  still 
not  venturing  to  land.  I  now  made  them  a  present  of  some  beads,  with  which 
they  were  going  to  push  off,  when  I  renewed  my  entreaties,  and  after  some  time 
prevailed  on  them  to  come  ashore  and  sit  down  by  me.  My  Indian  hunter  now 
thought  it  right  to  join  me,  and  created  some  alarm  in  my  new  acquaintance.  It 
was,  however,  soon  removed,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  he  and  these 
people  perfectly  understood  each  other.  I  instructed  him  to  say  every  thing  to 
them  which  might  tend  to  sooth  their  fears  and  win  their  confidence.  I  express- 
ed my  wish  to  conduct  them  to  our  canoe;  but  they  declined  this  offer;  and 
when  they  observed  some  of  my  people  coming  towards  us,  they  requested  me 
to  let  them  return,  and  I  was  so  well  satisfied  with  the  progress  v^hich  I  had 
made  in  my  intercourse  with  them,  that  1  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  in  comply- 
ing with  their  desire.  During  their  .short  stay  they  observed  us,  and  every  thing 
about  us,  with  a  mixture  of  admiration  and  astonishment.  We  could  plainly 
perceive  that  their  friends  received  them  with  great  joy  on  their  return,  and  that 
the  articles  which  they  carried  back  with  them  were  examined  with  a  general  and 
eager  curiosity ;  they  also  appeared  to  hold  a  consultation  which  lasted  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  and  the  result  was  an  invitation  to  come  over  to  them,  which 
we  cheerfully  accepted.  Nevertheless,  on  our  landing,  they  betrayed  evident 
signs  of  confusion,  which  arose  probably  from  the  quickness  of  our  movements, 
as  the  prospect  of  a  friendly  communication  had  so  cheered  the  spirits  of  the  peo- 
ple that  they  paddled  across  the  river  with  the  utmost  expedition.  The  two  men 
who  had  been  with  us  appeared  very  naturally  to  possess  the  greatest  share  of 
courage  on  the  occasion,  and  were  ready  to  receive  us  on  our  landing ;  but  our 
demeanour  soon  dispelled  their  apprehensions,  and  the  most  familiar  communi- 
cation took  place  between  us.  Wlien  I  had  secured  their  confidence  by  the  dis- 
tribution of  trinkets  among  them,  and  had  treated  the  children  with  sugar,  1  in- 
structed my  interpreters  to  collect  every  necessary  information  in  their  power  to 
afford  me." 

The  intelligence  procured  from  this  tribe  was  discouraging.  They  stated,  in- 
deed, that  the  river  ran  towards  the  mid-day  sun,  and  that  at  its  mouth  white  peo- 
ple were  building  houses ;  but  that  the  navigation  was  dangerous,  and  in  tnree 
places  absolutely  impassable,  owing  to  the  falls  and  rapids.  The  nations  through 
whose  territories  the  route  lay  they  represented  as  ferocious  and  malignant,  es- 
pecially tiieir  immediate  neighbours,  who  dwelt  in  subterranean  houses.  Ua- 
*50 


690  SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 

appalled  by  this  description,  Mackenzie  re-embarked,  and  he  was  accompanied 
by  a  small  canoe,  with  two  persona  who  consented  to  act  as  guides.  Coming 
to  a  place  where  some  savage  looking  people  were  seen  on  a  high  ground,  it 
was  thought  expedient  to  land,  and  an  amicable  interview  took  place  which  led 
to  important  consequences.  On  explaining  the  object  of  the  journey,  one  of  the 
natives,  of  superior  rank  and  intelligence,  drew  a  sketch  of  the  country  on  a 
piece  of  bark,  appealing  during  his  labour  to  his  companions,  and  accompany- 
ing the  rude  but  perfectly  intelligible  map  by  details  as  to  their  lulure  voyage. 
He  described  the  river  as  running  to  the  east  of  south,  receiving  many  tributary 
streams,  and  broken  every  six  or  eight  leagues  by  dangerous  falls  and  rapids, 
six  of  which  were  altogether  iu)praeticable.  The  carrying  places  he  represented 
as  of  great  length  across  mountains.  He  depicted  the  lands  of  three  tribes  in 
succession,  who  spoke  different  languages;  and  concluded  by  saying  that  beyond 
them  he  knew  nothing  of  the  country,  except  that  it  was  still  a  great  way  to  the 
sea,  and  that  there  was  a  lake  of  which  the  natives  did  not  drink. 

While  the  route  by  water  was  thus  said  to  be  impracticable,  they  asserted  that 
the  road  across  the  country  to  the  ocean  was  short  in  comparison,  and  lay  along 
a  valley  free  from  wood,  and  frequently  travelled.  Other  considerations  com- 
bined to  recommend  this  latter  course  to  Mackenzie:  only  thirty  days'  provis- 
ions were  left,  and  the  supply  procured  by  hunting  was  very  precarious.  The 
ammunition  was  nearly  spent;  and  if  the  prosecution  of  the  voyaj^e  appeared 
perilous,  a  return  would  have  been  equally  so.  Under  these  circumstiinces,  it 
was  resolved  to  abandon  the  canoe,  and  to  penetrate  over  land  to  the  Western 
Ocean. 

To  arrive  at  a  spot  where  they  were  to  strike  off  across  the  country,  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  return  a  considerable  way  up  the  river, — a  service  of  great  danger, 
owing  to  the  shattered  condition  of  the  boat  and  the  hostile  dispositions  of  the 
natives,  who  were  apt  to  change  in  an  instant  from  the  greatest  friendliness  to 
unmitigated  rage  and  suspicion.  The  guides  deserted  them,  and  it  became  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  build  a  canoe.  She  proved  better  than  the  old  one,  and 
they  at  last  reached  the  point  whence  they  were  to  start  overland.  "  We  car- 
ried on  our  backs,"  says  Mackenzie,  "  four  bags  and  a  half  of  pemmican,  weigh- 
ing from  eighty-five  to  ninety  pounds  e;;c.i,  a  case  with  the  instruments,  a  parcel 
of  gooJ.5  for  presents  weighing  ninety  pounds,  and  a  parcel  containing  ammuni- 
tion of  the  same  weight;  each  of  the  Canadians  had  a  burden  of  about  ninety 
pounds,  with  a  gun  and  ammunition,  while  the  Indians  had  about  forty  pounds' 
weight  of  Pemmican  with  their  gun, — an  obligation  with  which,  owing  to  their 
having  been  treated  with  too  much  indulgence,  they  expressed  themselves  much 
dissatisfied.  My  own  load  and  that  of  Mr.  Mackay  consisted  of  tvventy-two' 
pounds  of  pemmican,  some  rice,  sugar,  and  other  small  articles,  amounting  to 
about  seventy  pounds,  besides  our  arms  and  ammunition.  T.ie  tube  of  my  tele- 
scope wiis  a!so  slung  across  my  shoulder;  and  owing  to  the  low  slate  of  our 
provisions,  it  was  determined  that  we  should  content  ourselves  vvitli  two  meals 
a  day. 

'i  aus  laden  they  struck  into  the  woods,  and  travelled  along  a  well  beaten 
path,  arrived  before  night  at  some  Indian  tents,  where  they  were  joined  by 
an  elderly  man  and  three  other  natives.  The  old  man  held  in  his  hand  a 
spear  of  European  manufacture  like  a  sergeants  halberd,  which  he  stated  he 
had  lately  received  from  some  people  on  the  seacoast,  to  whom  it  had  ben  given 
by  white  men.  He  added,  tliat  those  heavily  laden  did  not  take  more  tlian  six 
days  to  reach  the  tribes  with  whom  he  and  his  friends  bartered  their  furs  and 
skin.s  ior  iron,  and  tliat  thence  it  was  scarcely  two  days'  march  to  the  sea.  He 
recommended  also  that,  while  they  retired  to  sleep,  two  young  Indians  be  sent 
ibrward  to  warn  the  ditferent  tribes  whose  territories  they  were  approaching, — 
a  precaution  which  had  the  best  effects.  Another  pleasing  distinction  between 
their  present  hosts  and  the  other  savages  whom  they  had  passed  soon  presented 
itself;  when  the  weary  travellers  lay  down  to  rest,  tlie  Indians  took  their  station 
at  a  little  distance,  and  began  a  song  in  a  sweet  plaiirtive  tone,  unaccompanied  by 
any  instrument,  but  with  a  modulation  of  voice  exceedingly  pleasing  and  solemn, 
not  unlike  that  of  church  music.    The  circumstauce  may  remind  the  reader  of 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE,  591 

the  descriptions  of  American  music  given  by  Mr.  Meares  and  Capt.  Burney^ 
which  it  strikingly  corroborates. 

Having  procured  two  guides,  they  now  proceeded  through  an  open  coun- 
try, sprinkled  with  cypresses,  and  joined  a  family  of  the  natives.  The  father, 
on  hearing  of  their  intention  to  penetrate  to  the  ocean,  pointed  to  one  of  his 
wives  who  was  a  native  of  the  seacoast;  her  appearance  differed  from  the  fe- 
males they  had  hitherto  seen.  She  was  of  low  stature  inclined  to  corpulency, 
with  an  oblong  face,  gray  eyes,  and  a  flattish  nose.  Her  garments  consisted  of 
a  tunic  covered  with  a  robe  of  matted  bark,  fringed  round  the  bottom  with  the 
beautiful  fur  of  the  sea  otter.  She  wore  bracelets  of  brass,  copper,  and  horn, 
while  her  hair  was  braided  with  large  blue  beads,  and  her  ears  and  neck  adorn- 
ed with  the  same.  With  these  people  age  seemed  an  object  of  great  venera- 
tion ;  tiiey  carried  an  old  woiKKin  by  turns  upon  their  backs,  who  was  quite 
blind  and  inlirm.  The  country  appeared  well  peopled,  and  the  natives,  though 
at  first  alarmed,  were  soon  conciliated  by  the  guides.  In  some  places  they 
observed  chains  of  small  lakes,  the  valleys  were  verdant  and  watered  with  pleas- 
ant rivulets,  and  the  scenery  varied  by  groves  o-f  cypress  and  poplar,  in  which 
they  were  surprised  to  see  no  animals.  The  inhabitants,  indeed,  seemed  to- 
live  exclusively  on  fish;  and  the  people  of  one  settlement,  containing  thirteen 
families,  were  denominated,  in  the  language  of  the  country,  Sloa-cuss  Dinais, 
or  Red  Fish  Men.  They  were  healthy  looking,  and  more  pi  evident,  cleanly, 
and  comfortable  than  the  neighboring  tribes. 

One  of  Mackenzie's  greatest  and  most  frequent  perplexities  arose  out  of  the 
sudden  fits  of  caprice  and  change  of  purpose  which  characterize  most  savages, 
but  none  more  than  the  Americans.  An  example  of  this  now  occurred  :  the 
guides,  upon  whose  fidelity  the  success-wof  the  expedition  mainly  depended, 
were  advancing  apparently  in  the  most  contented  and  friendly  manner,  when, 
in  a  moment,  without  uttering  a  word,  they  sprang  forward,  and  disappeared  in 
the  woods,  leaving  the  party,  who  were  utterly  unacquainted  with  the  route,  in 
a  state  bordering  on  despair.  Pushing  forward,  however,  at  a  hazard,  they 
perceived  a  house  situated  on  a  green  spot  by  the  edge  of  a  wood,  the  smoke 
of  which  curled  above  the  trees,  intimating  that  it  was  inhabited.  Mackenzie 
advanced  alone,  as  his  party  were  too  much  alarmed  to  second  his  intrepidity  ; 
and  so  intent  were  the  inhabitants  upon  their  household  labours,  that  he  ap- 
proached unperceived.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  terror  and  confusion  occa- 
sioned by  his  sudden  appearance.  The  women  and  children  uttered  piercing 
shrieks,  and  the  only  man  about  the  place  sprang  out  of  a  back  door  with  the 
rapidity  of  a  wild  cat,  and  fled  into  the  woods.  Their  dismay  arose  from  the 
behef  that  they  were  surprised  by  enemies,  and  would  be  instantly  put  to  death; 
an  atrocity  too  common  among  the  Indian  tribes.  The  conduct  of  the  man 
who  had  fled  was  amusing :  by  degrees  he  crept  sufficiently  near  to  watch  the 
party;  and  on  observiag  the  kinJness  with  which  the  women  and  children 
were  treated,  came  cautiously  within  speaking  distance.  His  eyes  were  still 
staring  in  his  head.  No  assurances  of  the  interpreters  or  the  women  could 
persuade  him  to  return ;  no  beads,  knives,  or  presents  of  any  kind,  had  the 
effect  of  restoring  his  confidence.  On  being  approached,  he  kept  dodging 
about  behind  large  trees,  brandishing  his  bow  and  arrows,  grinning  hideously, 
and  displaying  a  variety  of  strange  antics,  till  at  last,  in  one  of  his  paroxysms, 
he  dived  into  a  thicket  and  disappeared.  As  suddenly  he  emerged  in  an  op- 
posite quarter,  and,  becoming  pacified,  after  a  succession  of  parleys,  agreed 
to  acompany  them  as  guide. 

On  advancing  from  this  station,  they  travelled  over  an  elevated  tract,  and  at 
length  gained  the  summit  oi"  a  hill,  affording  a  view  of  a  range  of  mountains 
covered  with  snow ;  which,  according  to  the  guide,  terminated  in  the  ocean. 
Passing  along  the  borders  of  several  small  lakes,  through  a  swampy  country, 
they  arrived  at  a  lodge  of  naUves,  who  received  them  with  hospitality,  and  mi- 
nutely scrutinized  their  appearance.  The  hair  of  the  women  was  tied  in  large 
loose  knots  over  the  ears,  and  plaited  with  great  neatness  from  the  division  of 
the  head,  so  as  to  be  included  in  the  knots;  some  had  their  tresses  adorned  with 
3,  prodacing  a  very  graceful  efiect ;  while  the  men  were  clothed  in  leather, 


592  SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE. 

their  hair  nicely  combed,  their  complexion  fair,  and  their  skin  cleanly.  One 
young  man  was  at  least  six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  with  a  prepossessing 
countenance,  and  affable  and  dignified  manners.  All,  not  excepting  the  chil- 
dren, carried  a  burden  proportioned  to  their  strength,  consisting  of  beaver-coat- 
ing and  parchment,  skins  of  the  otter,  marten,  deer,  and  lynx;  besides  dressed 
moose  skins  These  last  they  procured  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  Indians; 
and  for  the  purposes  of  trade  the  people  of  the  seacoast  preferred  them  to  any 
others. 

They  now  continued  their  journey  through  a  beautiful  valley,  watered  by  a 
gentle  rivulet,  to  a  range  of  hills,  which  they  ascended  till  surrounded  by  snow 
so  firm  and  compact  that  it  crunched  under  their  feet.  Before  them  lay  a  stu- 
pendous mountain,  whose  summit,  clad  with  the  same  spotless  coronet,  was 
partly  lost  in  the  clouds.  Between  it  and  the  route  they  were  to  follow  flowed 
a  broad  river;  and  descending  from  their  present  elevated  ground,  they  plung- 
ed into  woods  of  umbrageous  cedars  and  alder  trees.  As  they  got  lower  into 
these  primeval  forests  they  were  sensible  of  an  entire  change  of  climate.  The 
guides  pointed  out  to  them,  through  the  openings  in  the  dark  foliage,  the  river 
which  flowed  in  the  distance,  and  a  village  on  its  banks,  while  beneath  their 
feet  the  ground  was  covered  with  berries  of  an  excellent  flavour,  and  com- 
2)letely  i-ipe.  The  effect  of  sunset  upon  this  noble  scenery  was  strikingly  beau- 
tiful ;  but  their  admiration  was  interrupted  by  the  decampment  of  their  guides, 
who,  as  the  shades  of  evening  began  to  fall,  pushed  forward  at  such  a  pace^ 
that  the  party  were  soon  left  without  conductors  in  darkness  and  uncertainty. 
The  men,  who  were  much  fatigued,  now  proposed  to  take  up  their  quarters  for 
the  night;  but  their  indefatigable  leader  groped  his  way  forward,  and  at  length, 
arriving  a,t  the  edge  of  the  wood,  i^erceived  the  light  of  several  fires.  On 
coming  up  he  entered  a  hut  where  the  people  were  employed  in  cooking  fish, 
threw  down  his  burden,  and  shook  hands  with  the  ijunates,  who  did  not  show 
any  surprise,  but  gave  him  to  understaud  by  signs  that  he  should  go  to  a  large 
house,  erected  on  upright  posts  at  some  distance  from  the  ground  A  broad 
piece  of  limber,  with  steps  cut  in  it,  led  to  a  scaffolding  on  a  level  with  the  floor;, 
and  ascending  these  the  traveller  entered  an  apartment,  passed  three  fires  at 
equal  distances  in  the  middle  of  the  room  and  was  cordially  received  by  several 
people  seated  on  a  wide  board  at  the  upper  end.  Mackenzie  took  his  place 
beside  one  whom,  from  his  dignified  look  he  took  to  be  the  chief  Soon  after 
the  rest  of  the  party  arrived,  and  placed  themselves  near  him;  upon  which  the 
chief  arose  and  brought  a  quantity  of  roasted  salmon.  Mats  were  then  spread, 
and  the  fish  placed  beibre  them.  When  the  meal  was  concluded,  their  host 
made  signs  which  they  supposed  to  convey  a  desire  that  they  should  sleep  un- 
der the  same  roof  with  himself;  but,  as  his  meaning  was  not  sutKciently  plain, 
they  prepared  to  bivouac  without.  Every  thing  was  done  to  render  their  re- 
pose agaeeable  :  a  tire  was  kindled,  boards  placed  that  they  might  not  sleep  on 
the  bare  ground,  and  two  delicate  dishes  of  salmon  roes,  beat  up  to  the  con- 
sistency of  thick  cream,  and  mixed  with  gooseberries  and  wood  sorrel,  were 
brought  for  supper.  On  awakening  in  the  morning,  they  found  all  their  wants 
anticipated  in  tlie  same  hospitable  manner;  a  fire  was  already  bhizing,  a  plenti- 
ful breakfast  of  roasted  salmon  and  dried  roes  was  provided,  and  a  regale  of 
raspberries,  whortleberries,  and  gooseberries  finished  the  meal. 

Salmon  were  so  abundant  in  this  river  that  the  people  had  a  constant  supply. 
They  had  Ibrmed  across  the  stream  an  embankment  for  placing  fishing  ma- 
chines, which  were  disposed  both  above  and  below  it.  For  some  reason,  how- 
ever, they  would  permit  no  near  inspection  of  the  weir;  but  it  appeared  to  be 
four  feet  above  the  water,  and  was  constructed  of  alternate  layers  of  gravel  and 
small  trees,  fixed  in  a  slanting  position.  Beneath  it  were  placed  machines  into 
which  the  salmon  fell  in  attempting  to  leap  over;  and  on  either  side  was  a  large 
timber  frame  six  feet  above  the  water,  in  which  passages  were  left  leading  di- 
rectly into  tlie  machines,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  fall  dripping  nets  were  suc- 
cesslully  employed.  These  people  were  observed  to  indulge  an  extreme  su- 
perstition regarding  their  fish,  refusing  to  taste  flesh,  and  appearing  to  con- 
sider such  an  act  as  pollution.    One  of  tiieir  dogs,  having  swallowed  a  bon» 


SIR  ALEXANDER  MACKENZIE^  593 

which  the  travellers  left,  was  beaten  by  his  master  till  he  disgorged  it ;  and  a 
bone  of  a  deer  being  thrown  into  the  river,  a  native  dived,  brought  it  up,  con- 
signed it  to  the  fire,  and  carefully  washed  his  hands.  They  would  not  lend 
their  canoes  for  the  use  of  the  party,  having  observed  some  venison  which 
they  concluded  was  to  be  stowed  on  board:  and  they  alleged  that  the  fish 
would  immediately  smell  it  and  leave  them.  Although  generous  in  furnishing 
the  strangers  as  much  roasted  fish  as  they  could  consume,  they  would  part 
with  none  in  a  raw  state.  They  believed  salmon  to  have  an  invincible  antipa- 
thy to  iron,  and  were  afraid  that,  if  given  raw  to  the  white  men,  they  might 
take  serious  offence  at  being  boiled  In  a  vessel  of  this  ominous  metal.  In 
other  respects,  nothing  could  exceed  their  friendliness ;  and  at  a  neighbouring 
village  of  the  same  tribe,  the  reception  of  Mackenzie  was,  if  possible  still  more- 
kind.  The  son  of  the  chief  took  from  his  own  shoulders  a  beautiful  robe  of 
sea  otter  skin,  and  threw  it  over  the  traveller,  while  the  father  expressed  the 
utmost  satisfaction  in  being  presented  with  a  pair  of  scissors  to  clip  his  beard — 
a  purpose  to  which,  with  the  eager  delight  of  a  child  he  immediately  applied  them.. 

The  houses  in  this  village  were  constructed  in  the  same  way  as  those  already 
described,  and  remind  us  of  the  lively  account  given  by  Mr.  Mears.  At  a  little 
distance,  Mackenzie  observed  some  singular  wooden  buildings,  which  he  con- 
jectured to  be  temples.  These  consisted  of  oblong  squares,  about  twenty  feet 
high  by  eight  broad,  formed  of  cedar  planks  beautifully  joined.  Upon  these 
were  painted  hieroglyphics  and  figures  of  various  animals,  with  a  remarkable 
degree  of  correctness.  In  the  midst  of  the  village  was  a  large  building,  at 
first  supposed  to  be  the  unfinished  frame-work  of  a  house.  Its  dimensions, 
however,  were  far  greater  than  those  of  an  ordinary  dwelling,  the  ground-plot 
being  fifty  feet  by  forty-five,  each  end  Ibrmed  by  lour  posts,  fixed  perpendicu- 
larly in  the  earth.  The  corner  posts  were  ornamented,  and  supported  a  beam 
of  the  whole  length,  having  three  intermediate  props  on  each  side.  Two  cen- 
tre posts  at  each  end,  about  two  feet  and  a  half  in  diameter,  were  carved  into 
colossal  human  figures>  supporting  ridge  poles  on  their  heads;  the  hands  wexQ 
placed  on  the  knees,  as  if  they  feltdiificulty  in  sustaining  the  weight,  while  the 
figures  opposite  to  them  stood  in  an  easy  attitude,  with  ttieir  hands  resting  on 
their  hips.  The  posts,  poles,  and  figures  were  painted  red  and  black,  and  the 
carving  was  executed  with  a  truth  and  boldness  which  bespoke  no  little  ad- 
vancement in  sculpture.  In  the  mechanical  arts  they  had  arrived  at  consider- 
able perfection.  The  chief's  canoe  was  of  cedar,  forty -five  feet  long,  four  wide, 
and  three  feet  and  a  half  deep.  It  was  painted  black,  and  ornamented  with 
drawings  of  various  kinds  of  fish  in  while  upon  the  dark  ground,  and  the  gun- 
wale, both  fore  and  aft,  was  neatly  inlaid  with  the  teeth  of  the  sea  otter.  In  this 
vessel,  according  to  the  old  chief's  account,  he  undertook,  about  ten  winters 
before,  a  voyage  towards  the  mid-day  sun,  having  with  him  about  forty  of  his 
subjects;  on  which  occasion  he  met  with  two  large  vessels  full  of  white  men, 
the  first  he  had  seen,  by  whom  he  was  kindly  received.  Mackenzie  very  plau- 
sibly conjectured  that  these  might  be  the  ships  of  Captain  Cook. 

It  was  now  the  18th  of  July,  aud,  surrounded  by  friendly  natives,  with  plen- 
ty of  provisions,  pleasant  weather,  and  the  anticipation  of  speedily  reaching 
the  great  object  of  their  wishes,  they  resumed  taeir  voyage  in  a  large  canoe, 
accompanied  by  four  of  the  Indians.  The  navigation  of  the  river,  as  they  ap- 
proached the  ocean,  was  interrupted  by  rapids  and  cascades ;  but  their  skill  in 
surmounting  these  impediments  was  now  considerable,  and  on  the  20th,  afler 
a  passage  of  thirty-six  miles,  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which 
discharges  itself  by  various  smaller  channels  into  an  arm  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
The  purpose  of  the  expedition  was  now  completed,  and  its  indefatigable  leader 
painted,  in  large  characters,  upon  the  face  of  the  rock  under  whose  shelter 
they  had  slept,  this  simple  memorial :— "  Alexander  Mackenzie,  from  Canada 
by  land,  the  twenty-second  of  July,  1793." 

The  inscription  was  only  written  with  vermillion,  and  has  probably  long  ago 
been  washed  away  by  the  fury  of  the  elements  ;  but  the  name  of  Mackenzie  is 
enduringly  consecrated  in  the  annals  of  discovery,  as  the  first  person  who  pen- 
^jtrated  from  sea  tq  sea  across  the  immense  coa3tin,ent  of  North  America^, 


WILLIAM  EDWARD    PARRY. 


Captain  William  Edward  Parry  was  tlie  son  of  Doctor  Parry,  of  Bath^ 
England,  and  was  born  in  1790.  The  rudiments  of  his  education  he  received  at 
the  grammar  school  of  Bath,  and,  at  the  age  of  twelve  he  was  placed  on  board 
the  "  Ville  de  Paris;"  and  from  1803  to  1806  he  continued  on  board  the  same 
ship,  employed  in  blockading  the  French  fleet  in  Brest.  During  this  time,  he 
attended  closely  to  geometry,  navigation,  French,  and  other  useful  branches  of 
learning.  Hi.s  behaviour  was  exemplary :  Admiral  Cornwallis  said  of  him, 
''  He  has  been  the  pattern  of  good  conduct  to  all  our  young  people."  From  tlie 
Ville  de  Paris  he  removed,  in  May,  to  the  Tribune  frigate,  which,  during  1806, 
1807,  and  1808,  was  constantly  blockading  or  cruising,  and  encountered  some 
of  the  heaviest  gales  which  had  been  experienced  by  the  oldest  seamen.  In 
January,  1807,  he  was  sent  in  a  boat  by  his  commander,  to  reconnoitre  in  Con- 
carneau  bay,  and  he  executed  his  commission  with  such  courage  as  to  approach 
close  to  a  French  line-of-battle  ship,  and  such  ability  as  to  reuiain  undiscovered 
by  her.  In  April,  1808,  the  Tribune  was  sent  into  the  Baltic,  to  which  sea  she 
returned  in  the  following  year.  This  service  was  a  fatiguing  and  perilous  one  ; 
which,  nevertheless,  did  not  acquire  for  those  engaged  in  it  all  the  credit  that  tliey 
deserved.  The  swarms  of  Danish  gun-boats  which  issued  from  tlie  ports  of 
Denmark  were  most  formidable  enemies,  being  of  a  low  construction,  and  having 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  595 

in  action  the  power  of  attacking  a  ship  of  war  in  whatever  direction  they  chose, 
and  with  an  overwhelming  number  of  guns,  while  she  could  reply  with  only  a 
few,  and  those  in  some  instances  not  capable  of  carrying  a  shot  so  far  as  the  long 
guns  of  the  enemy.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  Mr.  Parry  passed  his  examination, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  through  the  interest  of  lord  Low- 
ther.  He  joined  the  Alexandria  frigate  in  1810,  and  served  that  year  in  the  Bal- 
tic, where  he  was  several  times  engaged  with  Danish  schooners  and  gun-boals. 
In  1811  and  1812,  he  was  on  the  Leith  station,  employed  in  protecting  the 
Greenland  whale  fishery.  During  his  leisure  moments  he  was  not  inactive.  He 
prepared  charts  of  the  Baltic  navigation,  he  spent  part  of  the  night  in  studying 
the  situation  of  the  principal  fixed  stars  in  our  hemisphere,  and  he  made  a  sur- 
vey of  the  Baltic  sound  and  the  Voe  in  Shetland,  an  excellent  harbour  which 
vvas  httie  known.  In  1813,  under  a  promise  of  promotion — of  which,  however, 
circumstances  prevented  the  performance — he  sailed  to  Halifax,  and  was  occu- 
pied on  board  the  La  Hogue,  in  cruising  in  pursuit  of  Rogers.  In  1816,  he  ob- 
tained a  first  lieutenancy  in  the  Niger,  which  was  stationed  off  Halifax,  and  the 
river  St.  Lawrence,  and  Quebec.  Early  in  1817,  he  obtained  leave  to  return 
to  England. 

In  1818,  the  Admiralty  fitted  out  two  expeditions;  one  destined  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  north-west  passage,  the  other  to  attempt  a  voyage  across  the  Pole. 
The  first,  which  is  the  one  we  are  at  present  to  follow,  consisted  of  the  Isabella, 
of  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  tons,  commanded  by  Captain  John  Ross,  an 
officer  of  reputation  and  experience,  who  had  twice  w^intered  iu  the  Baltic,  had 
been  employed  in  surveying  the  White  Sea,  and  had  been  as  far  north  as  Bear 
or  Cherie  Island.  Another  vessel,  the  Alexander,  of  two  hundred  and  filly-two 
tons,  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Parry. 

On  the  18th  of  April  the  vessels  dropped  down  the  Thames,  and  by  the  end 
of  the  month,  were  off  the  Shetland  Islands.  By  the  27th  of  May  they  came  in 
view  of  Cape  Farewell;  round  which,  as  usual,  were  floating  numerous  and 
iofty  icebergs  of  the  most  varied  forms  and  tints.  On  the  14th  of  June  they 
reached  the  Whale  Islands,  where  they  were  informed  by  the  governor  of  the 
Danish  settlement  that  the  past  winter  had  been  uncommonly  severe,  the  neigh- 
bouring bays  and  straits  having  been  all  fiozen  two  months  earlier  than  usual, 
and  that  some  of  the  channels  to  the  northward  of  his  station  were  still  bound  in 
with  the  ice.  A  curious  statement  was  here  made,  that  the  Esquimaux,  by  their 
own  account,  could  see  across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  bay,  though  not  less  than 
two  hundred  miles,  which  would  be  an  e.xtraordinary  instance  of  the  power  of 
refraction;  but  the  ice,  it  may  be  observed,  often  presents  deceptive  appearances 
of  land.  On  the  ISth  of  June,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Way  gat  Island,  an  im- 
penetrable barrier  obliged  the  discoverers  to  stop  their  course,  making  them- 
selves fast  to  an  iceberg,  and  having  forty-five  whale  ships  in  company.  Obser- 
vations made  on  land  proved  this  island  to  be  misplaced  on  the  maps  by  no  less 
than  five  degrees  of  longitude.  At  length  the  ice  attached  to  the  eastern  shore 
broke  up,  though  still  forming  a  continuous  and  impenetrable  rampart  at  some 
distance  to  the  westward,  in  which  direction  it  had  drifted  ;  but  in  the  intermedi- 
ate space  tliey  were  enabled  to  move  forward  slowly  along  the  coast,  labouring 
through  narrow  and  intricate  channels,  amid  mountains  and  loose  fragments  of 
ice.  They  steered  their  course,  however,  to  the  highest  parts  of  the  bay,  and  in 
about  latitude  75°  came  to  a  coast  which  had  not  been  visited  by  former  naviga- 
tors. They  were  struck,  as  Baffin  had  been,  by  the  great  number  of  whales 
which  were  slumbering  securely  in  these  deep  recesses,  never  having  been 
alarmed  by  the  harpoon.  On  the  7th  of  August,  in  the  same  latitude,  a  heavy 
gale  sprnng  up,  and  driving  the  ice  against  the  vessels,  made  a  display  of  its  ter- 
rible and  dangerous  power.  A  trial  of  strength  ensued  between  the  ice  and  the 
ships ;  being  dashed  against  each  other  with  such  force,  that  the  anchors  and 
cables  were  successively  broken,  and  a  boat,  which  could  not  be  withdrawn 
from  between  their  sterns,  was  crushed  to  pieces.  Providentially,  when  instant 
destruction  was  expected,  the  icy  mass  receded,  and  the  ships,  owing  to  the  ex- 
traordinary strength  of  their  construction,  escaped  without  material  injury. 


o96  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY. 

Proceeding  along  a  high  mountainous  coast,  the  expedition  came  to  a  tribe  of 
Esquimaux,  who,  of  all  human  beings,  seem  to  exist  in  a  state  of  the  deepest 
seclusion.  They  had  never  before  seen  men  belonging  to  the  civilized  world, 
or  of  a  race  difterent  from  their  own.  The  first  small  party  whom  the  naviga- 
tors approached  showed  every  sign  of  the  deepest  alarm  ;  dreading,  as  we  after- 
wards understood,  a  fatal  influence  from  the  mere  touch  of  these  beings  of  an 
unknown  species.  Yet  they  seem  to  have  felt  a  secret  attraction  towards  the 
strangers,  and  advanced,  holding  fast  the  long  knives  lodged  in  their  boots,  and 
looking  significantly  at  each  other.  Having  come  to  a  chasm  which  separated 
them  from  the  English,  they  made  earnest  signs  that  only  Saccheous,  the  inter- 
preter, who  bore  a  certain  resemblance  to  ihem,  should  come  across.  He  went 
forward  and  offered  his  hand.  They  shrunk  back  for  some  time  in  alarm ;  at 
length  the  boldest  touched  it,  and,  finding  it  flesh  and  blood,  setup  aloud  shout, 
which  three  others  joined.  The  rest  of  the  party  then  came  up,  to  the  number 
of  eight,  with  fifty  dogs,  which  joined  with  their  masters  in  raising  a  tremendous 
clamor.  Ross  and  Parry  now  thought  it  time  to  come  forward.  This  move- 
ment excited  alarm,  and  a  tendency  to  retreat ;  but  Saccheous  having  taught 
these  orticers  to  pull  their  noses,  this  sign  of  amity  was  graciously  accepted.  A 
mirror  was  now  lield  up  to  them,  on  seeing  their  faces  in  which,  they  showed 
the  most  extreme  astonishment ;  they  looked  round  on  each  other  a  few  mo- 
ments in  silence,  then  set  up  a  general  shout,  succeeded  by  aloud  laugh  of  delight 
and  surprise.  The  ship  wis  then  the  next  object  of  their  speculation.  They 
began  by  endeavouring  to  ascertain  its  nature  by  interrogating  itself;  for  they 
conceived  it  to  be  a  huge  bird  sjireading  its  vast  wings  and  endowed  wiih  reason. 
One  of  them,  pulling  his  nose  with  the  utmost  solemniiy,  began  an  address : 
"  Who  are  you?  Whence  come  you?  Is  it  from  ttie  sun  or  the  moon  V  The 
ship  remaining  silent,  they  at  length  applied  to  Saccheous,  who  assured  them 
•thatifwasa  frame  of  timber,  the  work  of  human  art.  To  them,  however,  who 
had  never  seen  any  wood  but  slight  twigs  and  stunted  heath,  its  immense  planks 
and  masts  were  objects  of  amazement.  What  animal,  they  also  asked,  could 
furnish  those  enormous  skins  which  were  spread  for  the  sails.  Their  admiration 
was  Eoon  followed  by  a  desire  to  possess  some  of  the  objects  which  met  their 
eyes,  but  with  httle  ceremony  or  discrimination  as  to  the  means  of  effecting  their 
end.  They  attempted  first  a  spare  topmast,  then  an  anchor;  and  these  proving 
too  ponderous,  one  of  them  tried  the  .smith's  anvil ;  but,  finding  it  fixed,  made 
off  at  last  with  the  large  hammer.  Another  wonder  was  for  them  to  see  the 
sailors  mounting  the  topmast;  nor  was  it  without  much  hesitation  that  they 
ventured  their  own  feet  in  the  shrouds.  A  little  terrier  dog  appeared  to  them 
a  contemptible  object,  wholly  unfit  for  drawing  burdens  or  being  yoked  in  a 
sledge,  while  the  grunt  of  a  hog  filled  them  with  alarm. 

This  tribe,  in  ieatures,  foruj,  and  even  language,  belong  evidently  to  the  Es- 
quimaux,— a  race  widely  difl'used  over  all  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  ocean.  They 
appear  to  have  little  or  no  comnninication  with  the  rest,  and  amid  the  general 
resemblance  have  some  distinguishing  characters.  The  boat,  large  or  small, 
which  we  almost  instinctively  associate  with  our  idea  of  the  Greenlander,  is  here 
wholly  unknown.  Much  of  their  food  is  found  within  the  deep,  but  is  procured 
merely  by  walking  over  the  icy  surface,  which  incrusts  it  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year.  Yet  tliey  have  one  important  advantage,  not  only  over  otlier  Es- 
quimaux, but  over  the  most  civilized  of  the  native  Americans.  The  country 
aftbrds  iron,  which,  being  flattened  by  sharp  stones,  and  inserted  in  a  handle 
made  of  the  horn  of  the  sea-unicorn,  forms  knives  nmch  moie  ethcient  than  those 
framed  of  bone  by  the  neighbouring  hordes.  Again,  unhke  the  other  tribes, 
they  have  a  king,  who  rules  seemingly  with  gentle  sway ;  for  they  described  him 
as  strong,  very  good,  and  very  much  beloved.  The  discoverers  did  not  visit  tlio 
court  of  this  Arctic  potentate  ;  but  they  understood  that  he  drew  a  tribute,  con- 
sisting of  train-oil,  seal-skins,  and  the  bone  of  the  unicorn.  Like  other  Green- 
landers,  they  had  sledges  drawn  by  large  and  powerful  teams  of  dogs ;  their 
chase  was  chiefly  confined  to  hares,  foxes  of  various  colours,  the  seal,  and  the 
nurwal.    They  rejected  with  horror  tlie  perverted  luxuries  of  biscuit,  sweet- 


WJLLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  597 

meats,  or  spirits?  train-oil,  as  it  streamed  from  the  seal  and  the  unicorn,  alone 
gratified  their  palate.  Captain  Ross,  swayed  by  national  impressions,  gave  to 
this  tribe  the  name  of  Arctic  Highlanders. 

In  the  northern  part  of  this  coast,  the  navigators  observed  a  remarkable  phe- 
nomenon,— a  range  of  chfts,  the  snowy  covering  of  which  had  exchanged  its 
native  white  for  a  tint  of  dark  crimson.  This  red  snow  was'not  only  examined 
on  the  spot,  but  a  portion  of  it  was  brought  to  England,  and  was  analyzed  by  the 
most  learned  men  both  at  home  and  abroad,  who  have  entertained  various  opin- 
ions as  to  the  origin  of  the  colour.  The  latest  observations,  as  elsewhere  ob- 
served, have  established  its  vegetable  origin. 

Having  now  passed  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  Captain  Ross  found  himself  among 
those  spacious  sounds  which  Baffin  had  named,  but  so  imperfectly  described. 
He  seems,  however,  to  have  followed  the  same  hasty  method.  On  looking  up 
an  inlet  or  opei  ing,  and  seeing  it,  at  whatever  distance,  apparently  closed  by 
land,  he  pronounced  it  at  once  a  bay,  and  deemed  farther  investigation  super- 
fluous. Too  much  importance  seems  also  to  havb  been  attached  to  barriers 
of  ice,  which  in  many  cases  were  only  temporary.  He  sailed  past  Wolsten- 
holme  an  1  Whale  Sounds  very  quickly,  without  approaching  even  their  entrance ; 
concluding  them  to  be  blocked  up  with  ice,  and  to  aftbrd  no  hope  of  a  passage. 
As  these  openings  stretched  towards  the  north,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they 
could  not,  in  this  high  latitude,  be  considered  very  favourable  as  to  a  western 
route.  He  came  next  to  Sir  Thomas  Smith's  Sound,  which  we  may  recollect 
Baffin  to  have  described  as  the  most  spacious  and  promising  in  the  whole  circuit 
of  these  coasts.  It  was  viewed  with  greater  attention ;  but  Captain  Ross  con- 
sidered himself  as  having  distinctly  seen  it,  at  the  distance  of  eighteen  leagues, 
completely  enclosed  by  land.  The  space  appears  too  great  for  so  positive  an 
inference,  and  the  belief  that  ice  barred  its  entrance  seems  to  have  been  adopted 
on  very  slight  grounds.  He  came  next  to  a  spacious  bay,  which  had  hitherto 
been  unknown  and  unobserved, — afterward  to  that  which  Baffin  had  called 
Alderman  Jones'  Sound ;  but  in  respect  to  both,  the  ice  at  their  entrance,  and 
the  apparent  boundary  of  high  land  in  the  interior,  led,  as  in  the  other  instances, 
to  a  prompt  and  unfavourable  conclusion. 

The  season  was  now  somewhat  advanced,  the  end  of  August  approached,  the 
sun  set  after  a  perpetual  day  of  two  months  and  a  half,  and  a  thick  fog  rendered 
the  lengthening  nights  more  gloomy.  The  land,  seen  at  some  distance,  consisted 
of  very  high  and  steep  mountains,  presenting,  however,  some  spots  fit  for  human 
habitation.  An  opening,  forty-five  miles  wide,  to  the  southward  of  a  promonto- 
ry which  was  named  Cape  Charlotte,  was  decided  against  in  the  usual  summary 
manner.  On  the  30th  of  August,  the  expedition  came  to  a  most  magnificent 
inlet,  bordered  by  lofty  mountains  of  peculiar  grandeur,  while  the  water,  being 
clear  and  free  from  ice,  presented  so  tempting  an  appearance  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  refrain  from  entering.  This  channel,  which  soon  proved  to  b*^  the 
Lancaster  Sound  of  Baffin,  was  ascended  for  thirty  miles;  during  which  run, 
officers  and  men  crowded  the  topmast,  filled  with  enthusiastic  hope,  and  judging 
that  it  afforded  much  fairer  hopes  of  success  than  any  of  those  so  hastily  passed. 
Captain  Ross,  however,  and  those  whom  he  consulted,  never  showed  those  san- 
guine expectations.  He  soon  thought  that  he  discovered  a  high  ridge  stretch- 
ing directly  across  the  inlet ;  and  though  a  great  part  of  it  was  deeply  involved 
in  mist,  yet  a  passage  in  this  direction  was  judged  to  be  hopeless.  The  sea  being 
open,  however,  the  commander  proceeded;  but  about  twelve  o'clock  Mr.  Bever- 
•ley,  the  assistant  surgeon,  came  down  from  the  crow's  nest,  stating,  that  he  had 
seen  the  land  stretching  very  nearly  across  the  entire  bay.  Hereupon,  it  is  said, 
ail  hopes  were  renounced,  even  by  the  most  sanguine,  and  Captain  Ross  sailed 
onward  merely  lor  the  purpose  of  making  some  magnetical  observations. 

At  three  o'clock,  the  sky  having  cleared,  the  commander  himself  went  on 
deck,  when  he  states  that  he  distinctly  saw  across  the  bottom  of  the  bay  a  chain 
of  mountains  continuous  and  connected  with  those  that  formed  its  opposite 
shores.  The  weather  then  becoming  unsettled,  he  made  the  signal  to  steer  the 
vessel  out  of  Lancaster  Sound.  Lieutenant  Parry,  however,  declares  that  to 
him,  in  the  Isabella,  this  signal  appeared  altogether  mysterious,  being  himself  full 
51 


598  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PAHRY. 

of  the  most  sanguine  expectations,  and  seing  no  ground  whatever  for  this  ab- 
rupt retreat;  but  his  duty  obliged  him  to  follow. 

On  regaining  the  entrance  of  this  great  channel,  Captain  Ross  continued  to 
steer  southward  along  the  western  shore  of  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis'  Strait,  with- 
out seeing  any  entrance  which  afforded  equal  promise.  Cumberland  Strait 
alone  was  similar  in  magnitude ;  but  it  could  lead  only  into  the  higher  latitudes 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  afforded  thus  little  chance  of  a  free  passage  into  the  Arctic 
sea.  After  surveying,  therefore,  some  of  these  shores,  he  returned  home  early 
in  October. 

The  Captain  arrived  in  England  under  the  most  decided  conviction,  that  Baf- 
fin's observations  had  been  perfectly  correct,  and  that  Lancaster  Sound  was  a 
bay,  affording  no  entrance  into  any  western  sea.  If  even  any  strait  existed  be- 
tween the  mountain,  it  must,  he  conceived,  be  for  ev^r  innavigable,  on  account 
of  the  ice  with  which  it  is  filled.  The  intelligent  individuals,  however,  who  had 
fitted  out  the  expedition  with  such  zeal  and  on  so  great  a  scale,  felt  deep  dissatis- 
faction both  at  this  conclusion  and  at  the  premises  from  which  it  had  been  drawn. 
The  grounds,  in  particular,  on  which  Lancaster  Sound,  an  opening  so  noble 
and  so  spacious,  and  in  a  position  so  favourable  in  respect  to  western  discovery, 
had  been  so  abruptly  quitted,  appeared  wholly  inadmissible.  The  same  opinion 
was  very  decidedly  espoused  by  several  of  the  officers,  and  especially  by  Lieu- 
tenant Parry,  who  was  second  in  command,  but  had  never  been  consulted  on  the 
occasion,  and  who  declared  the  relinquishment  of  all  attempts  at  discovery  at 
that  crisis  to  be  in  hia  eyes  completely  unaccountable.  It  was  determined,  in 
short,  that  afresh  expedition  should  be  equipped,  and  entrusted  to  Mr.  Parry, 
that  he  might  fulfil,  if  possible,  his  ov/n  sanguine  hopes,  and  those  of  his  employ- 
ers. He  was  furnished  with  the  Hecla  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons, 
and  a  crew  of  fifty-eight  men ;  and  with  the  Griper  gun-brig  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  tons,  and  thirty-six  men,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Liddon.  These 
ships  were  made  as  strong  and  as  well-fitted  as  possible  for  the  navigation  of  the 
Arctic  seas ;  and  were  stored  with  ample  provisions  for  two  years,  a  copious 
supply  of  antiscorbutics,  and  every  thing  which  could  enable  the  crews  to  endure 
the  most  extreme  rigours  of  a  Polar  winter. 

Lieutenant  Parry,  destined  to  outstrip  all  his  predecessors  in  the  career  of 
Arctic  discovery,  weighed  anchor  from  the  Nore  on  the  11th  of  May,  1819,  and 
on  the  20th  rounded  the  most  northerly  point  of  the  Orkneys.     He  endeav- 
oured to  cross  the  Atlantic  about  the  parallel  of  58°,  and  though  impeded  during 
the  first  fortnight  of  June  by  a  series  of  unfavourable  weather,  obtained  on  the 
i5th,  from  the  distance  apparently  of  not  less  than  forty  leagues,  a  view  of  the 
lofty  cliffs  composing  Cape  Farewell.     On  the  18th  the  ships  first  fell  in  with 
icebergs,  the  air  being  also  filled  with  petrels,  kittiwakes,  terns,  and  other  winged 
inhabitants  of  the  northern  sky.     Parry  now  made  an  effort  to  push  north  and 
west,  through  the  icy  masses,  in  the  direction  of  Lancaster  Sound ;  but  these 
suddenly  closed  upon  him ;  and  on  the  25tli  the  two  ships  were  so  immovably 
beset,  that  no  power  could  turn  their  heads  a  single  point  of  the  compass.    The 
vessels  remained  thus  fixed,  but  safe,  when  on  ^e  morning  of  the  second  day, 
a  heavy  roll  of  the  sea  loosened  the  ice,  and  drove  its  masses  against  them  witli 
such  violence  that  only  their  very  strong  construction  saved  them  from  severe 
injury.    Tho  discoverers  therefore  were  fain  to  extricate  themselves  as  soon  as 
possible ;  and,  resigning  the  idea  of  reaching  Lancaster  Sound  by  the  most  di- 
rect route,  began  to  coast  northward  along  the  border  of  this  great  icy  field,  till 
they  should  find  open  water.     In  lliis  progress  they  varied  the  observation  of 
Davis,  thatin  the  narrowest  part  of  the  great  sea,  misnamed  his  Strait,  the  shores 
on  each  side  could  be  discovered  at  the  same  moment.    Thus  tliey  proceeded, 
till  they  reached  the  Women's  Islands,  and  Hope  Sanderson,  in  about  latitude 
73°.    As  every  step  was  now  likely  to  carry  them  farther  from  their  destination, 
Parry  determined  upon  a  desperate  push  to  the  westward.     Favoured  with  a 
moderate  breeze,  the  ships  were  run  into  the  detached  pieces  and  floes  of  ice, 
through  which  they  were  heaved  with  hawsers ;  but  the  obstacles  became  always 
heavier,  till  they  were  completely  beset,  and  a  heavy  fog  coming  on,  made  thei 
litde  able  to  talte  advantage  of  any  favourable  change.    Yet  in  the  course  ot 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  599 

week,  though  repeatedly  and  sometimes  dangerously  beset,  they  warped  their 
way  from  lane  to  lane  of  open  water,  till  only  one  lengthened  floe  separated  them 
from  a  wide  open  sea  to  the  westward.  By  laboriously  sawing  through  this  ob- 
struction, they  were  able  to  penetrate  finally  the  great  icy  barrier,  and  saw  the 
western  shore,  clear  of  ice,  extending  before  them. 

The  navigators  now  bore  directly  down  upon  Lancaster  Sound,  and  on  the 
30th  of  July  found  themselves  at  its  entrance.  They  felt  an  extraordinary  emo- 
tion as  they  recognized  this  magnificent  channel  with  the  lofty  cliffs  by  which  it 
v/as  guarded,  aware  that  a  very  short  time  would  decide  the  fate  of  their  grand 
undertaking.  They  were  tantalized,  however,  by  a  fresh  breeze  coming  directly 
down  the  Sound,  which  suffered  them  to  make  only  very  slow  progress.  There 
was  no  appearance,  however,  of  obstruction  either  from  ice  or  land,  and  eveti 
the  heavy  swell  which  came  down  the  inlet,  driving  the  water  repeatedly  in  at 
the  stern  windows,  was  hailed  as  an  indication  of  open  sea  to  the  westward. 
The  Hecla  left  the  Griper  behind,  but  still  without  making  any  great  way  herself 
till  the  3d  of  August,  when  an  easterly  breeze  sprung  up,  carrying  both  vessels 
rapidly  forward.  A  crowd  of  sail  was  set,  and  they  pushed  triumphantly  to  the 
westward.  Their  minds  were  filled  with  anxious  hope  and  suspense.  The 
mast-heads  were  crowded  with  officers  and  men,  and  the  successive  reports 
brought  down  from  the  topmast  pinnacle,  called  the  crow's  nest,  were  eagerly 
listened  to.  Their  course  was  still  unobstructed.  They  passed  various  head- 
lands, with  several  wide  openings  towards  the  north  and  south,  which  they  hasti- 
ly named  Croker  Bay,  Navy  Board  Inlet,  &c. ;  but  these  it  was  not  their  present 
object  to  explore.  The  wind,  freshening  more  and  more,  carried  them  happily 
forward,  till  at  midnight  they  found  themselves  in  longitude  83°  12',  nearly  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  grand  inlet,  which  still  retained  a 
breadth  of  fifty  miles.  The  success  of  the  expedition,  they  fondly  hoped,  was 
now  to  a  great  extent  decided. 

The  Hecla,  at  this  time,  slackened  her  course  to  allow  her  companion  to  come 
up,  which  she  did  in  longitude  85°.  They  together  proceeded  to  longitude  86^ 
30',  and  found  two  other  inlets,  which  they  named  Burnet  and  Stratton ;  then  a 
bold  cape  named  Fellfoot,  forming  apparently  the  termination  of  this  long  fine 
of  coast.  The  lengthened  swell  which  still  rolled  in  from  the  north  and  west, 
with  the  oceanic  colour  of  the  Waters,  inspired  the  flattering  hope  that  they  had 
already  passed  the  region  of  straits  and  inlets,  and  were  now  wafted  along  the 
wide  expanse  of  the  Polar  basin.  Nothing,  in  short,  it  was  hoped,  would  hence- 
forth obstruct  their  progress  to  Icy  Cape,  the  western  boundary  of  America. 
An  alarm  of  land  was  given,  but  it  proved  to  arise  only  from  an  island  of  no  great 
extent.  However,  more  land  was  soon  discovered  beyond  Cape  Fellfoot,  which 
was  ascertained  to  be  the  entrance  to  a  noble  bay,  extending  on  their  right, 
which  they  named  Maxwell  Bay.  An  uninterrupted  range  of  sea  still  stretched 
out  before  them,  though  they  were  somewhat  discomposed  by  seeing  on  the 
south  a  hne  of  continuous  ice;  but  it  left  an  open  route  before  them,  and  they 
hoped  to  find  it  merely  a  detached  stream.  A  little  space  onward,  however,  they 
discovered  with  deep  dismay,  this  ice  to  be  joined  to  a  compact  and  impene- 
trable body  of  floes,  which  completely  crossed  the  channel,  and  joined  the 
western  point  of  Maxwell  Bay.  It  behooved  them,  therefore,  immediately  to 
draw  back,  to  avoid  being  embayed  in  ice,  along  the  edges  of  which  a  violent 
surf  was  then  beating.  The  officers  began  to  amuse  themselves  with  fruitless 
attempts  to  catch  white  whales,  when  the  weather  cleared,  and  they  saw  to  the 
south  an  open  sea,  with  a  dark  water-sky.  Parry,  hoping  that  this  might  lead  to 
a  free  passage  in  a  lower  latitude,  steered  in  this  direction,  and  found  himself  at 
the  mouth  of  a  great  inlet,  ten  leagues  broad,  with  no  visible  termination ;  and  to 
the  two  capes  at  its  entrance  he  gave  the  names  of  Clarence  and  Seppings. 

The  mariners,  finding  the  western  shore  of  this  inlet  deeply  encumbered  with 
ice,  moved  across  to  the  eastern,  where  they  found  a  broad  and  open  channel. 
The  coast  was  the  most  dreary  and  desolate  they  had  ever  beheld  even  in  the 
Arctic  world,  presenting  scarcely  a  semblance  of  either  animal  or  vegetable  fife. 
Navigation  was  rendered  more  arduous  from  the  entire  irregularity  of  the  com- 
pass, now  evidently  approaching  to  the  magnetic  Pole,  and  showing  an  ex- 


600  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY. 

cess  of  variation  which  they  vainly  attempted  to  measure,  so  that  the  binnacles 
were  laid  aside  as  useless  lumber.  They  sailed  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  up 
this  inlet,  and  its  augmenting  width  inspired  them  with  corresponding  hopes  ; 
when,  with  extreme  consternation,  they  suddenly  perceived  the  ice  to  diverge 
from  its  parallel  course,  running  close  in  to  a  point  of  land  which  appeared  to 
form  the  southern  extremity  of  the  eastern  shore.  To  this  foreland  they  gave 
the  name  of  Cape  Kater.  The  western  horizon  also  appeared  covered  with 
heavy  and  extensive  floes,  a  bright  and  dazzling  ice-blink  extending  from  shore 
to  shore.  The  name  of  the  Prince  Regent  was  given  to  this  spacious  inlet, 
which  Parry  strongly  suspected  must  have  a  communication  with  Hudson's 
Bay.  He  now  determined  to  return  to  the  old  station,  and  watch  the  opportu- 
nity when  the  relenting  ice  would  allow  the  ships  to  proceed  westward.  That 
station  was  reached  not  without  some  difficulty,  amid  ice  and  fog.  At  Prince 
'Leopold's  Islands,  on  the  15th,  the  ice  was  as  impenetrable  as  ever,  with  a  bright 
blink,  and  from  a  high  hill  there  was  no  water  to  be  seen ;  luckily,  also,  there 
was  no  land.  On  the  18th,  on  getting  once  more  clos'e  to  the  northern  shore, 
the  navigators  began  to  make  ahttle  way,  and  some  showers  of  rain  and  snow, 
accompanied  with  heavy  wind,  produced  such  an  effect,  that  on  the  21st  the 
whole  ice  had  disappeared,  and  they  could  scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the  same 
sea  which  had  just  before  been  covered  with  floes  upon  floes,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach. 

Mr.  Parry  now  crowded  all  sail  to  the  westward,  and,  though  detained  by 
want  of  wind,  he  passed  Radstock  Bay,  Capes  Hurd  and  Hotham,  and  Beechy 
Island;  after  which  he  reached  a  fine  and  broad  inlet,  leading  to  the  north,  to 
which  he  assigned  Wellington,  the  greatest  name  of  the  age.  The  sea  up  to 
this  inlet  being  perfectly  open,  he  would  not  have  hesitated  to  ascend  it,  had 
there  not  been  before  him,  along  the  south  coast  of  an  island  named  Cornwallis, 
an  open  channel,  leading  in  a  direction,  which,  being  due  west,  he  could  have 
no  hesitation  in  preferring.  WeUington  Inlet  was  now  considered  by  the  navi- 
gators, so  high  were  their  hopes,  as  forming  the  western  boundary  of  the  land 
stretching  from  Baffin's  Bay  to  the  Polar  Sea,  into  which  they  had  little  doubt 
they  were  entering.  For  this  reason  Captain  Parry  did  not  hesitate  to  give  to 
the  great  channel  which  had  effected  so  desirable  a  junction  the  merited  appella- 
tion of  Barrow's  Strait,  after  the  much  esteemed  promoter  of  the  expedition. 
A  favourable  breeze  now  sprung  up,  and  the  adventurers  passed  gaily  and  tri- 
umphantly along  the  extensive  shore  of  Cornwallis  Island,  then  coasted  a  larger 
island  named  Bathurst,  and  next  a  smaller  one  called  Byam  Martin.  At  this 
place,  they  judged,  by  some  experiments,  that  they  had  passed  the  magnetic 
rueridian,  situated,  probably,  in  about  100°  west  longitude,  and  where  tlie  com- 
pass would  have  pointed  due  south  instead  of  due  north.  The  navigation  now 
became  extremely  difficult,  in  consequence  of  thick  fogs,  which  not  only  froze 
on  the  shrouds,  but,  as  the  comj)ass  was  also  useless,  took  away  all  means  of 
knowing  the  direction  in  which  they  sailed.  They  were  obliged  to  trust  to  the 
land  and  ice  preserving  the  same  line,  and  sometinaes  employed  the  most  odd 
expedients  for  ascertaining  the  precise  point.  They  encountered  also  a  compact 
floe  of  ice,  through  which  they  were  obliged  to  bore  their  way  by  main  force. 
Through  all  these  obstacles  they  reached  the  coast  of  an  island  larger  than  any 
before  discovered,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Melville.  The  wind  now 
failed,  and  they  slowly  moved  forward  by  towing  and  warping,  till,  on  the  4th  of 
September,  Mr.  Parry  could  announce  to  his  joyful  crew,  that,  having  reached 
the  longitude  of  110^  W.  they  were  become  eiititled  to  tlie  reward  of  £5000, 
promised  by  Parliament  to  the  first  crew  who  should  attain  tliat  meridian.  The 
mariners  pushed  forward  with  redoubled  ardour,  but  soorr  found  their  course 
arrested  by  an  impenetrable  icy  barrier.  They  waited  rrearly  a  Ibrtrright  in 
hopes  of  overconiirrg  it ;  till  about  the  20th  their  situation  became  alarming. 
The  young  ice  began  rapidly  to  form  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  retarded  only 
by  winds  and  swells;  so  tliat  Captain  Parry  was  corrvinced,  in  the  event  of  a 
single  hour's  calm,  that  he  would  be  frozen  up  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  No  op- 
tion was  therefore  left  but  to  retrrrn,  and  to  choose  between  two  apparently 
good  harbours,  wliich  had  been  recently  passed  on  Melville  Island.     Not  with- 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  601 

out  difficulty  he  reached  this  place  by  the  24th,  and  made  choice  of  the  most 
western  harbour,  as  that  alone  which  afforded  full  security ;  but  it  was  necessary 
to  cut  two  miles  through  a  large  floe  with  which  it  was  filled.  To  effect  this  ar- 
duous operation,  the  seamen  marked  with  boarding-pikes  two  parallel  lines,  at 
the  distance  of  somewhat  more  than  the  breadth  of  the  larger  ship.  They  sawed 
along  these  two  lines,  and  then  by  cross-sawings  detached  large  pieces,  which 
were  separated  diagonally  in  order  to  be  floated  out;  and  sometimes  boat 
sails  were  fastened  to  them  to  take  the  advantage  of  a  favourable  breeze.  On 
the  26th  the  ships  were  established  in  five  fathoms  water,  at  about  a  cable's  length 
from  the  beach.  For  some  time  the  ice  was  daily  cleared  round  them ;  but  this 
was  soon  found  an  endless  and  useless  labour,  and  they  were  allowed  to  be  regu- 
larly frozen  in  for  the  winter. 

Mr.  Parry  then  apphed  himself  to  name  the  extended  group  of  large  islands 
along  which  he  had  passed.  He  called  them  at  first  New-Georgia ;  but,  recol- 
lecting that  this  appellation  had  been  pre-occupied  by  a  large  island  in  the  Pa- 
cific, he  gave  the  name  of  "■  the  North  Georgian  Islands,"  after  his  majesty  George 
III.,  whose  reign  had  been  so  eminently  distinguished  by  the  extension  of  nau- 
tical and  geographical  knowledge. 

The  commander,  finding  himself  and  his  ships  sliut  in  for  a  long  and  dreary 
winter,  devoted  his  attention,  with  judicious  activity,  and  a  mixture  of  firmness 
and  kindness,  to  mitigate  those  evils,  which,  even  in  lower  latitudes,  had  often 
rendered  an  Arctic  wintering  so  fatal.  His  provisions  being  very  ample,  he 
allowed  the  sailors  weekly  a  pound  of  Donkin's  preserved  meat,  and  a  pint  of 
concentrated  soup,  instead  of  a  pound  of  salt  beef;  beer  and  wine  were  served 
instead  of  spirits ;  and  a  certain  allowance  was  made  of  sour-krout,  pickles,  and 
vinegar.  The  sailors  were  also  called  together  daily,  and  made  to  swallow  a 
quantity  of  lime-juice  and  sugar  in  presence  of  the  officers,  their  improvidence 
being  such  as  to  afford  otherwise  no  hope  of  their  spontaneously  imbibing  this 
salutary  draught.  Their  gums  and  shins  were  also  regularly  examined,  in  order 
to  detect  scurvy  in  its  earliest  symptoms.  It  was  necessary  to  be  very  economi- 
cal of  fuel,  the  small  quantity  of  moss  and  turf  which  could  be  collected  being  too 
wet  to  be  of  any  use.  By  placing  the  aparatus  for  baking  in  a  central  position, 
and  by  several  other  arrangements,  the  cabin  was  maintained  in  a  very  comfort- 
able temperature  ;  but  still,  around  its  extremities,  and  in  the  bed-places,  steam, 
vapour,  and  even  the  breath  settled,  first  as  moisture  and  then  as  ice ;  to  dry  and 
remove  these  annoyances  became  therefore  a  part  of  their  daily  employment. 

Mr.  Parry  was,  from  the  first,  aware  that  nothing  acted  more  strongly  as  an 
antiscorbutic,  than  to  keep  the  men's  minds  in  a  lively  and  cheerful  state.  His 
plans  for  this  purpose  were  very  original,  and  proved  very  effectual.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  occat-ional  performance  of  a  play,  in  a  region  very  re- 
mote certainly  from  any  to  which  the  drama  appeared  congenial.  Lieutenant 
Beechy  was  nominated  stage  manager,  and  the  officers  came  forward  as  amateur 
performers.  The  very  expectation  thus  raised  among  the  seamen,  and  the 
bustle  of  preparing  a  room  for  the  purpose,  were  extremely  salutary ;  and  when 
the  North  Georgian  theatre  opened  with  "  Miss  in  her  Teens,"  these  hardy  tars 
were  convulsed  with  laughter,  not  a  little  excited,  perhaps,  by  viewing  their 
officers  in  so  singular  and  novel  a  position;  at  all  events,  the  Arctic  management 
was  extremely  popular.  As  the  small  stock  contained  in  one  or  two  chance 
volumes  was  exhausted,  original  compositions  were  produced,  and  afterward 
fonned  into  a  little  collection.  The  officers  had  another  source  of  amusement  in 
the  North  Georgia  Gazette,  of  which  Captain  Sabine  became  editor,  and  all 
were  invited  to  contribute  to  this  chronicle  of  the  frozen  regions.  Even  tliose 
who  hesitated  to  appear  as  writers,  enlivened  the  circle  by  severe  but  good- 
humoured  criticisms. 

Thus  passed  the  time, 
Till,  through  the  lucid  chambers  of  the  south, 
Looked  out  the  joyous  Sun. 

It  was  on  the  4th  of  November  that  this  great  orb  ought  to  have  taken  his 
leave ;  but  a  deep  haze  prevented  them  from  bidding  a  formal  farewell,  and 
.     *51 


602  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY. 

from  ascertaining  the  period  down  to  which  refraction  would  have  rendered  liim 
visible;  yet  he  was  reported  to  be  seen  from  the  mast-head  on  the  11th.  Amid 
various  occupations  and  amusements,  the  shortest  day  came  on  almost  unex- 
pected, and  the  seamen  then  watched  with  pleasure  the  midday  twilight  gradually 
strengthening.  On  the  28th  of  January  none  of  the  fixed  stars  could  be  seen  at 
noon  by  the  naked  eye;  and  on  the  1st  and  •2d  of  February  the  sun  was  looked 
for,  but  the  sky  was  wrapped  in  mist;  however,  on  the  3d  he  was  perceived 
from  the  maintop  of  the  Hecla.  Through  the  greatest  depth  of  the  Polar  night, 
the  officers,  during  the  brief  twilight,  had  taken  a  regular  walk  of  two  or  three 
hours ;  avoiding  only  to  go  farther  than  a  mile,  lest  they  should  be  overtaken  by 
snow-drift.  There  was  a  want  of  objects  to  diversify  this  walk.  A  dreary  mo- 
notonous surface  of  dazzling  white  covered  land  and  sea:  the  view  of  the  ships, 
the  smoke  ascending  from  them,  the  sound  of  human  voices,  which  thiough  the 
calm  and  cool  air  was  carried  to  an  extraordinary  distance,  alone  gave  any  anima- 
tion to  this  winter  scene.  The  otiicers,  however,  persevered  in  their  daily  walk, 
and  exercise  also  was  enforced  upon  the  men,  who,  even  when  prevented  by 
the  weather  from  leaving  the  vessel,  were  made  to  run  round  the  deck,  keeping 
time  to  the  tune  of  an  organ.  This  movement  they  did  not  at  first  entirely 
rehsh ;  but  no  plea  against  it  being  admitted,  they  converted  it  at  last  into  matter 
of  frolic. 

By  the  above  means  health  was  maintained  on  board  the  ships  to  a  surprising 
degree.  Early  in  January,  however,  Mr.  Scallon,  the  gunner,  felt  symptoms, 
first  in  the  legs  and  then  in  the  gums,  that  decidedly  indicated  the  presence  of 
scurvy,  of  which  the  immediate  cause  appeared  to  be  the  great  collection  of 
damp  which  had  formed  around  his  bed-place.  At  this  first  alarm,  all  the  anti- 
scorbutics on  board,  lemon-juice,  pickles,  spruce-beer,  &c.  were  put  into  requisi- 
tion; a  small  quantity  of  mustard  and  cress  was  also  raised  from  mould  placed 
over  the  stove  pipe  ;  and  such  was  the  success  of  these  measures,  that  in  nine 
days  the  patient  could  walk  without  pain.  Farther  on  in  the  season  a  number 
of  slighter  cases  occurred,  which  were  somewhat  aggravated  by  an  accident.  As 
the  men  were  taking  their  musical  perambulation  round  the  deck,  a  house  erect- 
ed on  shore,  and  containing  a  number  of  the  most  valuable  instruments,  was 
seen  to  be  on  fire.  The  crew  instantly  ran,  pulled  off"  the  roof  with  ropes, 
knocked  down  part  of  the  sides,  and  being  thus  enabled  to  throw  in  large  quan- 
tities of  snow,  succeeded  in  subduing  the  flames.  Now,  however,  their  faces 
jiresented  a  curious  spectacle,  every  nose  and  cheek  being  white  with  frost- 
bites, while  the  medical  gentlemen,  with  their  assistants,  were  obliged  to  run 
iVom  one  to  the  other,  and  rub  them  with  snow,  in  order  to  restore  animation. 
With  one  man  the  amputation  of  several  of  his  fingers  became  necessary,  and 
no  less  than  sixteen  were  added  to  the  sick  list. 

The  animal  tribes  disappeared  early  in  the  winter  from  this  frozen  region. 
The  officers,  on  the  15th  of  October,  made  a  shooting  excursion,  enjoying  a 
very  fine  day,  though  with  the  thermometer  47°  below  the  freezing  point ;  but 
they  did  not  find  a  deer,  a  grouse,  or  any  animal  which  could  be  ranked  as  game. 
All  of  them  deserting  this  wintry  realm  had  crossed  the  seas  to  America.  There 
remained  only  a  pack  of  wolves,  which  serenaded  the  crews  nightly,  not  ventur- 
ing to  attack,  but  contriving  to  avoid  being  captured.  A  beautiful  white  fox  was 
caught  and  made  a  pet  of.  On  the  12tli  of  May  one  of  the  men  gave  notice  that 
he  had  seen  a  ptarmigan ;  and  attention  being  thus  excited,  Mr.  Beverley  next 
day  brought  one  down,  and  on  the  15th  three  coveys  were  discovered.  The 
footsteps  of  deer  were  also  seen,  which,  from  the  impression  made  on  tlie  snow, 
seemed  to  be  moving  northward.  From  this  time,  ptarmigans  were  supplied  ui 
tolerable  numbers;  but  they  were  made  strictly  a  common  good,  being  divided 
equally  among  the  crew,  with  only  a  preference  in  favour  of  the  sick.  There 
was  Ibund^also,  mixed  with  moss  under  the  snow,  an  abundance  of  tlie  horl) 
sorrel,  a  most  potent  antidote  against  scurvy.  By  these  supplies,  and  by  the 
more  genial  weather,  the  health  of  the  crew,  which  at  the  end  of  March  had  been 
in  a  somewhat  alarming  state,  was  completely  restored  before  the  beginning  of 
June.  In  extending  their  excursions,  however,  they  were  considerably  incom- 
moded by  that  distressing  inflammation  of  tlie  eyes,  produced  from  the  glare  ol 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY.  603 

snow,  called  snow-blindness.  It  vv^as  cured  in  a  few  days  by  cold  applications, 
and  it  was  prevented  in  future  by  covering  the  eyes,  or  by  wearing  spectacles, 
in  which  crape  was  used  instead  of  glass. 

On  the  16th  of  March  the  North  Georgian  theatre  was  closed  with  an  appro- 
priate address,  and  the  general  attention  was  now  turned  to  the  means  of  extri- 
cation from  the  ice.  By  the  17th  of  May  the  seamen  had  so  far  cut  the  ice 
around  the  ships  as  to  allow  them  to  float;  but  in  the  sea  it  was  still  immoveable. 
This  interval  of  painful  inaction  was  employed  by  Captain  Parry  in  an  excur- 
sion across  Melville  Island.  The  ground  was  still  mostly  covered  with  soften- 
ed snow,  and  even  the  cleared  tracts  were  extremely  desolate,  though  checkered 
by  intervals  of  fine  verdure.  Deer  were  seen  traversing  the  plains  in  consider- 
able numbers.^  To  the  north  appeared  another  island  to  which  was  given  the 
name  of  Sabine,  By  the  middle  of  June  pools  were  every  where  formed;  the 
dissolved  water  flowed  in  streams,  and  even  in  torrents  which  rendered  hunting 
and  travelling  unsafe.  There  were  also  channels  of  water  in  which  boats  could 
pass ;  yet  throughout  June  and  July  the  great  covering  of  ice  in  the  surrounding 
sea  remained  entire,  and  kept  the  ships  in  harbour.  On  the  2d  of  August,  how- 
ever, the  whole  mass,  by  one  of  those  sudden  movements  to  which  it  is  liable, 
broke  up  and  floated  out;  and  the  explorers  had  now  an  open  water  in  which  to 
prosecute  their  discovery.  It  was  consolatory  to  think  that  this  was  the  very 
season  at  which  they  had  last  year  entered  Lancaster  Sound ;  and  if  they  could 
make  as  brilliant  a  voyage  this  summer,  the  following  one  would  see  them  not 
far  from  Behring's  Straits.  But  it  was  not  without  some  obstructions  that  on 
the  4th  they  reached  the  same  spot  where  their  progress  had  been  formerly  ar- 
rested. On  the  15th  they  were  enabled  to  make  a  certain  progress;  after  which 
the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean  presented  a  more  compact  and  impenetrable  as- 
pect than  had  ever  before  been  witnessed.  The  officers  ascended  some  of  the 
lofty  heights  which  bordered  the  coast ;  but,  in  a  long  reach  of  sea  to  westward, 
no  boundary  was  seen  to  these  icy  barriers.  There  appeared  only  the  western 
extremity  of  Melville  Island,  named  Cape  Dundas ;  and  in  the  distance  a  bold 
liigh  coast,  which  they  named  Banks's  Land.  As  even  a  brisk  eastern  gale  did 
not  produce  the  slightest  movement  in  this  frozen  surface,  they  were  led  to  be- 
lieve that  on  the  other  side  there  must  be  a  large  barrier  of  land,  by  which  it  was 
held  in  a  fixed  state.  On  considering  all  circumstances,  there  appeared  no  alter- 
native but  to  make  their  way  homeward  while  yet  the  season  permitted.  Some 
additional  observations  were  made  on  their  return,  on  the  two  coasts  extending 
along  Barrow's  Strait. 

Mr.  Parry's  arrival  in  Britain  was  hailed  with  the  highest  exultation.  To  have 
sailed  upwards  of  thirty  degrees  of  longitude  beyond  the  point  reached  by  any 
former  navigator, — to  have  discovered  so  many  new  lands,  islands,  and  bays, — 
to  have  established  the  much  contested  existence  of  a  Polar  sea  north  of  Ameri- 
ca,— finally,  after  a  wintering  of  eleven  months,  to  have  brought  back  his  crew 
in  a  sound  and  vigorous  state,* — were  enough  to  raise  his  name  above  that  of 
any  former  Arctic  voyager. 

No  hesitation  was  felt  as  to  sending  out  another  expedition ;  but  considering 
the  strength  of  the  ultimate  barriers  which  had  twice  arrested  the  progress  of  the 
last,  it  became  important  to  consider  whether  there  was  not  any  other  channel 
by  which  the  Polar  sea,  now  ascertained  to  exist,  might  be  reached  and  travers- 
eci  with  greater  facility.  In  Hudson's  Bay,  neither  the  great  northern  sounds  of 
the  Welcome  nor  of  Fox's  Channel  had  been  traced  to  a  termination.  Mid- 
dleton,  in  the  former  inlet,  had  ascended  higher  than  any  other  navigator ;  but  a 
thick  cloud  had  been  raised  around  his  reputation,  and  his  Frozen  Strait,  after 
all,  was  very  likely  to  be  only  a  temporary  barrier.  If  from  either  of  these 
sounds  a  passage  should  open  into  the  Polar  sea,  it  might  be  approached  in  a 
much  lower  latitude  than  that  in  which  Parry  had  wintered,  and  might  perhaps 


*  Only  one  man  died  in  the  course  of  their  long  and  perilous  voyage,  but  his  dieease  was  no 
way  referrable  to  a  connexion  with  the  expedition,  the  origin  of  his  malady  having  been  of  a 
date  anterior  to  the  jsuiling  of  the  ships. 


604  WILLIAM   EDWARD  PARRY. 

be  also  free  from  those  large  insular  masses  in  which  he  had  been  entangled. 
There  was  fitted  out  then  a  new  expedition,  in  which  the  Fury,  of  327  tons, 
was  conjoined  with  the  Hecla;  the  commander  conceiving  that  two  vessels  of 
nearly  equal  dimensions  were  best  calculated  for  co-operating  with  and  aiding 
each  other,  while  the  examination  of  coasts  and  inlets  could  be  best  carried  on 
by  boats.  This  officer,  now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  hoisted  his  flag 
on  board  the  Fury;  while  Captain  Lyon,  already  distinguished  by  his  services 
in  Africa,  received  the  command  of  the  Hecla,  and  proved  himself  fully  compe- 
tent to  the  arduous  duties  of  this  new  service.  The  equipment,  the  victualHng, 
and  the  heating  of  the  vessels,  were  all  arranged  with  the  greatest  care,  and  wiOi 
various  improvements  suggested  by  experience. 

The  expedition  was  ready  to  sail  on  the  8th  of  May,  182],  and  having  then 
quitted  Nore,  passed  through  Pentland  Frith  and  by  Cape  Farewell,  suffering 
repeated  detention ;  but  we  shall  not  pause  till  we  find  them  on  the  2d  of  July 
at  the  mouth  of  Hudson's  Straits.  Captain  Parry,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
scenes  of  Polar  desolation,  was  struck  with  the  peculiarly  dreary  aspect  which 
these  shores  presented.  The  naked  rocks,  the  snow  still  covering  the  valleys, 
and  the  thick  fogs  that  hung  over  them,  rendered  the  scene  indescribably  gloomy. 
The  ships  were  soon  surrounded  by  icebergs,  which  in  one  place  amounted  to 
the  number  of  fifty-four, — one  rising  258  feet  above  the  sea.  They  were  at- 
tended by  large  floes,  rendered  very  formidable  by  their  rotatory  motion.  The 
peculiar  danger  of  these  straits,  often  remarked  by  former  navigators,  arises 
from  the  strong  tides  and  currents  that  rush  in  from  the  Atlantic,  and  cause  con- 
tinual and  violent  movements  among  ttie  huge  icy  masses  with  which  the  chan- 
nels are  filled.  Captain  Lyon  had  proof  of  their  strength  when  he  had  two 
hawsers  repeatedly  carried  away,  and  his  best  bower  anchor,  weighing  more 
than  a  ton,  wrenched  from  the  bows,  and  broken  otF  as  if  it  had  been  crockery 
ware.  Amid  these  troubles,  the  sailors  were  amused  by  the  sight  of  three  com- 
panion-ships, two  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  one  bringing 
out  settlers  for  Lord  Selkirk's  colony.  These  last,  who  were  chiefly  Dutch  and 
Germans,  were  seen  waltzing  on  deck  often  for  hours  together,  and  were  only 
driven  in  by  a  severe  fall  of  snow.  Although  almost  in  despair  at  the  numerous 
detentions  they  had  experienced,  they  recrented  themselves  from  time  to  time  by 
matrhnonial  arrangements,  in  which  they  were  so  diligent,  that,  it  is  said,  there 
was  scarcely  a  ball  which  did  not  end  in  a  marriage. 

Amid  these  obstructions,  the  ships  spent  nineteen  days  in  maldng  seventy 
miles;  which  course,  however,  brought  them,  on  the  21st,  within  two  leagues  of 
what  are  called  the  Savage  Islands.  On  the  following  afternoon  a  loud  shouting 
was  heard  over  the  ice,  and  soon  after  there  appeared  a  numerous  band  of  na- 
tives, paddling  their  canoes  through  the  lanes  of  open  water,  or,  where  these 
failed,  drawing  them  over  the  pieces  of  ice.  Among  a  great  number  of  kayaks, 
or  boats  rowed  by  a  single  man,  were  five  oomiaks,  or  women's  boats,  construct- 
ed of  a  frame  work  of  wood  and  whalebone,  covered  with  deer  skins,  having  flat 
sides  and  bottoms,  and  of  considerable  size.  One  of  them,  25  feet  by  8,  contain- 
ed women,  boys,  and  children,  to  the  number  of  twenty-one.  Presently  began 
a  wild,  merry,  noisy  scene  of  frolic  and  traffic.  The  natives  carried  it  on  with 
eagerness  and  even  fury,  stripping  tliemselves  to  tlie  very  skins  which  formed 
their  only  covering,  till  they  were  in  a  state  of  total  nudity,  except  tliat  tlie  ladies 
always  m;ide  a  laudable  reservation  of  tlieir  breeches.  They  drove  what  they 
meant  should  be  an  excessively  hard  bargain ;  yet,  being  wholly  ignorant  of  the 
value  of  the  rich  skins  with  which  nature  has  invested  the  animals  of  this  Arctic 
climate,  they  raised  shouts  of  triumph  when  they  obtained  in  exchange  a  nail,  a 
saw,  or  a  razor.  Their  aspect  was  wilder  and  more  dishevelled  than  that  of  any 
other  tribe  even  among  this  rude  race;  their  character  also  seems  fiercer  and 
more  savage :  and  indeed  it  is  in  this  quarter  tliat  most  of  the  tragical  encounters 
with  Esquimaux  have  occurred.  Some  of  the  ancient  dames  were  pronounced 
to  be  the  most  hideous  objects  that  mortd  eye  had  ever  beheld;  inflamed  eyes, 
wrinkled  skin,  black  teeth,  and  deformed  ieatures,  rendered  them  scarcely  hu- 
man: hence  much  apology  was  found  for  the  dark  and  dire  suspicions  cherish- 
ed by  Forbisher's  crew  respecting  one  of  these  damsels,  and  the  odd  iuvestiga- 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PERRY.  605 

lion  to  which  it  prompted.  The  children  were  rather  pretty ;  though,  from  be- 
ing thrown  carelessly  into  the  bottom  of  the  boats,  they  had  much  "the  appear- 
ance of  the  young  of  wild  animals.  Besides  traffic,  the  natives  carried  on  a 
great  deal  of  rather  rude  frolic,  like  that  of  ill  regulated  school  boys.  One  of 
them  got  behind  a  sailor,  shouted  loudly  in  one  ear,  and  gave  him  a  hearty  box 
on  the  other,  which  was  hailed  with  a  loud  and  general  laugh.  They  also  car- 
ried on  a  dance,  consisting  chiefly  of  violent  leaping  and  stamping,  though  in 
tolerable  time. 

In  spite  of  every  obstruction,  Captain  Parry,  early  in  August,  reached  the  en- 
trance of  Fox's  Channel,  and  came  in  view  of  Southampton  Island.  It  was  now 
the  question  whether  to  sail  directly  up  this  channel,  and  reach,  by  a  compara- 
tively short  route,  Repulse  Bay  and  the  higher  latitudes,  or  to  make  the  south- 
western circuit  of  Southampton  Island,  and  ascend  the  beaten  track  of  the  Wel- 
come. Captain  Parry  judiciously  preferred  the  former,  notwithstanding  its  un- 
certainties, on  account  of  the  great  tiiue  which  would  be  saved  should  this  course 
be  found  practical)le.  On  the  15th  he  came  to  a  strait  stretching  westward,  and 
apparently  separating  the  island  from  other  land  on  the  north.  Hoping  to  find 
this  the  Frozen  Strait  of  Middleton,  he  entered  it;  but  it  soon  proved  a  spacious 
and  beautiful  basin,  enclosed  by  land  on  every  side.  He  named  it  the  Duke  of 
York's  Bay,  and  considered  it  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world ;  but,  after 
admiring  a  large  floe  covered  entirely  with  minerals,  shells,  and  plants,  he  moved 
out  of  it,  and  pursued  the  voyage.  On  the  21st  the  navigators  found  themselves 
in  another  strait,  not  much  encumbered  with  ice,  but  darkened  by  thick  fogs ; 
and,  before  they  almost  knew  where  they  were,  a  heavy  swell  from  the  south- 
ward showed  that  they  had  passed  through  the  Frozen  Strait,  and  were  in  the 
broad  channel  of  the  Welcome.  They  speedily  entered  Repulse  Bay,  in  which 
modern  speculation  had  cherished  the  hope  of  a  passage  ;  but  a  short  investrga- 
tion,  made  by  boats  in  every  direction,  proved  that  it  was  really  as  Middleton 
had  described  it,  completely  enclosed.  A  good  deal  of  time  had  thus  been  lost 
through  the  skepticism  so  unjustly  attached  to  tlie  narrative  of  that  eminent  navi- 
gator. 

Captain  Parry,  having  come  with  all  speed  out  of  Repulse  Bay,  began  the  ca- 
reer of  discovery  along  a  coast  hitherto  unknown.  An  inlet  was  soon  found, 
and  called  by  the  name  of  Gore ;  but  when  ascended  a  certain  length,  it  was 
not  found  to  reach  far  inland.  At  the  mouth  of  this  opening,  the  valleys  were 
richly  clad  with  grass  and  moss,  the  birds  singing,  butterflies  and  other  insects 
displaying  the  most  gaudy  tints,  so  that  the  sailors  might  have  fancied  themselves 
in  a  happier  climate,  had  not  the  mighty  piles  of  ice  in  the  Frozen  Strait  told  a 
different  tale.  Hunting  parties  traversed  the  country  in  various  directions,  and 
the  game  laws  of  the  preceding  year  were  strictly  re-enacted,  by  which  every 
beast  or  bird  slain  was  to  be  employed  for  the  general  good,  allowing  only  the 
head  and  legs  as  a  douceur  to  the  captor.  The  latter,  however,  adopted  and 
made  good  a  theory,  agreeably  to  which  the  description /tea^i  was  greatly  extend- 
ed, so  as  to  include  even  several  joints  of  the  back  bone. 

Having  passed  Gore  Inlet,  the  expedition  found  itself  among  those  numerous 
isles  described  by  Middleton,  which  formed  a  complete  labyrinth  of  various 
shapes  and  sizes,  while  strong  currents  setting  between  them  in  various  direc- 
tions, amid  fogs  and  drifting  ice,  rendered  the  navigation  truly  perilous.  The 
Fury  was  assailed  by  successive  masses  rushing  out  from  an  inlet ;  her  anchor 
was  dragged  along  the  rocks  with  a  grinding  noise,  and  on  being  drawn  up,  the 
two  flukes  were  found  to  be  broken  off.  The  same  vessel  was  afterwards  car- 
ried along  by  a  violent  current,  amid  thick  mist,  without  there  being  any  means 
of  guiding  or  altering  its  direction;  so  that  Captain  Parry  considers  it  altogether 
providential  that  she  was  not  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  surrounding  rocks. 
However,  one  channel,  and  one  only,  was  found,  by  which  the  mariners  at  last 
made  their  way  through  this  perilous  maze.  No  sqoner  had  they  reached  the 
open  sea,  than,  being  obliged  to  run  before  a  northerly  breeze,  they  were  much 
disheartened  to  find  themselves,  on  the  3d  of  September,  at  the  very  point  which 
they  had  left  on  the  preceding  6th  of  August.  All  the  interval  had  been  era- 
ployed  in  the  mere  negative  discovery,  that  there  was  nothing  to  discover. 


606 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 


Captain  Parry  soon  reached  the  northern  coast,  and  resumed  his  task,  which 
was  rendered  \ery  tedious  by  the  necessity  of  examining  every  opening  and 
channel,  in  the  hope  that  each  might  prove  the  desired  passage  into  the  Polar 
ocean.  He  first  explored  a  large  inlet,  the  name  of  which  he  gave  to  Captain 
Lyon,  then  a  smaller  one,  which  was  named  from  Lieutenant  Hoppner ;  and  by 
connecting  these  with  Gore  Inlet,  he  completed  his  delineation  of  the  coast. 
The  seamen  had  then  the  pleasure  of  opening  a  traffic  with  a  party  of  Esqui- 
maux, whose  first  timidity  was  soon  overcome  by  the  hope  of  being  supplied 
with  some  iron  tools.  In  the  course  of  this  transaction,  the  surprise  of  the  crew 
was  aroused  by  the  conduct  of  a  lady,  who  had  sold  one  boot,  but  obstinately  re- 
tained the  other  in  disregard  of  the  strongest  remonstrances  as  to  the  ridiculous 
figure  she  in  consequence  made.  At  length, 'suspicion  rose  to  such  a  pitch,  that, 
all  courtesy  being  set  aside,  her  person  was  laid  hold  of  and  the  boot  pulled  off'. 
Then  indeed  it  proved  a  complete  depository  of  stolen  treasure,  since  no  less 
than  two  spoons  and  a  pewter  plate  were  found  within  this  capacious  receptacle. 

The  end  of  September  now  approached,  and  Captain  Parry  found  himself 
suddenly  in  the  depth  of  winter.  Snow  had  been  falling  during  t'.ie  whole  of  the 
short  summer;  but  the  united  warmth  of  the  air  and  earth  had  melted  it  as  it  fell, 
and  left  the  ground  still  open  to  the  sun's  rays.  In  one  moment,  as  it  were,  tlie 
snow  made  good  its  lodgement,  and  spread  its  white  and  dazzling  mantle  over 
land  and  sea.  The  rays  being  then  no  longer  able  to  reach  the  soil,  the  whole 
became  subject  to  permanent  and  impenetrable  frost.  Some  parts  of  the  snow 
were  indeed  dissolved,  and  then  refrozen  in  varied  and  beautiful  forms  of  crys- 
tallization ;  whereas,  at  Melville  Island,  the  dead  white  covering  once  spread 
over,  nature  had  never  changed  its  aspect.  A  more  serious  symptom  existed 
in  the  rapid  formation  of  soft  or  pancake  ice  on  the  surface  of  the  deep.  The 
obstacle  presented  by  this  crust  was  at  first  so  slight  as  to  be  scarcely  felt  by  a 
ship  before  a  favoring  gale;  but  it  continually  increased,  till  the  vessel,  rolling 
from  side  to  side,  and  all  her  resources  failing,  became,  hke  Gulliver,  bound  by 
the  feeble  hands  of  Lilliputians.  At  the  same  time  the  various  pieces  of  drift 
ice,  which  were  tossing  in  the  sea  without,  had  been  cemented  into  one  great 
field  called  "  the  ice,"  that  threatened  every  moment  to  bear  down  upon  the  ves- 
sels, and  dash  them  in  pieces.  Under  this  combination  of  circumstances,  the 
navigators  could  no  longer  even  attempt  to  reach  the  land,  but  deteiinined  to  saw 
into  the  heart  of  a  large  adjoining  floe,  and  there  take  up  their  winter  quarters. 
There  was  about  half  a  mile  to  penetrate,  which,  in  the  present  soft  state  of  the 
pancake  ice,  was  not  very  laborious.  It  was,  however,  far  from  pleasant,  the  ice 
bending  like  leather  beneath  their  feet,  and  causing  them  sometimes  to  sink  into 
the  water,  whence  they  did  not  escape  without  a  cold  bath. 

Captain  Parry  was  now  frozen  up  for  another  winter  in  the  midst  of  the 
northern  sea,  and  he  forthwith  applied  himself  to  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments, with  that  judicious  foresight  which  had  been  already  so  conspicuous  in 
the  same  trying  circumstances.  Through  lessons  taught  by  experience,  and  by 
several  ingenious  contrivances,  the  ships  were  much  more  thoroughly  heated 
than  in  the  former  voyage ;  the  provisioning,  too,  was  more  ample,  and  anti- 
dotes against  scurvy  still  more  copiously  supplied.  The  Polar  tlieatre  opened 
on  the  9th  of  November  with  "The  Rivals."  Captains  Parry  and  Lyon  volun- 
teered to  appear  as  Sir  Anthony  and  Captain  Absolute;  while  the  ladies  had 
very  generously  removed  an  ample  growth  of  beard,  disregarding  the  comfort- 
able warmth  which  it  aftbrded  in  an  Arctic  climate.  The  company  were  well 
received,  and  carried  through  their  performances  with  unabated  spirit;  yet  this 
season  does  not  seem  to  have  gone  off  with  tlie  same  eclat  as  the  preceding. 
Novelty,  from  the  first  the  chief  attraction,  had  worn  off,  and  the  discomfort  of 
a  stage,  the  exhibitions  of  which  were  attended  with  a  cold  tliirty  degrees  under 
the  freezing  point,  became  rather  severe.  The  sailors  found  for  themselves  a 
more  sober  and  useful,  as  well  as  elficacious,  remedy  against  ennui.  They  es- 
tablished a  school,  in  which  the  better  instructed  undertook  to  revive  the  know- 
ledge of  letters  among  others  who  had  almost  entirely  lost  the  slight  tincture 
which  they  had  once  imbibed.  These  hardy  tars  applied  themselves  to  their 
book  with  ardent  and  laudable  zeal,  and  showed  a  pride  in  their  new  attain- 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY.  607 

ments  like  that  of  little  boys  at  school.  By  Christmas  sixteen  well  written  cop- 
ies were  forthcoming  from  those  who,  two  months  before,  could  scarcely  form  a 
letter.  Amid  these  varied  and  pleasing  occupations,  the  shortest  day  passed  over 
their  heads  almost  unobserved,  especially  as  the  sun  never  entirely  left  them. 
Captain  Lyon  never  saw  a  merrier  Christmas  than  was  celebrated  on  board. 
The  sailors,  being  amply  regaled  with  fresh  beef,  cranberry  pies,  and  grog,  be- 
came so  extremely  elevated,  that  they  insisted  on  successively  drinking,  with 
three  hearty  cheers,  the  health  of  each  officer. 

The  animal  world  in  this  rigorous  climate,  even  though  the  ground  was  com- 
pletely frozen  over,  did  not  disappear  so  entirely  as  on  Melville  Island.  A  few 
solitary  hares  were  caught;  but  they  were  in  a  miserable  state  of  leanness,  weigh- 
ing only  five  or  six  pounds,  and  had  a  pure  white  covering,  which  resembled 
swan's  down  rather  than  hair.  About  a  hundred  white  foxes  were  found  in  the 
nets  during  the  winter.  These  beautiful  creatures,  when  first  caught,  were  per- 
fectly wild  and  ungovernable ;  but  shortly,  the  young  ones  at  least,  threw  oft' 
this  timidity.  A  delicate  little  animal  found  one  day  in  the  snare  proved  to  be 
an  ermine;  but  it  was  excessively  frightened,  and,  to  the  general  regret,  soon 
died. 

The  winter  months  were  also  enlivened  by  various  beautiful  appearances 
which  the  sky  at  that  season  presented.  The  northern  world,  when  the  sun  de- 
parts, is  by  no  means  involved  in  that  deep,  monotonous  gloom  which  such  a 
privation  might  indicate.  After  that  luminary  has  finally  quitted  the  earth,  and 
the  long  northern  winter  has  closed  in,  the  heavens  become  a  gay  scene,  through 
which  the  most  brilliant  meteors  are  perpetually  playing.  Those  most  singular 
and  beautiful  streams  of  light,  called  commonly  the  Aurora  Borcalis,  or  North- 
ern Morning,  keep  up  an  almost  incessant  illumination.  They  were  discerned 
in  full  splendor  by  Captains  Parry  and  Lyon  during  their  Arctic  residence. 
The  light  had  a  tendency  to  form  an  irregular  arch,  which,  in  calm  weather,  was 
often  very  distinct,  though  its  upper  boundary  was  seldom  well  defined ;  but 
whenever  the  air  became  agitated,  showers  of  rays  spread  in  every  direction, 
virith  the  brilliancy  and  rapidity  of  lightning.  Sometimes  long  bands  of  light 
were  spread  out  with  inconceivable  rapidity,  but  always  appearing  to  move  to 
and  from  a  fixed  point,  somewhat  like  a  riband  held  in  the  hand  and  shaken  with 
an  undulatory  motion.  No  rule,  however,  could  be  traced  in  the  movements  of 
those  lighter  parcels  called  "  the  merry  dancers,"  which  flew  about  perpetually 
in  every  direction  and  towards  every  quarter.  In  stormy  weather  the  northern 
lights  always  became  more  rapid  in  their  motions,  sharing  all  the  wildness  of  the 
blast.  They  gave  an  indescribable  air  of  magic  to  the  whole  scene,  and  made  it 
not  wonderful  that  by  the  untaught  Indian  they  should  be  viewed  as  "the  spirits 
of  his  fathers  roaming  through  the  land  of  souls." 

Several  questions  have  been  agitated  with  respect  to  the  Aurora.  It  has  been 
said  to  be  accompanied  by  a  hissing  cracking  noise;  and  indeed  Captain  Lyon 
observes,  that  the  sudden  glare  and  rapid  bursts  of  those  wondrous  showers  of 
fire  make  it  difficult  to  fancy  their  movements  wholly  without  sound.  Yet  no- 
thing was  really  ever  heard.  Captain  Parry  complains  that  he  could  not  expose 
his  ears  to  the  cold  long  enough  completely  to  ascertain  the  point;  but  Captain 
Lyon  declares  that  he  stood  for  hours  on  the  ice  listening,  and  at  a  distance  from 
every  sounding  body,  till  he  became  satisfied  that  none  proceeded  from  the  -4m- 
rora.  It  has  been  a  question  whether  this  meteor  hid  the  stars ;  it  was  generally 
decided  that  it  dimmed  the  lustre  of  those  heavenly  bodies,  as  if  a  thin  gauze 
veil  had  been  drawn  over  them, — an  effect  which  was  augmented  when  several 
luminous  portions  were  spread  over  each  other.  In  a  clear  atmosphere  these 
lights  shone  with  a  brightness  which  gave  the  impression  that  they  were  nearer 
than  the  clouds  :  but  whenever  these  last  overspread  the  sky,  the  Aurora  was 
hid  by  them,  and  must  therefore  have  been  more  distant.  To  Captain  Parry 
the  fight  appeared  to  assume  tints  of  yellow  and  lilac;  but  to  Captain  Lyon  its 
coJour  always  resembled  that  of  the  Milky  Way,  or  of  very  vivid  sheet  lightning. 
The  present  writer  saw  the  Aurora  once,  and  only  once,  in  its  utmost  brilliancy, 
and  exhibiting  all  the  phenomena  described  by  these  northern  observers, — ^his 
impressions  agreeing  particularly  with  those  of  Captain  Lyon. 


608  WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 

Other  luminous  meteors,  arising  apparently  from  the  refraction  caused  by  the 
minute  spiculae  of  ice,  appear  in  succession  to  embellish  the  northern  sky.  The 
sun  and  the  moon  are  often  surrounded  with  halos, — concentric  circles  of  vapor^ 
tinted  with  the  brightest  hues  of  the  rainbow.  Parhelia,  or  mock  suns,  frequent- 
ly adorned  with  these  accompaniments,  shine  at  once  in  different  quarters  of  the 
firmament.  Ellis,  who  went  with  Moor  and  Smith  to  Hudson's  Bay,  has  seen 
six  in  one  sky.  They  are  most  brilliant  at  day-break,  diminish  in  lustre  as  the 
real  sun  ascends,  but  again  brighten  at  his  setting.  The  sun  himself,  for  some 
time  before  he  finally  departs  for  the  winter,  and  also  after  his  reappearance  in 
the  spring,  tinges  the  sky  with  hues  of  matchless  brilliancy.  The  edges  of  the 
clouds  near  that  luminary  often  present  a  fiery  or  burnished  appearance,  while 
the  opposite  horizon  glows  with  a  deep  purple,  gradually  softening  as  it  ascends 
into  a  delicate  rose  colour  of  inconceivable  beauty.  As  the  solar  orb  at  periods 
never  rises  more  than  a  few  degrees  above  the  horizon,  he  is,  as  it  were,  in  a 
state  of  permanent  rising  and  setting,  and  seems  to  exhibit  longer  and  more  va- 
riously the  beautiiul  appearances  rising  out  of  that  position.  At  this  time  the 
nalied  eye  can  view  him  without  being  dazzled  ;  and  Captain  Lyon  considers 
'  the  soflened  blush  colour,  which  his  rays  exhibit  tluough  frost,  as  possessing  a 
charm  which  surpasses  even  that  of  an  Italian  sky. 

Amid  all  these  resources,  the  monotony  of  the  scene  was  beginning  to  be  op-, 
pressive,  when  it  was  relieved  by  an  unexpected  incident,  which  attracted  uni- 
versal attention.  On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  February,  a  numbei  of  distant 
figures  were  seen  moving  over  the  ice,  and  when  they  were  viewed  through 
glasses,  the  cry  was  raised,  "  Esquimaux,  Esquimaux  !"  As  it  was  of  great  im- 
portance to  deal  courteously  and  discreetly  with  these  strangers,  the  two  com- 
manders formed  a  party  of  six,  who  walked  in  files  behind  each  other,  that  they 
might  cause  no  alarm.  The  Esquimaux  then  formed  themselves  into  a  line  of 
twenty  one,  advanced  slowly,  and  at  length  made  a  full  stop.  In  this  order  they 
saluted  the  strangers  by  the  usual  movement  of  bealhigthe  breasts.  They 
were  substantially  clothed  in  rich  and  dark  deer  skins,  and  appeared  a  much 
more  quiet  and  orderly  race  than  their  rude  countrymen  of  the  Savage  Islands. 
On  the  Eughsh  produchig  their  precious  commodities,  knives,  nails,  and  needles, 
an  active  traffic  was  set  on  foot;  and  the  females,  on  seeing  that  much  impor- 
tance was  attached  to  the  skins  which  formed  their  clothing,  began  immediately 
to  strip  off  those  with  which  their  fair  persons  were  covered.  The  captains  felt 
alarmed  for  the  consequences,  under  a  temperature  more  than  fifty  degrees  be- 
low tlie  freezing  point;  but  were  soon  consoled  by  observing  underneath  anoth- 
er comfortable  suit.  They  were  now  cordially  invited  to  enter  their  habitations, 
to  which  they  agreed  most  readily,  only  that  there  appeared  no  habitations  to 
enter.  However,  they  were  led  to  a  hole  in  the  snow,  and  instructed  to  place 
themselves  on  their  hands  and  knees,  in  which  position,  having  crept  through  a 
long  winding  passage,  they  arrived  at  a  little  hall  with  a  dome-shaped  roof  whence 
doors  opened  into  three  apartments,  each  occupied  by  a  separate  family.  These 
j)roved  to  be  five  distinct  mansions,  tenanted  by  sixty-four  men,  women,  and 
children.  The  materials  and  structure  of  these  abodes  was  still  more  singular 
than  their  position.  Snow,  tlie  chief  product  of  the  northern  tempests,  became 
here  a  protection  against  its  own  cold.  It  was  formed  into  curved  slabs  of  about 
two  feetlongand  half  a  foot  thick,  put  together  by  a  mostjudicious  masonry,  so  as 
to  present  a  species  of  dome  shaped  structures,  rising  six  or  seven  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  about  fourteen  or  sixteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  mode  of  inserting 
the  key  slab,  which  bound  the  whole  together,  would,  it  is  said,  have  been  satis- 
factory to  the  eye  of  a  regular  bred  artist.  A  plate  of  ice  in  tlie  roof  served  as  a 
window  and  admitted  the  light  as  through  ground  glass;  which,  when  it  shone 
•on  the  interior  mansions,  in  their  first  state  of  pure  and  beautiful  transparency, 
produced  sofl  and  glittering  tints  of  green  and  blue.  But,  alas  •  ere  long,  accu- 
mulated dirt,  smoke,  and  otial,  converted  these  apartments  into  a  scene  of  black- 
ness and  stench.  This  litUe  village  appeared  at  first  a  cluster  of  hillocks  amid 
the  snow;  but  successive  falls  filled  up  the  vacuities,  and  converted  it  almost  in- 
to a  smooth  surface,  so  that  even  boys  and  dogs  were  seen  walking  and  sporting 
over  the  roofs;  though,  as  summer  and  thaw  advanced,  a  leg  sometimes  peue- 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 


609 


trated  and  appeared  to  ihe  alarmed  inhabitants  below.  Then,  too,  the  ceiling 
begins  to  drip  ;  and  the  tenants,  after  repeatedly  endeavouring  to  patch  it  with 
fresh  slabs,  and  catching,  of  course  some  severe  colds,  are  obliged  to  betake 
themselves  to  a  more  durable  covering.  In  each  room,  suspended  from  the  roof, 
burns  a  lamp,  with  a  long  wick  formed  of  a  peculiar  species  of  moss,  fed  with  the 
oil  of  the  seal  or  the  walrus,  and  serving  at  once  for  light,  heat,  and  cookery. 
The  family  sit  round  the  apartment,  on  a  bench  formed  of  snow,  strewed  with 
slender  twigs,  and  covered  with  skins ;  but  this  part  of  the  dwelling  must  be 
carefully  kept  a  good  deal  below  the  freezing  point,  since  a  higher  temperature 
.would  speedily  dissolve  the  walls  of  the  frail  tenement. 

After  a  cheerful  and  friendly  visit,  an  invitation  was  given  to  the  Esquimaux 
to  repair  to  the  ships,  when  fifty  accepted  it  with  alacrity.  Partly  walking  and 
partly  dancing,  they  soon  reached  the  vessels,  where  a  striking  congeniality  of 
spirit  was  soon  found  to  exist  between  them  aftdthe  sailors;  boisterous  fun  form- 
ing to  each  the  chief  source  of  enjoyment.  A  fiddle  and  drum  being  produced, 
the  natives  struck  up  a  dance,  or  rather  a  succession  of  vehement  leaps,  accom- 
panied with  loud  shouts  and  yells.  Seeing  the  Kabloonas,  or  Whites,  as  tliey 
called  the  strangers,  engaged  in  a  game  of  leap  frog,  they  attempted  to  join;  but 
not  duly  understanding  how  to  measure  their  movements,  they  made  such  over- 
leaps as  sometimes  to  pitch  on  the  crown  of  their  heads :  however,  they  sprang 
up  quite  unconcerned.  Their  attention  was  specially  attracted  to  the  effects  of 
a  winch,  by  which  one  sailor  forcibly  drew  towards  him  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve 
of  their  number,  though  grinning  and  straining  every  nerve  in  resistance ;  but 
finding  all  in  vain,  they  joined  in  the  burst  of  good  humoured  laughter  till  tears 
streamed  from  their  eyes.  One  intelligent  old  man  followed  Captain  Lyon  to 
the  cabin,  and  viewed  with  rational  surprise  various  objects  which  were  present- 
ed. The  performance  of  a  hand  organ  and  a  musical  snuff  box  struck  him  with 
breathless  admiration ;  and  on  seeing  drawings  of  the  Esquimaux  in  Hudson's 
Strait,  he  soon  understood  them,  and  showed  the  difference  between  their  dress 
and  appearance  and  that  of  his  own  tribe.  On  seeing  the  sketch  of  a  bear,  he 
raised  a  loud  cry,  drew  up  his  sleeves,  and  showed  the  scars  of  three  deep 
wounds  received  in  encounters  with  that  terrible  animal.  The  seamen  sought 
to  treat  their  visiters  to  such  delicacies  as  their  ship  afforded,  but  were  some 
time^at  a  loss  to  discover  how  their  palate  might  be  gratified.  Grog,  the  sea- 
man's choicest  luxury,  only  one  old  woman  could  be  induced  to  taste.  Sugar, 
sweetmeats,  gingerbread,  were  accepted  only  out  of  complaisance  and  eaten 
with  manifest  disgust;  but  train  oil,  entrails  of  animals,  and  any  thing  consisting 
of  pure  fat  or  grease,  were  swallowed  in  immense  quantities,  and  with  symp- 
toms of  exquisite  delight.  This  taste  was  first  evinced  by  an  old  woman,  who, 
having  sold  her  oil  pot,  took  care  previously  to  empty  the  contents  into  her  sto- 
mach, and  lick  it  clean  with  her  tongue,  regardless  of  her  face  becoming  thus  as 
black  as  soot.  Captain  Lyon  being  disposed  to  ingratiate  himself  with  rather  a 
handsome  young  damsel,  presented  her  with  a  good  moulded  candle,  six  to  the 
pound.  She  immediately  began  to  eat  off  the  tallow  with  every  symptom  of  the 
greatest  enjoyment,  after  which  she  thrust  the  wick  into  her  inouth;  but  the 
Captain  concerned  for  the  consequences  to  this  delicate  virgin,  insisted  on  pull- 
ing it  out  In  preference  to  strong  liquors  they  drank  water  in  most  enormous 
quantities,  by  gallons  at  a  time,  and  two  quarts  at  a  draught;  a  supply  of  liquid 
which  is  perhaps  necessary  to  dissolve  their  gross  food,  and  which,  being  ob- 
tained only  from  snow  artificially  melted,  is  a  scarce  winter  article. 

The  Esquimaux  were  attended  by  a  large  pack  of  wolves,  which  seemed  to 
follow  solely  to  pick  up  whatever  might  be  found  straggling  or  defenceless  about 
their  habitation.  These  animals  continued  through  the  whole  winter  ravening 
with  hunger,  and  in  eager  watch  for  any  victim  which  might  come  vvithin  their 
reach.  For  this  purpose  they  took  a  station  between  the  huts  and  the  ships, 
ready  to  act  against  either  as  circumstances  might  dictate.  They  did  not  attack 
the  sailors  even  when  unarmed,  though  they  were  often  seen  hovering  through 
the  gloom  in  search  of  prey.  EvQry  stray  dog  was  seized,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
devoured.  Two  wolves  broke  into  a  snow  house  close  to  the  ship,  and  carried 
off  each  a  dog  larger  than  himself;  but,  being  pursued,  one  of  them  was  obliged 

5/6  • 


610  WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 

to  drop  his  booty.  In  the  extremity  of  their  hunger  they  hesitated  not  to  tear 
and  devour  the  cables  and  canvass  found  lying  near  the  vessel.  A  deadly  war 
was  therefore  waged  against  these  fierce  animals,  of  which  thirteen  were  killed 
in  the  course  of  the  season,  and  sent  to  be  eaten  by  the  Esquimaux, — a  present 
which  was  received  with  much  satisfaction. 

As  spring  advanced,  the  attention  of  the  officers  was  almost  wholly  engro?eed 
by  the  prospects  of  navigation  and  discovery  during  the  approaching  summ^. 
Their  Esquimaux  neighbours,  by  no  means  destitute  of  intelligence,  and  accus- 
tomed to  shift  continually  from  place  to  place,  were  found  to  have  acquired  a 
very  extensive  knowledge  of  the  seas  and  coasts  of  this  part  of  America.  One  • 
female,  in  particular,  named  Iligliuk,  who  bore  even  among  her  countrymen  the 
character  of  a  ''wise  woman,"  was,  after  a  little  instruction,  enabled  to  convey 
to  the  strangers  the  outlines  of  her  geographical  knowledge,  in  the  fonn  of  a 
rude  map.  A  pencil  being  put  into  her  hand,  she  traced  the  shore  from  Repulse 
Bay  with  such  a  tolerable  measure  of  accuracy  as  inspired  great  confidence  in 
what  she  might  farther  delineate.  Iligliuk  then  began  to  exhibit  a  coast  reach- 
ing far  to  the  north,  being,  in  fact,  the  eastern  limits  of  Melville  peninsula.  Next 
her  pencil  took  a  westward  direction,  when  her  farther  progress  was  watched 
with  the  deepest  interest ;  upon  which  she  was  seen  tracing  a  strait  between  op- 
posite lands,  that  extended  westward  till  it  opened  on  each  side,  and  spead  into 
an  apparently  unbounded  ocean.  This  delineation,  which  promised  to  fulfil 
their  most  sanguine  hopes,  gratified  the  officers  beyond  measure,  and  they  load- 
ed Iligliuk  with  attentions  which  unluckily  soon  turned  her  head,  and  made  her 
go  conceited  and  disdainful  that  they  were  obliged  to  discontinue  their  notice 
of  her. 

Captain  Lyon,  in  the  middle  of  March,  undertook  a  journey  across  a  piece  of 
land  lying  between  the  station  of  the  ships  and  the  continent,  which  had  been 
named  Winter  fsland.     The  party  were  scarcely  gone  when  they  encountered 
a  heavy  gale,  bringing  with  it  clouds  of  drift,  with  a  cold  so  intense,  that  they 
could  not  stop  for  a  moment  without  having  their  faces  covered  with  frost 
bites.     After  some  vain  struggles  they  determined  to  pitch  their  tent;  but  as  the 
temperature  within  was  at  zero,  and  was  continually  lowering,  they  felt  that 
they  could  not  live  through  the  night  under  this  shelter.     They  therefore  dug  a 
cave  in  the  eaith,  and  by  huddhng  together  round  a  fire,  immersed  in  smoke,  to 
which  no  vent  was  allowed,  contrived  to  keep  up  a  degree  of  warmth,  though 
still  ten  or  fifteen  degrees  below  the  freezing  point.     In  the  morning  their  sledge 
was  too  deeply  buried  beneath  the  drift  to  leave  any  hope  of  digging  it  out,  and 
they  could  reach  the  ships,  now  six  miles  distant,  only  by  proceeding  on  foot 
tiirough  a  tempest  of  snow  falling  so  thick  that  they  could  not  see  a  yard  before 
tliem.     Finding  sometimes  no  track,  sometimes  several  leading  in  diflTerent  di- 
lections,  they  were  soon  bewildered  and  wandered  they  knew  not  where  among 
heavy  hummocks  of  ice.    The  frostbites  were  so  numerous  that  they  could  not 
muster  hands  enough  to  rub  tlie  parts  affected,  and  some  began  to  sink  into  that 
dreadful  insensibility  which  is  the  prelude  to  death  by  cold,  and  to  reel  about  like 
drunken  men.     Thus  they  had  resigned  almost  every  hope  of  deliverance,  when 
providentially  there  appeared  a  new  beaten  track,  which  they  determined  to  fol- 
low, and  in  ten  minutes  it  led  them  to  the  ships.     Their  arrival  tiiere  caused  in- 
describable joy,  as  they  had  been  nearly  given  up  for  lost,  while  no  party  could 
be  sent  in  .search  of  them  without  imminent  risk  of  sharing  their  fate. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  in  a  more  favorable  season,  Captain  Lyon  undertook  an- 
other journey.  In  a  fev/  hours  he  crossed  Winter  Island,  and  reached  the  strait 
separating  it  from  the  continent,  covered  with  heavy  grounded  ice  very  difficult 
to  walk  upon.  The  sun,  now  powerful,  produced  such  a  glare  on  tlie  snow  as 
aftected  several  of  the  party  with  severe  bhndness;  while  the  only  means  of  pro- 
curing water  was  by  holding  up  plates  of  ice  in  the  solar  rays,  by  which  they 
were  gradually  melted.  The  pany  having  reached  the  mainland,  proceeded  a 
considerable  way  along  the  coast,  crossing  several  bays  upon  the  ice ;  but  at  last 
tiiey  cams  in  view  of  a  bold  cape,  which  they  fondly  and  vainly  hoped  was  the 
extreme  point  of  America.  Here  they  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  of  snow,  but 
not  accompanied,  like  the  former,  with  perilous  cold ;  it  melted  as  it  fell,  and 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRV.  611 

formed  a  pulp  whieh  penetrated  into  their  tents,  yet  did  not  dissolve  so  com- 
pletely as  to  be  fit  for  drinking.  This  storm  kept  them  imprisoned  for  sixty- 
eight  hours  ;  which  dreary  interval  they  enlivened  by  reading  in  turn  from  three 
books  they  chanced  to  have  with  them,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  began  to  gleam 
they  hastened  to  return  to  the  ships. 

The  end  of  May  presented  a  gloomy  aspect,  the  season  being  still  more  back- 
ward than  in  the  more  northerly  and  rigorous  climate  of  Melville  Island.  The 
snow  was  dissolved  only  on  some  spots,  and  hardly  any  symptoms  of  vegetation 
were  yet  visible  ;  but  as  there  was  an  extent  of  open  water  in  the  sea  without, 
Captain  Parry  determined  upon  sawing  his  way  through  to  it.  This  was  a  most 
laborious  process,  the  ice  being  much  thicker  and  stronger  thanat  the  commence- 
ment of  the  season ;  and  after  the  seamen  had  continued  at  it  more  than  a  fort- 
night, and  were  within  forty-eight  hours  of  completing  a  canal,  the  body  of  the 
ice  made  a  movement  which  closed  it  completely  up.  As  they  were  looking  on 
m  despair  at  this  disaster,  another  passage  opened  which  they  attempted  to  ren- 
der available.  This  too  closed  in  the  same  manner ;  but  these  agitations  had  at 
last  the  etfect  of  causing  the  whole  mass  to  float  out  into  tlie  open  sea,  and  thus 
leaving  them  an  unobstructed  passage. 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  ships  began  their  career  of  discovery.  They  had  a  fa- 
vourable run  through  this  sea,  which  formed  a  continuation  of  Fox's  Channel; 
but  a  strong  current  from  the  north  was  bringing  down  the  masses  of  ice  with 
great  force.  The  Hecla  underwent  some  severe  pressures,  and,  within  five  or 
six  hundred  yards  of  the  Fury,  two  large  floes  dashed  against  each  other  with 
such  a  tremendous  concussion,  that  numberless  huge  masses  were  thrown  fifty 
or  sixty  feel  into  the  air.  The  vessel,  had  she  come  for  a  moment  within  the 
sphere  of  these  movements,  must  have  been  dashed  to  pieces, — happily  she  es- 
caped. This  current,  however,  was  highly  promising,  since  it  could  not  be 
traced  to  the  mouth  of  Hudson's  Straits,  but  must  come  from  the  western  ocean 
which  they  were  so  anxious  to  reach. 

The  ice  passed  by,  and  the  ships  proceeded  with  a  favouring  wind  and  tide. 
The  shores  began  now  to  put  on  their  summer  aspect ;  the  snow  had  nearly  dis- 
appeared ;  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  the  richest  bloom  of  Arctic  vegeta- 
tion. The  expeditition  came  to  a  fine  river  named  Barrow,  which  formed  a 
most  picturesque  fall  down  rocks  richly  fringed  with  very  brilliant  plants.  Here 
the  reindeer  sporting,  the  eider  duck,  the  golden  plover,  and  the  snow  bunting, 
spreading  their  wings,  produced  a  gay  and  delightful  scene.  On  the  14th,  the 
navigators  reached  the  island  of  Amitioke,  which  had  been  described  as  situated 
near  the  strait  they  were  then  endeavouring  to  reach.  They  saw  about  two 
hundred  walruses  lying  piled,  as  usual,  over  each  other  on  the  loose  drift  ice. 
A  boat's  crew  from  each  ship  proceeded  to  the  attack;  but  these  gallant  amphi- 
bia, some  with  their  cubs  mounted  on  their  backs,  made  the  most  desperate  re- 
sistance, and  one  of  them  tore  the  planks  of  a  boat  in  two  or  three  places.  Three 
only  were  killed,  the  flesh  of  which  was  found  tolerable,  affording  a  variety  amid 
the  ordinary  sea  diet. 

The  discoverers  now  proceeded  northwards,  and  saw  before  them  a  bold  and 
high  range  of  coast,  separated  apparently  from  that  along  which  they  were  sail- 
ing. This  feature  agreeing  with  the  indications  of  the  fair  Iligliuk,  flattered  them 
that  they  were  approaching  the  strait  exhibited  by  her  as  forming  the  entrance 
into  the  Polar  basin.  They  pushed  on  full  of  hope  and  animation,  and  were 
farther  cheered  by  reaching  the  small  island  of  Igloolik,  which  she  had  described 
as  situated  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  passage.  Accordingly  they  soon  saw 
the  strait  stretching  westward  before  them  in  long  perspective;  but,  alas!  they  dis. 
covered  at  the  same  time  an  unbroken  sheet  of  ice  stretching  from  shore  to  shore, 
crossing  and  blocking  up  the  passage,  and  this  not  a  loose  accidental  floe,  but 
the  ice  of  the  preceding  winter,  on  which  the  midsummer  had  not  produced  the 
slightest  change.  Unable  to  advance  a  single  step,  they  amused  themselves  with 
land  excursions  in  diffierent directions;  and  Captain  Parry  at  length  determined, 
on  the  14th  of  August,  with  a  party  of  six,  to  undertake  an  expedition  along  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  strait.  The  jouruey  was  very  laborious,  the  ice  being 
sometimes  thrown  up  in  rugged  humraoclcs,  and  occasionally  leaving  large  apa- 


612 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 


ces  of  open  water,  which  it  was  necessary  to  cross  on  a  plank,  or  on  pieces  of 
ice,  instead  of  boats.  In  four  days  they  came  in  view  of  a  peninsula  terminated 
by  a  bold  cape,  the  approach  to  whicii  was  guarded  by  successive  ranges  of 
strata,  resembling  the  tiers  oi  galleries  of  a  high  and  commanding  fortification. 
The  party,  however,  scrambled  to  the  summit,  whence  they  enjoyed  a  most 
gratifying  spectacle.  They  were  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  strait,  here  al)out 
two  miles  across,  with  a  tide  or  current  running  through  it  at  the  rate  of  two 
miles  an  hour.  Westward  the  shores  on  each  side  receded,  till,  for  three  points 
of  the  compass,  and  amid  a  clear  horizon,  no  land  was  visible.  The  captain 
doubted  not  that  from  this  position  he  beheld  the  Polar  sea;  into  which,  notwith- 
standing the  formidable  barriers  of  ice  which  intervened,  he  cherished  the  most 
sanguine  hopes  of  forcing  his  way.  He  named  this  the  strait  of  tlie  Fury  and 
Hecla,  and  gave  the  sailors  an  extra  can  of  grog,  to  drink  a  safe  and  speedy  pas- 
sage through  its  channel. 

Captain  Parry  now  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  the  ships,  where  his  arrival 
was  joyful  and  seasonable  ;  for  the  opposing  barrier,  which  had  been  gradually 
softening  and  breaking  into  various  rents  and  fissures,  at  once  almost  entirely 
disappeared,  and  the  vessels  next  morning  were  in  open  water.  On  the  21st, 
they  got  under  way;  and,  though  retarded  by  fogs  and  other  obstructions,  had 
arrived  on  the  26th  at  that  central  and  narrowest  cha:mel  wliich  the  commander 
had  formerly  reached.  A  brisk  breeze  now  sprung  up,  the  sky  cleared,  they 
dashed  across  a  current  of  three  or  four  knots  an  hour,  and  sanguinely  hoped  for 
an  entire  success,  which  would  compensate  so  many  delays  and  disappointments. 
Suddenly,  from  the  crows  nest  above,  it  was  armounced  that  ice,  in  a  continu- 
ous and  impenetrable  field,  unmoved  from  its  winter  station,  occupied  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  channel.  In  an  hour  they  reached  this  barrier,  which  they  found 
soft,  porous,  and  what  is  termed  rotten.  Spreading  all  their  canvass,  they  bore 
down  upon  it,  and  actually  forced  their  way  through  a  space  of  three  or  four 
I.undred  yards;  but  they  were  stuck,  and  found  their  progress  arrested  by  a  fix- 
ed and  impenetrable  mass.  From  this  point,  during  the  whole  season,  the  ships 
were  unable  to  advance  a  single  step.  Nor  had  the  crews  any  means  of  exert- 
ing their  activity  except  in  land  journeys.  Captain  Lyon  undertook  an  expedi- 
tion southward,  to  ascertain  if  any  inlet  from  sea  to  sea  in  this  direction  had  es- 
caped notice.  The  country,  however,  was  so  filled  with  rugged  and  rocky  hills, 
some  a  thousand  feet  high,  and  with  chains  of  lakes  in  which  much  ice  was 
floating,  that  he  could  not  proceed  above  seven  miles,  Though  it  was  the  be- 
ginning of  September,  the  season  was  only  that  of  early  spring;  and  the  buds 
of  the  poppy  and  saxifrage  were  just  unfolding,  to  be  prematurely  nipped  by 
the  fast  approaching  winter. 

More  satisfactory  information  was  derived  from  an  excursion  made  by  Messrs. 
Reid  and  Bushman,  who  penetrated  sixty  miles  westward  along  the  southeni 
coast  of  Cockburn  Island,  till  they  reached  a  pinnacle,  whence  they  saw,  beyond 
all  doubt,  the  Polar  ocean  spreading  its  boundless  expanse  before  them ;  but  tre- 
mendous barriers  of  ice  filled  the  strait,  and  precluded  all  approach  towards  that 
great  and  desired  object. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  September,  and  the  usual  symptoms  of  deer  troop- 
ing in  herds  southward,  floating  pieces  of  ice  consolidating  into  masses,  and  the 
thin  pancake  crust  forming  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  reminded  the  mariners, 
not  only  that  they  could  hope  for  no  farther  removal  of  the  obstacles  which  ar- 
rested their  progress,  but  that  they  must  lose  no  tune  in  providing  winter  quar- 
ters. The  niiddie  of  the  strait,  at  the  spot  where  they  had  been  first  stopped, 
occurred  as  the  station  whence  they  would  be  most  likely  to  push  future  discov- 
ery ;  but  prudence  suggested  a  doubt,  whether  the  ships,  enclosed  in  this  icy 
prison  witli  such  strong  barriers  on  each  side,  might  ever  be  able  to  efi'ect  their 
extrication.  It  appeared,  at  all  events,  a  serious  consideration,  tliat  they  might 
be  shut  up  here  for  elevQ^i  months,  surrounded  by  rocks  and  ice,  amid  the  pri- 
vations of  an  Arctic  winter.  By  returning  to  Igloolik,  they  would  be  ready  to 
catch  the  earliest  opening,  which  was  expected  to  take  place  on  the  eastern  side, 
from  whence  a  few  days  would  bring  them  to  their  present  station. 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY.  613 

On  the  30lh  of  October,  by  the  usual  operation  of  sawing,  the  ships  were  estab- 
lished in  a  harbor  at  Igloohk.  The  ensuing  season  was  passed  with  the  most 
careful  attention  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  crews;  but  though  their  spirits 
did  not  sink,  there  appears  to  have  been,  on  the  whole,  less  of  gayety  and  light- 
ness of  heart  than  in  the  two  former  winterings.  We  hear  nothing  of  the  drama 
or  even  of  the  school.  In  this  position,  north  of  Winter  Island,  they  were  de- 
prived, for  about  seven  weeks,  of  the  sun's  cheering  beams.  On  the  2d  of  De- 
cember retraction  still  showed,  from  the  deck  of  the  Fury,  about  the  sixteenth 
part  of  his  disk.  About  the  new  year,  Arcturus  and  Capella,  stars  of  the  first 
magnitude,  were  visible  for  half  an  hour  before  and  after  midday.  On  the  5th 
of  January,  (18i3,)  the  horizon  was  so  brightly  suffused  with  red,  that  they 
hoped  ere  long  to  see  the  sun's  orb  burst  forth ;  but  a  fortnight  of  thick  fog  oc- 
casioned a  disappointment.  On  the  19lh,  the  sky  having  cleared,  they  saw  him 
rise,  attended  by  two  parhelia,  and  both  crews  turned  out  to  enjoy  the  novelty 
and  splendour  of  this  cheering  spectacle. 

The  sailors  found  at  Igloolik  a  colony  of  Esquimaux,  who  received  them  at 
first  with  surprise  and  some  degree  of  alarm ;  but  on  learning  that  they  were 
fiOm  Winter  Island  and  intimate  with  its  tenants  of  last  season,  they  hailed  them 
at  once  as  familiar  acquaintances.  These  natives  belonged  to  the  same  tribe, 
and  were  connected  by  alliance  and  close  relationship  with  many  individuals  of 
liie  Winter  Island  party ;  of  whom,  therefore,  they  were  delighted  to  receive 
tidings.  The  crews  spent  the  winter  with  them  on  quite  a  friendly  footing,  and 
rendered  important  services  to  them  during  a  period  of  severe  sickness.  This  in- 
tercourse, however,  was  not  on  the  whole  nearly  so  satisfactory  as  in  the  former 
place  and  season.  It  began  to  be  observed  that  their  attachment  to  the  Kaliloo- 
nas  was  greatly  prompted  by  interest  and  by  the  hope  of  extracting  presents; 
that  they  begged  for  food  and  gifls  almost  without  intermission,  and  yet  showed 
no  gratitude  on  receiving  them;  taking  much  le.3s  into  consideration  what  they 
themselves  got,  than  what  others  got  more  than  they.  The  indifference  shown 
towards  such  of  their  own  tribe  as  were  in  a  debilitated  and  suffering  state  was 
viewed  also  with  much  dissatisfaction.  Kagha,  a  widow,  cursed  certainly  with  a 
most  frightful  temper,  was  found  almost  perishing  through  neglect.  Captain 
Lyon  took  her  into  his  own  cabin,  where,  however,  her  filth  and  scolding  made 
her  a  peifect  nuisance  ;  so  that,  after  being  recruited  and  clothed  in  two  folds  of 
deer  skin,  she  was  remanded  to  the  huts.  Ten  days  afler  she  was  found  at  the 
point  of  death,  solely,  it  appeared,  through  want  of  food;  and  though  removed 
immediately  to  the  ship's  hospital,  she  died  next  day.  Our  people  were  also 
jnuch  displeased  at  the  stoical  firmness  with  which  the  relations  received  notice 
of  two  of  their  deceased  kindred,  whom  the  dogs  had  dug  up  from  under  the 
snow,  their  only  covering,  and  had  devouied.  It  was  indeed  very  difficult  to 
find  an  earthy  grave  beneath  the  glebe,  now  frozen  as  hard  as  rock ;  but  an  Es- 
quimaux acquaintance  having  lost  his  wife,  the  sailors  piled  over  her  such  a 
heap  of  stones  as  might  defy  the  attempts  of  all  the  animal?,  wild  and  tame, 
which  prowl  through  this  dreary  region.  The  man  gave  thanks,  but  not  cordi- 
ally ;  he  even  expressed  a  dread  lest  the  pressure  of  this  huge  pile  would  be 
painfully  felt  by  his  deceased  spouse ;  and  soon  after,  when  an  infant  died,  he 
declared  her  wholly  incapable  of  bearing  such  a  burden,  and  would  allow  nothing 
but  snow  to  be  laid  over  her. 

The  spring  was  peculiarly  unfavorab^.e.  Captain  Lyon  attempted  to  pene- 
trate across  Melville  Peninsula,  but  found  the  route  so  rugged  and  so  barred  by 
steep  chains  of  mountains,  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  in  nineteen  days  with- 
out any  discovery,  except  of  two  rapid  rivers  falling  into  the  sea  near  Igloolik. 
Lieutenant  Hoppner  accompanied  a  party  of  Esquimaux  to  Cockburn  Island, 
but  could  not  penetrate  to  any  distance  inland.  It  was  the  7th  of  August  before 
they  were  able,  by  severe  sawing,  to  reach  the  open  sea;  by  which  time  Captain 
Parry  had  renounced  the  hope  of  efVecting  any  tiling  important  during  the  short 
remnant  of  this  season.  He  formed,  however,  a  very  bold  plan,  which  was  to 
bring  all  the  stores  of  the  other  vessel  on  board  the  Fu^y,  and  with  it  alone  to 
brave  a  third  winter  in  the  Polar  regions,  hoping  that  the  succeeding  summer 
might  be  more  propitious.  But  as  he  was  preparing  to  carry  tliis  too  daring 
*52 


614  WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 

project  into  effect,  a  report  was  made  that  symptoms  of  scurvy  had  broken  ont 
on  several  of  the  crevir,  whose  physical  strength  appeared  to  be  generally  im- 
paired by  the  two  hard  winters  through  which  they  had  passed.  This  left  no 
choice ;  and,  in  compliance  with  the  general  opinion  of  his  ofiicers,  Captain 
Parry  began  his  voyage  homeward.  The  ships  were  drifted  about  in  a  stormy 
sea,  covered  with  ice,  for  twenty-four  days;  but,  being  at  last  favoured  with  a 
westerly  breeze,  they  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  on  the  10th  of  October,  1823, 
arrived  in  Brassa  Sound,  Shetland.  After  two  successive  years  thus  passed  in 
the  depth  of  the  frozen  world,  whence  not  the  faintest  rumour  of  the  expedition 
had  reached  Britain,  its  members  were  viewed  almost  as  men  risen  from  the 
dead.  The  bells  of  Lerwick  were  rung,  and  other  extraordinary  demonstrations 
of  joy  made  on  their  arrival.     In  a  few  days  they  entered  the  Thames. 

Two  attempts  had  thus  been  made,  each  to  a  certain  point  successful,  but 
both  arrested  much  short  of  the  completion  of  the  grand  enterprise.  The  gov- 
ernment at  home,  however,  were  not  willing  to  stop  short  in  their  spirited  ca- 
reer. The  western  extremity  of  Melville  Island,  and  the  strait  of  the  Fury 
and  Hecla,  appeared  to  be  both  so  blocked  up  as  to  atibrd  little  hope ;  but 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  when  explored  during  Captain  Parry's  voyage,  had 
presented,  indeed,  an  icy  barrier,  but  such  as  had  so  often  given  away  suddenly 
and  almost  instantaneously,  that  its  existence  early  in  the  season  could  not  be 
considered  very  alarming.  A  passage  through  this  channel  would  bring  the 
ships  to  the  great  sea  bounding  the  northern  coast  of  America,  that  had  been 
seen  from  the  strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  and  along  which  Captain  Franklin 
had  partly  sailed,  and  by  which  there  was  the  fairest  hope  of  reaching,  by  the 
most  direct  route,  the  waters  of  the  great  Pacific.  To  ibllow  up  these  views. 
Captain  Parry  was  again  fitted  out  in  the  Hecla;  while,  in  the  accidental  ab- 
sence of  Captain  Lyon,  the  Fury  was  intrusted  to  Lieutenant,  now  Captain, 
Hoppner,  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  operations  of  the  last  voyage. 

The  expedition  sailed  from  Northfleet  on  the  19th  of  May,  1824,  and  was  in 
Davis's  Strait  by  the  middle  of  June.  As  the  season,  however,  chanced  to  be 
I)eculiarly  rigorous,  it  was  not  till  the  10th  of  September,  that,  after  repeated  re- 
pulses and  severe  straining,  they  caught  a  view  of  the  bold  and  magnificent 
shores  of  Lancaster  Sound,  in  which  a  few  solitary  icebergs  were  floating.  Af- 
ter this  they  thought  themselves  fortunate,  when,  by  pushing  their  way  through 
many  miles  of  newly  formed  ice,  they  reached  Port  Bowen  in  time  to  make  it 
their  winter  quarters. 

The  provision  made  during  this  winter  for  the  physical  well-being  of  the  ex- 
pedition was  still  more  complete  than  in  the  former  voyages.  The  heat  of  the 
cabins  was  kept  up  to  between  50  and  60  degrees,  and  the  seamen  wore  next  the 
skin  a  clothing  of  fur,  a  substance  which  nature  has  endowed  with  a  warmth  far 
surpassing  that  of  any  human  frabric.  Yet  the  deep  monotony  produced  by  the 
perfectly  uniform  aspect  of  external  nature,  instead  of  becoming  less  sensible  by 
habit,  was  only  the  more  painfully  felt.  As  the  Arctic  theatre  had  lost  its  attrac- 
tion, Captain  Hoppner  started  the  idea  of  masquerades,  which  were,  perhaps, 
still  more  out  of  keeping  with  the  place  and  persons;  but  the  sailors  caught  at 
Jt  with  pleasure,  and  on  these  occasions  all  of  them  acted  their  part  with  great 
spirit,  and  strict  decorum.  The  salutary  and  steady  influence  of  the  schools  was 
again  revived,  and  the  whole  crew  gave  their  presence,  either  as  teachers,  schol- 
ars, or  spectators. 

The  spring  was  unusually  favourable,  and,  with  comparatively  easy  sawing  of 
the  ice,  the  navigators  warped  out  to  sea  on  the  19th  of  July,  1825.  As  it  ap- 
peared most  desirable  to  coast  southward  along  the  western  shore  of  the  inlet, 
ihey  stood  across  tke  bay,  but  were  soon  arrested  by  a  continuous  barrier  of  ice. 
which,  however,  left  an  open  space  on  the  opposite  side.  A  fruiUess  attempt  was 
now  made  to  penetrate  southward,  the  channel  there  being  found  to  be  equally 
Hupeded  with  ice;  hence  it  was  judged  advisable,  with  tlie  view  of  seeking  a 
UsH  encumbered  passage  along  the  western  shore,  to  stretch  to  the  northward. 
An  adverse  gale,  by  wiiich  they  were  overtaken  near  the  mouth  of  the  inlet,  now 
rlrove  them  eastward ;  but  at  last  they  regained  their  course,  and  soon  came  in 
view  of  the  bold  face  ofihe  Leopold  Isles,  tlie  rocks  of  which  rise  in  horizontal 


WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY.  615 

strata  of  limestone  to  the  height  of  600  or  700  feet,  resembling^  a  huge  and  im- 
pregnable fortress. 

Having  touched  at  Cape  Seppings,  Captain  Parry  proceeded  down  the  inlet^ 
where  he  was  no  longer  arrested  by  an  unbroken  barrier  of  ice.  The  sea,  how- 
ever, was  still  heavily  encumbered  by  numerous  small  fragments,  that  were  tos- 
sing about  in  every  direction,  and  pressed  upon  the  ships  so  hard,  that  the  men' 
vvished  for  a  contrary  wind ;  which,  coming  from  the  south,  would  open  and 
disperse  the  masses  collected  and  driven  against  them  by  the  north  wind.  In 
this  anxious  and  precarious  state  they  worked  slowly  on  till  the  1st  of  August, 
when  they  reached  the  latitude  of  72°  42',  longitude  91°  5C'.  Here  Captain 
Parry,  from  the  Hecla,  saw  the  Fury  receive  a  most  severe  shock  by  a  large 
floe,  that  forced  her  against  the  grounded  ice  of  the  shore;  and  tidings  soon  came 
that  she  was  sharply  nipped,  and  was  admitting  water  copiously.  The  com- 
mander trusted  that  this  would  prove  as  harmless  as  the  many  shocks  which  this 
vessel  had  already  endured;  that  the  water  made  its  entry  by  means  of  the  twist- 
ed position  into  which  she  had  been  thrown;  and  that  when  she  was  relieved 
from  pressure,  her  leaks  would  close.  But  the  next  accounts  were  that  she 
could  not  be  kept  clear  of  water  except  by  the  action  of  four  pumps,  at  which 
the  whole  crew,  officers  and  men,  were  obliged  to  work.  It  became  evident 
that  the  evils  under  which  she  laboured  could  only  be  remedied  by  the  operation 
ofheacing  down,  by  which  her  position  being  reversed,  the  parts  now  underwa- 
ter would  be  exposed  to  view.     This  expedient  required  a  harbour,  and  there 


HEAVING    DOWN    THE    FURY. 

was  none  at  hand;  however,  something  was  formed,  which  resembled  one,  by 
connecting  with  anchors  and  bower  cables  the  grounded  ice  to  the  shore.  Four 
days  were  spent  in  unlading  the  Fury  of  those  ample  stores  with  which  she  had 
been  provided.  The  operation  was  interrupted  by  a  violent  storm  of  snow  ; 
while  the  external  ice  being  driven  in,  demolished,  in  a  great  measure,  the  slen- 
der bulwarks  by  which  the  vessel  was  secured.  Her  holds  were  filled  with  v:a- 
ter,  and  every  examination  proved  the  damage  of  her  hull  to  be  still  more  serious 
than  was  at  first  apprehended.  No  means  or  prospect  appeared,  either  of  se- 
curing her  in  her  present  position,  or  of  floating  her  to  any  known  place  of  safe- 
.  ty.  In  these  circumstances,  Captain  Parry,  without  expressing  an  opinion  of 
ihis  own,  called  for  a  report  from  Captain  Iloppner  and  his  principal  oflicers, 
^all  of  whom  agreed  "tliatan  absolute  necessity  existed  for  abandoning  the  Fu- 


616  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PAKRY. 

ry."     Signals,  therefore,  were  immediately  made  to  the  officers  and  men  to  carry 
their  clothes  and  effects  on  board  the  Hecla. 

Tlie  stores,  for  want  of  room,  were  necessarily  abandoned  along  with  the  ship ; 
and  barrels  of  beef,  beer,  biscuit,  and  other  valuable  articles  of  provision,  were 
left  exposed  on  those  savage  and  desolate  shores,  where  they  were  unlikely  to 
afford  aid  or  benefit  to  any  human  being.  After  such  a  disaster,  and  the  end  of 
August  being  arrived,  there  was  just  time  enough  left  to  bring  the  Hecla  home 
with  a  fair  prospect  of  safety, — an  event  which  was  in  due  time  accomplished. 

.After  a  certain  interval,  a  plan  was  devised  to  push  towards  the  Pole  in  vehi- 
cles wafted  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean.  It  was  Mr.  Scoresby  by  whom 
this  scheme  was  first  suggested.  In  a  memoir  read  to  the  Wernerian  Society, 
he  endeavored  to  prove  that  such  a  journey  was  neither  so  visionary  nor  so  very 
perilous  as  it  might  appear  to  those  who  were  unacquainted  with  the  Arctic  re- 
gions. The  Polar  Sea  in  some  meridians  would,  he  doubted  not,  present  one 
continued  sheet  of  ice  ;  the  inequalities  of  which,  if  tolerably  smooth,  would  op- 
pose no  in^urmoutitable  barrier.  Intervals  of  open  water  would  be  more 
troublesome  ;  yet  the  vehicle,  being  made  capable  of  serving  as  a  boat,  might 
either  sail  across,  or  make  a  circuit  round  them.  This  conveyance,  he  remark- 
ed, ought  to  be  a  sledge  formed  of  those  light  materials  used  by  the  Esquimaux 
in  the  construction  of  their  boats,  and  drawn  either  by  reindeer  or  dogs.  The 
former  animals  are  so  fleet,  that,  in  favourable  circumstances,  they  might  go  and 
return  in  a  fortnight,  while  the  best  dog-team  would  require  five  or  six  weeks; 
the  latter,  however,  would  be  more  tractable,  and  better  fitted  for  skimming  over 
thin  or  broken  ice.  Though  the  cold  would  be  very  severe,  yet  as  no  very 
alarming  increase  occurred  between  the  seventieth  and  eightieth  degrees  of  lati- 
tude, there  was  httle  ground  to  apprehend  tliat  in  the  other  ten  degrees,  reaching 
to  the  Pole,  it  would  become  insupportable.  For  provisions  were  recommend- 
ed portable  soups,  potted  meats,  and  other  substances,  which,  with  httle  weight, 
contained  much  nourishment. 

These  suggestions  did  not,  for  a  considerable  time  attract  attention ;  but  at 
length,  Captain  Parry,  after  his  three  brilliant  voyages  to  the  north-west,  finding 
reason  to  suspect  that  his  farther  progress  in  thai,  direction  was  hopeless,  turned 
his  enterprising  views  elsewhere,  and  conceived  the  ambition  of  penetrating 
over  the  frozen  sea  to  the  Pole.  Combining  Mr.  Scoresby's  ideas  with  his  own 
observations,  and  with  a  series  of  reflections  derived  by  Captain  Franklin  from 
his  extensive  experience,  Captain  Parry  formed  and  submitted  to  the  Lords  of 
the  Admiralty  the  plan  of  an  expedition  over  the  Polar  ice.  Their  Lordships, 
having  referred  this  proposal  to  the  council  and  committee  of  the  Royal  Societ}-, 
and  received  a  favourable  report  as  to  the  advantages  which  science  might  de- 
rive from  such  a  journey,  applied  themselves  with  tlieir  usual  alacrity  to  supply 
the  Captain  with  every  thing  which  could  assist  him  in  this  bold  undertaking. 
The  Hecla  was  employed  to  carry  him  as  far  as  a  ship  could  go,  and  with  her 
were  sent  two  boats,  to  be  dragged  or  navigated,  according  to  circumstances, 
along  the  unknown  and  desolate  expanse  between  Spitzbergen  and  the  Pole. 
These  boats,  being  built  of  successive  thin  planks  of  ash,  fir,  and  oak,  with  slieets 
of  water-proof  canvass  and  stout  felt,  interposed,  united  the  greatest  possible 
degree  of  strength  and  elasticity.  The  interior  was  made  capacious  and  flat- 
fioored,  somewhat  as  in  troop-boats,  and  a  runner  attached  to  each  side  of  the 
keel  fitted  them  to  be  drawn  along  the  ice  like  a  sledge.  Wheels  were  also 
taken  on  board,  in  case  tlieir  use  should  be  found  practicable. 

The  adventurers  started  early.  On  the  27th  of  March,  1827,  they  were  towed 
down  the  river  by  the  Comet  steamboat,  and  on  the  4th  of  April  weighed  from 
the  Nore.  On  the  1  Dth  they  entered  the  fine  harbour  of  Hammerfest  in  Norway, 
where  they  remained  two  or  three  weeks,  and  took  on  board  eight  reindeer, 
with  a  quantity  of  picked  moss  for  their  provender.  Quitting  Norway  on  the 
11th  of  May,  tliey  soon  found  themselves  among  the  ice,  and  met  a  number  of 
whale  ships.  On  tlie  llUh,  they  were  in  view  of  Hakluyt's  Headland,  when  the 
Captain  endeavoured  to  push  his  way  to  tlie  north-east  in  the  track  of  Phipps. 
The  vessel,  however,  was  soon  completely  beset,  and  even  enclosed  in  a  large 
fioe,  which  carried  her  slowly  eastward  along  with  it.    Aa  every  day  was  now 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  ^  617 

an  irretrievable  loss,  Captain  Parry  became  impatient  in  the  extreme,  and  form- 
ed a  plan  to  push  off  northward,  leaving  the  ship  to  find  a  harbour  for  herself,, 
where  he  trusted  on  his  return  to  trace  her  out.  But  the  survey  of  the  route  in 
the  proposed  direction  was  most  discouraging.  In  consequence  of  some  violent 
agitation  in  the  preceding  season,  the  ice  had  been  piled  up  in  innumerable 
hummocks,  causing  the  sea  to  resemble  a  stone-mason's  yard,  except  that  it  con- 
tained masses  six  times  larger.  This  state  of  the  surface,  which  would  have 
rendered  it  impossible  to  drag  the  boats  more  than  a  mile  in  the  day,  was  found 
to  prevail  for  a  considerable  space  with  httle  interruption.  Tiie  current  mean- 
time continued  to  carry  the  ship,  with  the  floe  to  which  it  was  attached,  slowly  to 
tne  eastward,  till  it  brought  her  into  shoals  in  tlie  vicinity  of  ice,  where  she 
grounded  in  six  fathoms ;  alter  which  Captain  Parry  felt  it  quite  out  of  the 
question  to  leave  her  till  she  was  lodged  in  a  secure  harbour.  He  worked  on 
gradually,  however,  to  the  east  and  north,  passing  Waldenlsland,  and  obtaining 
a  full  view  of  the  Seven  Islands;  but  here  the  sea  was  covered  with  one  un- 
broken land  floe  attached  to  all  the  shores,  which  destroyed  every  hope  of  finding 
a  harbour  among  these  islands.  No  choice  was  then  left  but  to  steer  back  for 
the  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  where  he  unexpectedly  hghted  on  a  very  excellent 
harbour,  named  by  him  Hecla  Cove,  and  which  proved  to  be  part  of  the  bay  ta 
which  an  old  Dutch  chart  had  given  the  name  of  Treurenberg.  It  was  now  the 
20th  of  June,  and  the  best  of  tiie  season  had  been  spent  in  beating  backwards 
and  forwards  on  these  ice-bound  shores;  he  therefore  resolved,  without  further 
delay,  to  prosecute  the  main  object  of  his  enterprise.  Scarcely  hoping  to  reach 
the  Pole,  he  determined,  at  all  events,  to  push  as  far  north  as  possible.  He  took 
with  him  seventy-one  days'  provision,  consisting  of  pemmican,  (beef  dried  and 
pounded,)  biscuit,  cocoa,  and  rum.  Spirits  of  wine,  as  the  most  portable  and 
concentrated  fuel,  was  alone  used  for  that  purpose.  There  were  provided 
changes  of  warm  clothing,  thick  fur  dresses  for  sleeping  in,  and  strong  Esqui- 
maux boots.  The  reindeer  and  also  the  wheels  were  given  up  at  once  as  alto- 
gether useless  in  the  present  rugged  state  of  the  ice ;  but  four  sledges,  con- 
structed out  of  the  Esquimaux  snow-shoes,  proved  very  convenient  for  dragging 
along  the  baggage. 

On  the  22d  of  June  the  expeditionary  party  quitted  the  ship,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  the  boats  amid  the  cheers  of  their  associates.  Although  all  the  shores 
were  still  fiozen,  they  had  an  open  sea,  calm  and  smooth  as  a  mirror,  through 
which  they  sailed  slowly  but  agreeably  with  their  loaded  vessels.  After  proceed- 
ing thus  for  about  eighty  miles,  they  reached,  not  as  they  had  hoped,  the  main 
body  of  the  ice,  but  a  surface  intermediate  between  ice  and  water.  This  could 
neither  be  walked  nor  sailed  over,  but  was  to  be  passed  by  the  two  methods 
alternately.  However,  on  such  a  strange  and  perilous  plan  it  behooved  them 
to  land,  in  order  to  commence  their  laborious  and  monotonous  journey  towards 
the  Pole. 

Captain  Parry  describes  in  an  interesting  manner  the  singular  mode  of  travel- 
ling to  which  they  were  compelled  to  adhere.  The  first  step  was  to  convert 
night  into  day;  to  begin  their  journey  in  the  evening,  and  end  it  in  tlie  morning. 
Thus,  while  they  had  quite  enough  of  hght,  they  avoided  the  snow-glare  and  the 
blindness  which  it  usually  produces ;  they  had  the  ice  drier  and  harder  beneath 
them ;  and  they  enjoyed  the  greatest  warmth,  when  it  was  most  wanted,  during 
the  period  of  sleep:  they  were  only  a  httle  annoyed  by  frequent  and  denser  fogs. 
Tluis  tlieir  notions  of  night  and  day  became  inverted.  They  rose  in  what  they 
called  the  morning,  but  which  was  really  late  in  the  evening,  and  having  per- 
formed their  devotions,  breakfasted  on  warm  cocoa  antf  biscuit.  They  then  drew 
on  their  boots  usually  either  wet  or  hard  frozen;  and  which,  though  perfectly 
dried,  would  have  been  equally  soaked  in  fifteen  minutes.  The  paity  then 
travelled  five  or  six  hours,  and  a  little  alter  midnight  stopped  to  dine.  They 
now  performed  an  equal  jouniey  in  what  they  called  the  afternoon ;  and  in  the 
evening,  that  is,  at  an  advanced  morning  hour,  halted  as  for  the  night.  They 
then  applied  themselves  to  obtain  rest  and  comfort,  put  on  dry  stockings  and  fur 
boots,  cooked  something  warm  for  supper,  smoked  their  pipes,  told  over  their 


618  .  WILLIAM    EDWARD  PARRY. 

exploits,  and,  forgetting  the  toils  of  the  day,  enjoyed  an  interval  of  ease  and 
gayety.  Then,  wrapping  themselves  in  their  fur  cloaks,  they  lay  down  in  the 
boat,  rather  too  close  together  perhaps,  but  with  very  tolerable  comfort.  The 
sound  of  a  bugle  roused  them  at  night  to  their  breakfast  of  cocoa,  and  to  a  repe- 
tition of  the  same  round. 

The  progress  for  several  days  was  most  slow  and  laborious.  The  floes  were 
small,  exceedingly  rough,  and  with  interposed  lanes  of  water,  which  could  not 
be  crossed  without  unloading  the  boats.  It  was  commonly  necessary  to  convey 
these  and  the  stores  by  two  stages,  when  the  sailors,  being  obliged  to  return  for 
the  second  portion,  had  to  go  three  times  over  the  same  ground ;  sometimes 
they  were  obliged  to  make  three  stages,  and  thus  to  pass  over  it  five  times. 
There  iell  as  much  rain  as  they  had  experienced  during  the  whole  course  of 
seven  years  in  a  lower  latitude.  A  great  deal  of  the  ice  over  which  they  travelled 
was  formed  into  numberless  irregular  needle-like  crystals,  standing  upwards, 
and  pointed  at  both  ends.  The  horizontal  surface  of  this  part  had  sometimes 
the  appearance  of  greenish  velvet,  while  the  vertical  sections,  when  in  a  com- 
pact state,  resembled  the  most  beautiful  satin-spar,  and  asbestos  when  going  to 
pieces.  These  peculiar  wedges,  it  was  supposed,  were  produced  by  the  drops 
of  rain  piercing  through  the  superficial  ice.  The  needles  at  first  aflforded 
tolerably  firm  footing ;  but  becouiiug  always  more  loose  atid  movable  as  the 
summer  advanced,  they  at  last  cut  the  boots  and  feet  as  if  they  had  been  pen- 
knives. Sometimes,  too,  there  arose  hummocks  so  elevated  and  rugged  that 
the  boats  could  only  be  borne  over  them,  in  a  direction  almost  perpendicular, 
by  those  formidable  operations  called  '*  a  standing  pull  and  a  bowline  haul." 
The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  a  severe  exertion  of  five  or  six  hours  did  not 
usually  produce  a  progress  of  above  a  mile  and  a  half  or  two  miles,  and  that  in 
a  winding  direction;  so  that,  after  having  entered  upon  the  ice  on  the  24th  of 
June,  in  latitude  81°  13'  they  found  themselves  on  the  29th  only  in  81°  23',  hav- 
ing thus  made  only  about  eight  miles  of  direct  nothing.  Captain  Parry  soon 
relinquished  all  hope  of  reaching  the  Pole;  however,  it  was  resolved  to  push 
onward  as  far  as  possible.  The  party  came  at  length  to  somewhat  smoother  ice 
and  larger  floes,  and  made  rather  better  progress.  While  the  boats  were  land- 
ing on  one  of  these,  the  commander  and  Lieutenant  Ross  usually  pushed  on  to 
the  other  end  to  ascertain  the  best  course.  On  reaching  the  extremity,  they 
commonly  mounted  the  largest  hummock,  whence  they  beheld  a  scene  of  which 
nothing  could  exceed  the  dreariness.  The  eye  rested  only  upon  ice,  and  a  sky 
hid  in  dense  and  dismal  fogs.  Amid  this  scene  of  inanimate  desolation,  the  view 
of  a  passing  bird,  or  of  ice  in  any  peculiar  shape,  excited  an  intense  interest, 
which  they  smiled  to  recollect ;  but  they  were  principally  cheered  by  viewing 
the  two  boats  in  the  distance,  the  moving  figures  of  the  men  winding  with  their 
sledges  among  the  hummocks,  and  by  hearing  the  sound  of  human  voices, 
which  broke  the  silence  of  this  frozen  wilderness.  The  rain,  and  the  increasing 
warmth  of  the  season,  indeed  gradually  softened  the  ice  and  snow,  but  this  only 
caused  the  travellers  to  sink  deep  at  every  step.  At  one  place  they  sunk  repeat- 
edly three  leet,  and  required  three  hours  to  make  a  hundred  yards.  As  they 
halted  on  the  5th  of  July,  the  margin  of  the  floe  broke,  and  a  bag  of  cocoa  fell 
into  the  sea,  but  luckily  alighted  on  a  tongue  of  ice  and  was  taken  up.*  At 
tlie  same  time  pools  and  even  lakes  were  formed  on  the  frozen  surface  ;  and 
though  the  peculiar  blue  of  these  superglacial  lakes  formed  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  tints  in  nature,  this  was  a  poor  compensation  for  being  obliged  to  make 
a  great  detour  in  order  to  avoid  them.  Still,  amid  all  these  ditficulties,  the  floes 
became  on  the  whole  lar|*er,  the  lanes  of  water  longer,  and  the  day's  journey  was 
gradually  extended.  Having  attained  82°  40',  they  began  to  hold  it  as  a  fixed 
point  that  their  eflbrts  would  be  crowned  with  success  so  far  as  to  reach  the 


*  It  may  be  mentioned,  that  the  contents  of  the  package  here  alluded  to,  were  found  to  be 
quite  uninjured  after  this  rude  immeri>ion,  a  protection  luscribed  to  "  Mackintosh's  wator-proor 
canvass," — a  manufacture  which,  as  a  security  for  seu-stores,  is  mentioned  by  Captuia  Parry  in 
terms  of  the  highest  commendation. 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY.  619 

eighty-third  parallel.  This  hope  seemed  converted  into  certainty,  when,  on  the 
22d  they  had  travelled  seventeen  miles,  the  greater  proportion  of  which  was 
directly  north.  But  there  now  occurred  an  unfavourable  change,  which  baffled 
all  their  toils  and  hopes.  Down  to  the  19th  the  wind  had  blown  steadily  from 
the  south,  and,  without  aiding  them  much,  had  at  least  checked  the  usual  move- 
ment of  the  ice  in  that  direction.  On  this  last  day,  however,  a  steady  breeze 
sprung  up  from  the  north,  which  opened,  indeed,  a  few  lanes  of  water;  but  this 
it  was  feared  could  not  compensate  for  the  degree  in  which  it  could  not  fail  to 
cause  the  loosened  niaspes  of  ice,  with  the  travellers  upon  them,  to  drift  to  the 
southward.  This  effect  was  soon  found  to  take  place  to  an  extent  still  more 
alarming  than  had  been  at  first  anticipated.  Instead  of  ten  or  twelve  miles, 
which  they  reckoned  themselves  to  have  travelled  northward  on  the  22d,  they 
were  found  not  to  have  made  quite  four.  This  most  discouraging  fact  was  at 
first  concealed  from  the  sailors,  who  only  remarked,  that  they  were  very  long 
of  getting  to  this  83d  degree. 

The  expedition  was  now  fast  approaching  the  utmost  limits  of  animal  life. 
During  their  long  journey  of  the22d  they  saw  only  two  seals,  a  fish,  and  a  bird. 
On  the  24th  only  one  solitary  rotge  was  heard ;  and  it  might  be  presumed  that, 
from  thence  to  the  Pole,  all  would  be  a  mighty  scene  of  silence  and  solitude. 
The  adventurers  pushed  on  without  hesitation  beyond  the  realms  of  life  ;  but 
now,  after  three  days  of  bad  travelling,  when  their  reckoning  gave  them  ten  or 
eleven  miles  of  progress,  observation  showed  them  to  be  four  miles  south  of  the 
position  which  they  occupied  on  the  evening  of  the  22d.  The  drifting  of  the 
snow-fields  had  in  that  time  carried  them  fourteen  miles  backward.  This  vvas 
too  much.  To  reach  even  the  83d  degree,  though  only  twenty  miles  distant, 
was  now  beyond  the  limits  of  hope.  To  ask  the  men  to  undergo  such  unparal- 
leled toil  and  hardship,  with  the  danger  of  their  means  being  exhausted,  while 
an  invisible  power  undid  what  their  most  strenuous  daily  labours  achieved,  was 
contrary  to  the  views  of  their  considerate  commander.  In  short,  he  determined 
tliatthey  should  take  a  day  of  rest,  and  then  set  out  on  their  return.  This  reso- 
lution was  communicated  to  the  crew,  who,  though  deeply  disappointed  at  hav- 
ing achieved  so  little,  acquiesced  in  the  necessity,  and  consoled  themselves  with 
the  idea  of  having  gone  farther  north  than  any  previous  expedition  of  which 
there  was  a  well-authenticated  record. 

The  return  was  equally  laborious  as  the  going  out,  and  in  some  respects  more 
unpleasant,  from  the  increasing  softness  of  the  ice  and  snow;  depriving  them 
of  confidence  in  any  spot  on  which  they  could  place  their  boats  or  persons,  and 
often  sinking  two  or  three  feet  in  an  instant.  However,  the  drift  southward 
made  no  longer  any  deduction  from  their  progress,  but  added  to  it,  every  obser- 
vation giving  them  several  miles  beyond  their  reckoning.  There  was  more  open 
water,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  them  that  the  sun  in  their  nightly  journeying  was 
lower  in  the  ^horizon ;  while,  being  to  the  northward,  he  did  not,  as  lormerly, 
glare  in  their  faces.  They  met  several  bears,  and  killed  one,  which  was  eagerly 
devoured  by  the  hungry  crew ;  but  the  meal  was  followed  by  such  severe  symp- 
toms of  indigestion  as  inspired  an  unfavourable  opinion  regarding  the  flesh'X)f 
this  animal.  Captain  Parry  attributed  the  bad  effects  to  the  enormous  quantity 
eaten.  At  length,  on  the  11th  of  August,  they  heard  the  sound  of  the  surge 
beating  against  the  exterior  margin  of  the  great  ice-field.  They  were  soon 
launched  on  the  open  sea,  and  reached  Table  Island,  where  a  supply  of  bread 
had  been  deposited ;  but  Bruen  had  discovered  it,  and  devoured  the  whole. 
They  found,  however,  some  accommodations;  while  the  stores  left  at  Walden's 
Island  were  still  quite  undisturbed.  On  the  21st  the  navigators  arrived  in  Hecla 
Cove,  from  whence  soon  afterward,  they  sailed  for  England. 

Such  was  the  result  of  the  first  and  only  attempt  to  penetrate  to  the  Pole  over 
the  frozen  surface  of  the  deep.  All  the  prowess,  energy,  and  hardihood  of 
British  seamen  were  exerted  to  the  utmost,  without  making  even  an  approach 
towards  the  fulfilment  of  their  object.  A  failure  so  complete  has  suspended  for 
the  present  every  idea  of  resuming  the  project;  yet  there  seems  nothing  in  the 
details  just  giveri  to  deter  from  the  enterprise  as  impossible,  or  even  to  render  it 


620  WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY. 

very  unfeasible.  The  unfavourable  issue  seems  evidently  owing  to  the  advanced 
season  of  the  year,  when  the  thaw  and  consequent  dissolution  of  the  ice  had 
made  great  progress,  and  all  the  materials  of  the  great  northern  floor  were  broken 
up.  The  water,  in  its  progressive  conversion  from  solid  into  fluid,  presented 
only  a  treacherous  quicksand,  in  which  the  travellers  sunk  at  every  step,  with  the 
peril  of  being  finally  swallowed  up.  The  ice  in  these  intermediate  stages  of  its 
transition  into  water,  and  in  the  breaches  and  pressures  to  which  this  gave  rise, 
assumed  a  variety  of  much  more  rugged  forms,  than  when  it  was  spread  and  fast 
bound  over  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  Its  tendency  also  when  loosened  to  float 
to  the  southward,  carrying  with  it  whatever  is  moving  along  its  surface,  inevit- 
ably defeats  every  attempt  to  proceed  over  it  in  a  contrary  direction.  We  en- 
tirely concur,  therefore,  in  Mr.  Scoresby's  opinion,  tliat  a  departure  much  earlier 
in  the  season  would  be  quite  indispensable  to  give  any  chance  of  success. 


SIR  JOHN   ROSS 


The  first  voyage  of  this  distinguished  navigator,  in  the  northern  seas,  has 
already  been  described  in  connection  with  those  of  Captain  Parry.  On  the  23d 
of  May,  1829,  he  again  sailed  from  Wolwich  in  the  Victory,  fitted  as  a  steamer, 
on  a  second  expedition  to  the  North  Pole.  By  the  power  of  steam,  which  has 
produced  such  wonders  in  modern  navigation,  he  hoped  to  vanquish  the  ob- 
stacles v/hich  had  arrested  the  progress  of  all  former  navigators.  Another  vessel, 
named  the  John,  was  taken  up  to  carry  stores  and  provisions,  and  to  fish  by  the 
way.  The  two  vessels  were  to  meet  at  Lock  Ryan.  When  the  Victory  was  off 
the  Mall  of  Galloway,  die  principal  stroker  got  his  arm  entangled  in  the  machine- 
ry, and  the  bone  was  so  splintered,  as  well  as  fractured,  that  amputation  was 
necessary;  but  the  surgeon  had  not  joined,  and  Ross  was  under  the  necessity 
of  doing  the  best  he  could  for  the  unfortunate  suflerer.  On  the  meeting  of  the 
two  ships,  the  crew  of  the  John  mutinied,  and  refused  to  accompany  the  Victo- 
ry. Three  men,  however,  of  the  mutineers,  entered  for  the  latter,  and  having 
procured  an  Irish  labourer  as  a  fire-stroker,  she  proceeded  alone  on  her  voyage. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  the  party  reached  Holsteinburg,  in  Davis'  Strait,  where 

they  purchased  some  stores  from  a  wrecked  vessel,  and  the  governor  made  them 

a  present  of  six  Esquimaux  dogs,  which  proved  to  be  of  essential  use  in  dragging 

the  sledges.    All  things  being  ready,  they  stood  to  the  northward,  along  the  coast 

53 


622  SIR  JOHN  ROSS. 

of  Baffin's  Bay ;  and  having  reached  the  latitude  of  74°  14'  on  the  3d  of  Aiigrist, 
ran  across,  and  on  the  5th  reached  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound.  On  the 
11th  of  August,  they  steered  direct  for  the  south  side  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet; 
and  having  passed  Elwin  and  Batty  Bays,  saw  the  spot  where  the  Fury  was 
wrecked,  andthepolesof  the  tents  standing,  but  could  not  discern  the  ship;  she 
had  gone  to  pieces,  or  to  the  bottom.  The  Victory  was  moored  in  a  good  ice 
harbour,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  spot  where  the  Fury's  stores  were 
landed.  Here  the  coast  was  almost  lined  with  coal.  One  tent  was  nearly  entire, 
but  had  evidently  been  visited  by  bears.  Where  the  preserved  meats  and  veget- 
ables had  been  deposited  every  thing  was  found  entire.  The  canisters  had  been 
piled  up  in  two  heaps,  but  though  exposed  to  all  the  chances  of  the  climate  for 
four  years,  they  had  not  suffered  in  the  slightest  degree.  There  had  been  no 
water  to  rust  them,  and  the  security  of  the  joinings  had  prevented  the  bears  from 
smelling  their  contents.  The  canisters  were  large  and  numerous,  and  they  took 
as  many  as  they  could,  together  with  whatever  they  wanted  of  wine,  spirits, 
bread,  flour,  cocoa,  sugar,  lime-juice,  &c.,  all  being  in  excellent  condition.  They 
uncasked,  moreover,  ten  tons  of  charcoal.  The  gun-powder,  in  patent  cas-es--. 
was  perfectly  dry;  and  of  this,  what  they  did  not  take,  they  destroyed, — by  Sir 
E.  Parry's  request,  as  it  appears,  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Es- 
quimaux. 

Standing  along  the  coast  to  the  southward,  they  passed  Cape  Gerry ;  and  from 
hence  their  progress  was  slow,  and  much  impeded  by  snow,  icebergs,  and  con- 
trary winds.  At  the  end  of  September,  the  Victory  being  beset  with  ice,  and  no 
hope  of  extrication  presenting  itself  for  eight  successive  days,  there  remained  no 
doubt  of  her  having  reached  her  winter's  home. 

The  first  step  tlierefore  to  be  taken,  was  to  lighten  the  ship,  to  throw  over- 
board the  steam-engine,  and  to  make  such  arrangements  and  regulations  for  the 
long  winter,  as  seemed  necessary  for  their  convenience  and  comfort ;  and  which 
differed  but  little  from  those  devised  by  Captain  Parry.  Ko  time  was  lost  in 
roofing  the  ship  over,  and  surrounding  her  with  an  embankment  of  snow  as 
high  up  as  the  gunwale,  where  it  met  the  canvass  roofing,  and  sheltered  tlie 
people  from  all  wind ;  the  upper  deck  was  also  covered  with  snow  two  feet  and 
a  half  thick,  and  trodden  down  until  it  became  a  solid  mass  of  ice,  and  then 
sprinkled  over  with  sand,  so  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  a  rolled  gravel 
walk.  Though  the  temperature  out  of  doors  was  frequently  from  30  to  37 
degrees  below  zxto,  the  system  of  comfort  and  economy  within  was  as  perfect 
as  could  be  desired;  but  even  without,  however  low  the  temperature,  provided 
there  was  no  wind,  the  men  could  take  exercise  and  make  hunting  excursions 
without  much  inconvenience.  The  men  attended  schools ;  and  on  Sundays, 
divine  service  was  invariably  performed.  '  In  some  way  or  other,'  says  Captain 
Ross, ' the  last  three  months  pasted  away  without  weariness,  and  had,  indeed, 
been  almost  unfclt.' 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1830,  an  unexpected  source  of  amusement  occurred 
in  the  visit  of  a  tribe  of  Esquimaux,  to  the  number  of  about  thirty.  The  village 
of  the  tribe  in  question  consisted  of  twelve  snow  huts,  which  had  the  appearance 
of  so  many  inverted  basins ;  and  a  passage  leads  to  each  through  a  long  crooked 
mound.  They  are  generally  about  ten  feet  in  diameter,  and  immediately  oppo- 
site the  door-v.yy  is  a  bank  of  snow,  two  feet  and  a  half  high,  level  at  lop,  and 
covered  widi  various  skins,  which  serves  as  the  general  sleeping  place  of  the 
whole  family.  A  lamp  of  moss,  and  oil  supplies  both  light  and  heat,  so  as  to 
make  the  apartment  perfectly  comfortable.  But  light  is  admitted  also  by  a  larg- 
ova!  piece  of  ice  fixed  in  the  roof  In  the  crooked  passage  is  a  recess  for  tin 
dogs ;  the  passage  appears  to  be  made  crooked  to  enable  them  to  turn  the  open- 
ing to  leeward  when  the  wind  blows.  Being  formed  entirely  of  blocks  of  snow, 
the  completion  of  the  fabric  is  the  work  of  a  few  hours. 

Our  voyagers  soon  discovered  that  these  Esquimaux  were  able  to  give  them 
some  important  geographical  information;  that  they  were  acquainted  with  Win- 
ter Island  and  Repulse  Bay,  and  had  left  Acoolee,  a  station  opposite  to  tlie  latter, 
only  thirteen  days  before.  One  man  drew  with  his  pencil  several  large  lakes 
close  to  tliat  part  of  the  country  where  they  then  were,  and  marked  ^e  spots 


SIR    JOHN    ROSS. 

where  their  countrymen  were  to  be  found.  There  was  also  a  female  geogra- 
pher in  the  party,  who  pointed  out  to  them  where  they  must  sleep  in  their  future 
progress,  and  where  food  was  to  be  obtained.  These  people  are  provident,  and 
in  the  summer  season  they  kill  immense  quantities  of  game  and  fish,  which  they 
bury  in  the  snow,  for  their  winter  provision,  when  land  animals  are  less  plenti- 
ful, and  the  weather  so  severe  as  to  prevent  them  from  making  their  hunting  ex- 
cursions. About  the  month  of  April,  great  herds  of  musk-oxen  and  rein-deer 
make  their  appearance  from  the  southward:  and  bears,  wolves,  gluttons,  foxes, 
hares,  and  ermines,  are  abundant.  Among  the  birds,  sv^^ans,  grouse,  ptarmigaiLs, 
partridges,  snipes,  and  sea-guls  are  met  with  in  considerable  numbers.  The  seal 
is  one  of  their  most  useful  animals,  both  for  food  and  clothing. 

But  the  quantities  of  salmon  that  frequent  the  lakes  on  the  neighbouring  isth- 


ley  I 
in  the  month  of  July. 

They  had  now  passed  their  first  winter,  not  merely  without  suftering  great  in- 
convenience, but  in  comparative  comfort ;  and  as  spring  advanced  they  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  the  truth  of  the  Esquimaux  geography  should  be  put 
to  the  test  by  a  journey  on  land.  On  the  1st  of  April,  Captain  Ross  set  out  on 
this  expedition;  and  he  returned  on  the  10th.  A  second  and  third  journey  to- 
wards the  end  of  April,  put  him  in  full  possession  of  the  geography  of  this  isth- 
mus, which  connects  the  peninsula,  named  by  Ross,  Boothia,  and  the  land  which, 
for  the  present,  we  are  to  consider  as  pai't  of  the  continent  of  America ;  it  also 
separates  Prince  Regent'slnlet  from  the  western  sea ;  and,  by  a  fourth  journey, 
was  ascertained  to  be  about  fifteen  miles  in  width,  consisting  of  a  lake  ten  miles 
long  in  the  centre,  and  five  miles  of  land.  This  spot,  until  its  geography  was 
decided,  had  raised  expectations  that  a  passage  might  be  found  hereabouts  into 
the  sea  to  the  westward. 

But  when  the  hope  of  a  navigable  passage  into  the  western  sea  appeared  to  be 
at  an  end,  and  that,  according  to  the  Esquimaux  geography,  the  southern,  like 
the  western  shore  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  was  closed  round  with  land,  the  next 
important  point  to  be  ascertained,  was,  whether  the  land  to  the  southward  of  the 
isthmus  was  connected  with,  or  a  part  of,  the  mainland  of^orth  America,— and 
this  could  only  be  done  by  tracing  the  western  shore  as  far  as  their  provisions 
would  allow  them  to  proceed.  Coming  to  a  projecting  headland,  which  the  com- 
mander named  Cape  Felix,  the  land  was  seen  to  tend  to  the  south-west.  A 
fatiguing  journey  of  twenty  miles  over  ice  and  snow,  brought  them  to  another 
projecting  headland,  which  they  named  Victory  Point.  Finding  their  stores  of 
provisions  more  than  half  consumed,  notwithstanding  a  reduction  of  their  allow- 
ance, they  found  themselves  obliged  to  return  t^  the  ship  by  the  shortest  route. 
On  Victory  Point  our  travellers  erected  a  cairn  of  stones,  six  feet  high,  in  which 
was  inclosed  a  canister  containing  a  brief  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the  expe- 
dition since  its  departure  from  England, — but  without  the  remotest  hope  that 
this  little  history  would  ever  meet  the  eye  of  any  European. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  while  the  ship  was  preparing  for  sea,  in  prosecu- 
tion of  further  discovery.  Sir  John  Ross  went,  with  a  party  of  iiis  people  and 
some  natives,  to  a  river  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  ship,  on  a  fishing  excursion, 
in  which  he  appears  to  have  been  more  successful  in  purchasing  than  in  catching 
salmon.  For  a  large  knife,  an  Esquimaux  gave  him  out  of  one  of  their  frozen 
pits,  two  hundred  and  twenty  fish,  averaging  five  pounds  each.  The  natives 
take  them  by  a  spear  with  two  divergent  barbs  of  bone  or  ivory.  But  they  now 
learned  for  the  first  time  the  use  of  the  net,  and  were  fully  aware  of  its  value, 
when  they  afterwards  saw  so  many  thousands  taken  at  a  single  draught.  The 
seamen  having  taught  them  the  art  of  making  them,  there  is  no  doubt  their  skins, 
when  split  into  stripes  or  threads  will  efiectually  serve  the  purpose,  and  that 
these  poor  people  will  thus  be  able  to  procure  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  this 
species  of  food. 

It  was  not  until  the  19th  of  August  that  any  attempt  was  made  to  get  the  ship 
out  of  the  ice,  and  even  then  it  was  found  impossible  to  move  her,     '  The  third 


624  SIR  JOHN   ROSS« 

week  in  August,'  says  Captain  Rosg,  '  found  us  where  we  had  been  since  May 
in  prospect,  since  September  in  place  ;  the  ice  was  still  close.  The  tempera- 
ture, however,  was  particularly  favourable.'  From  the  1st  to  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember, the  time  was  chiefly  spent  in  futile  attempts  to  get  the  ship  released,  but 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  latter  day  they  succeeded  in  warping  her  out  into  clear  wa- 
ter, and  getting  her  once  more  under  sail.  Their  hopes  of  making  progress  at  so 
late  a  season  of  the  year,  were  soon  at  an  end;  the  sea  became  covered  with  ice 
of  the  worst  kind,  and  new  ice  was  forming;  the  weather  was  most  tempestuous. 
They  were  not  yet,  moreover,  in  a  secure  harbour.  The  whole  of  October  was 
employed  in  the  severe  labour  of  cutting  away  the  ice;  thus  they  one  day  gained 
an  advance  of  sixteen  feet,  on  another  fifty,  another  fony ;  and  after  a  month's 
incessant  toil,  the  amount  of  their  progress  was  no  more  than  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  Here  they  were  doomed  to  pass  another  winter,  and  as  much  of  the 
following  summer  as  would  expire  before  favourable  circumstances  might  con- 
tribute to  their  liberation ;  here  they  once  more  commenced  housing  the  ship, 
building  the  embankments,  and  levelling  the  hummocks  of  ice  near  them  ;  and 
here  tliey  resumed  their  former  devices  lor  passing  the  long  dreary  v/inter,  which 
appeared  to  have  set  in  already  with  great  severity. 

In  April,  1831,  Captain  Ross  set  out  on  an  expedition  towards  the  isthmus, 
with  the  view  of  ascertaining,  as  nearly  as  the  nature  of  the  operation  and  accu- 
racy of  his  dipping  needle  would  admit,  the  exact  position  of  the  north  magnetic 
Pole.  '  The  place  of  the  observatory,'  he  says,  was  as  near  to  the  magnetic  Pole 
as  the  hmited  means  which  I  possessed  enabled  me  to  determine.  The  amount 
of  the  dip,  as  indicated  by  my  dipping  needle,  was  89°  59',  being  thus  within  one 
minute  of  the  vertical ;  while  the  proximity  at  least  of  this  Pole,  if  not  its  actual 
existence  where  we  stood,  was  further  confirmed  by  the  action,  or  rather  by  the 
total  inaction  of  the  several  horizontal  needles  then  in  my  possession.  These 
were  suspended  in  the  most  delicate  manner  possible,  but  there  was  not  one 
which  showed  the  slightest  effort  to  move  from  the  position  in  which  it  was 
placed :  a  fact,  which  even  the  most  moderately  informed  of  readers  must  now 
know  to  be  one  which  proves  that  the  centre  of  attraction  lies  at  a  very  email 
horizontal  distance,  if  at  any.  The  latitude  of  this  place  is  70°  5'  17",  and  its 
longitude  96^46' 45"  W.' 

The  party  having  proceeded  to  the  northward  as  far  as  Cape  Nicholas,  the 
coast  was  seen  stretching  out  due  north,  to  the  distance  often  or  twelve  miles 
farther ;  and  the  commander  concluded  it  preserved,  in  all  probability,  the  same 
direction  as  far  as  Cape  Walker,  in  latitude  74°  15'.  At  this  cape  there  is  a 
great  inlet,  leading,  no  doubt,  to  the  western  sea;  which  washes  the  western 
shore  of  the  Boothian  Peninsula,  and  which,  in  all  probability,  extends  down  to 
the  western  coast  of  America. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  hd^  slowly  the  time  moved  on  while  shut  up,  for 
the  second  year,  during  so  many  months.  About  the  middle  of  August,  1831, 
the  Captain  says :  We  were  weary  for  want  of  occupation,  for  want  of  variety, 
for  want  of  the  means  of  external  exertion,  for  want  of  thought,  and  for  want 
of  society.  To-day  was  as  yesterday — and  as  was  to-day,  so  would  be  to- 
morrow ;  while  if  there  was  no  variety,  as  no  hope  of  better,  is  it  wonderful  that 
even  the  visits  of  barbarians  were  welcome;  or  can  any  thing  more  strongly 
show  the  nature  of  our  pleasures  than  the  confession  that  these  were  delightful — 
even  as  the  society  of  London  might  be  amid  the  business  of  London  ?  When 
the  winter  has  once  in  reality  set  in,  our  minds  become  made  up  on  the  subject; 
like  the  dormouse  we  wrap  ourselves  up  in  a  sort  of  furry  contentment,  since 
better  cannot  be,  and  wait  for  the  times  to  come :  it  is  a  far  other  thing,  to  be 
ever  awake,  waiting  to  rise  and  become  active,  yet  ever  to  find  tliat  all  nature 
is  still  asleep,  and  that  we  had  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  wish,  and  groan,  and 
hope  as  best  we  might.  When  snow  was  our  decks,  snow  our  awnings,  snow 
our  observatories,  snow  our  larders,  snow  our  salt ;  and  when  all  the  other  uses 
of  snow  should  be  at  last  of  no  more  avail,  our  colhns  and  our  graves  were  to  be 
graves  and  coffins  of  snow.  Is  not  this  more  than  enough  of  snow,  than  suffices 
for  admiration  ?  Is  it  not  worse,  that  during  ten  of  the  months  in  a  year,  the 
ground  is  snow,  and  ice, and  *' slush;''  that  during  the  whole  year,  its  tormenting,, 


SIR   JOHN   ROSS.  625 

chilling,  odious  presence  is  ever  before  the  eye?  Who  more  than  I,  has  admired 
the  glaziers  of  the  extreme  north;  who  more  has  loved  to  contemplate  the  ice- 
bergs sailing  from  the  Pole  before  the  tide  and  the  gale,  floating  along  the  ocean, 
through  calm  and  through  storm,  like  castles,  and  towers,  and  mountains,  gorge- 
ous in  colouring,  and  magnificent,  if  often  capricious  in  form?  and  I  have 
sought  too  amid  the  crashing,  and  the  splitting,  and  the  thundering  roarings  of  a 
sea  of  moving  mountains,  for  the  subhrae,  and  felt  that  nature  could  do  no  more. 
In  all  this  there  has  been  beauty,  horror,  danger,  every  thing  that  could  excite ; 
they  would  have  excited  a  f)oet  even  to  the  verge  of  madness.  But  to  see,  to 
have  seen,  ice  and  snow,  to  have  felt  ice  and  snow  forever,  and  nothing  forever 
but  snow  and  ice,  during  all  the  months  of  the  year — to  have  seen  and  felt  but 
uninterrupted  and  unceasing  ice  and  snow,  during  all  the  months  of  four  years — 
this  it  is  that  has  made  the  sight  of  these  most  chilling  and  wearisome  objects  an 
evil  which  is  still  one  in  recollection,  as  if  the  remembrance  would  never  cease.' 
The  ship  was  loose  on  the  28th  of  August,  and  crept  to  the  northward  on  her 
intended  return,  about  four  miles  in  three  days.  Up  to  the  ,end  of  September, 
their  chance  of  liberation  became  less  every  day — the  prospect  was  a  dismal  one, 
as  it  suggested  the  idea  that  the  ship  would  never  be  extricated,  and  that  they 
would  be  compelled  to  abandon  her  with  all  that  was  on  board.  '  When  we 
first  moved  from  our  late  harbour,'  says  Captain  Ross,  '  every  man  looked  for- 
ward to  his  three  years'  wages,  his  return  to  England,  and  his  meeting  with 
friends  and  family  ;  the  depression  of  their  spirits  was  now  proportionate.' 

Fast  beset  in  Victoria  Harbour,  in  October,  they  began  to  dismantle  the  ship, 
land  the  provisions,  and  place  their  two  boats  so  as  to  be  able  to  construct  sledges 
under  them.  The  winter  passed  over  as  usual,  except  that  one  case  of  scurvy 
occurred.  In  February,  however,  the  medical  report  was  less  favourable  than 
it  had  hitherto  been;  all  were  much  enfeebled:  an  old  wound  which  Captain 
•Ross  had  in  his  side,  broke  out  with  bleeding — one  of  the  indications  of  scurvj^ 
The  cold  was  intense,  and  Captain  Ross  says,  '  I  do  not  believe  there  is  another 
record  of  such  a  continuous  low  temperature;  and  it  was  a  state  of  things  most 
certainly  to  confirm  us  in  our  resolution  of  leaving  the  ship  to  her  helpless  fate, 
imd  attempting  to  save  ourselves  in  the  best  manner  that  we  could.'  Accord- 
ingly, towards  the  end  of  April,  they  commenced  carrying  forwards  a  certain 
quantity  of  provisions,  and  the  boats  with  their  sledges,  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
vancing more  easily  afterwards.  The  labour  of  poceeding  over  ice  and  snow 
was  most  severe,  and  the  wind  and  snow-drift  rendered  it  almost  intolerable. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  all  the  provisions  had  been  carried  forward  to  the  several 
deposits,  except  as  much  as  would  serve  for  about  a  month.  In  the  process  of 
forming  these  depoits,  it  was  found  that  they  had  travelled  two  hundred  and 
thirty-nine  miles  to  gain  about  thirty  in  a  direct  line.  Preparation  was  now 
made  for  their  final  departure,  which  took  place  on  the  29th  of  May.  Every 
thing  on  shore  was  secured,  which  could  be  of  use  in  case  they  were  to  return, 
or  which  if  they  did  not,  would  prove  of  use  to  the  natives.  The  colours  were 
therefore  hoisted  and  nailed  to  the  mast,  and  a  parting  glass  was  drank  to  the 
poor  ship.  On  tlie  1st  of  July,  after  a  full  month's  most  fatiguing  journey,  they 
encamped  on  Fury  Beach.  The  first  thing  to  be  done,  was  to  construct  a  house, 
which  was  to  be  thirty-one  by  sixteen  feet,  and  seven  feet  high ;  to  be  covered 
with  canvass.  The  next  was  to  set  the  carpenters  to  work  in  repairing  the  three 
boats  of  the  Fury. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  ice  unexpectedly  broke  up,  leaving  some  navigable 
clear  water,  on  which  they  prepared  to  embark,  in  the  hope'of  reaching  Baffin's 
Bay  before  the  departure  of  the  whahng  vessels.  The  boats  were  stored  with 
two  months'  provisions,  bedding,  and  other  necessary  articles  ;  and  each  carried 
seven  liien  with  an  officer.  The  sudden  setting  in  of  ice,  however,  obliged 
them  to  haul  the  boats  on  shorie ;  and  from  this  time  they  crept  among  rocks,  and 
ice,  and  icebergs  along  shore,  on  to  the  last  day  of  August,  when  they  reached 
the  north-eastern  extremity  of  America ;  and  here  they  were  stopped  by  finding 
the  sea,  at  the  junction  of  Regent's  Inlet  with  Barrows'  Strait,  covered  with  one 
solid  mass  of  ice.  They  remained  here  three  days,  when  every  one  agreeing 
%'6 


626  SIR   JOHN    ROSS. 

that  all  hope  of  escape  was  at  an  end,  and  that  nothing  remained  for  them  but  to 
return  to  Fury  Beach,  they  prepared  for  this  retrograde  movement. 

On  the  25th  of  September  th6y  determined  to  commence  their  return.  Their 
situation  had  now  become  truly  serious ;  it  was  even  doubtful  whether  the  state 
of  the  ice  would  allow  them  to  work  their  boats  back  to  Fury  Beach, — they  had 
but  ten  days'  provisions  left,  at  half  allowance,  nor  fuel  enough  remaining  to 
melt  the  snow  for  their  required  consumption  of  water.  They  were  now  also 
experiencing  the  greatest  sufferings  they  had  yet  endured  from  the  cold.  They 
were  soon  convinced  that  going  back  in  the  boats  was  out  of  the  question ;  they 
therefore  hauled  them  up  on  the  beach  above  high-water  mark,  and  the  carpenter 
set  about  making  sledges  out  of  the  empty  bread  casks. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  after  a  most  toilsome  and  harrassing  journey,  they 
reached  their  house — '  our  labours  at  an  end,  and  ourselves  once  more  at  home.' 
Here,  of  the  provisions  left  behind  them,  flour,  sugar,  soups,  peas,  vegetables, 
pickles,  and  lemon-juice  were  in  abundance  ;  but  of  preserved  meats  there  re- 
mained not  more  than  would  suffice  for  their  voyage  in  the  boats  during  the  next 
season.  The  winter  at  Fury  Beach  passed  away  in  the  same  monotonous  man- 
ner as  the  preceding  had  done.  The  chief  event  which  cast  a  damp  on  all,  was 
the  death  of  the  carpenter,  on  the  last  day  of  February,l833.  The  want  of  ex- 
ercise, of  sufficient  employment,  short  allowance  of  food,  lowness  of  spirits, 
produced  by  the  unbroken  sight  of  the  dull,  uniform,  melancholy  waste  of  snow 
and  ice  had  the  effect  of  reducing  the  whole  party  to  a  more  indifferent  state  of 
health  tlian  had  hitherto  been  experienced.  Two  of  the  seamen  were  far  gone 
with  the  scurvy,  and  all  were  weary  of  their  miserable  home. 

At  length  tiie  long  looked  for  period  arrived,  when  it  was  deemed  necessary 
to  abandon  the  house,  in  search  of  better  fortune ;  and  on  the  7th  of  July,  being 
Sunday,  the  last  divine  service  was  performed  in  their  winter  habitation.  The 
following  day  they  bade  it  adieu  forever !  and  having  been  detained  a  short 
time  at  Batty  Bay,  and  finding  the  ice  to  separate,  and  a  lane  of  water  open  out, 
they  succeeded  in  crossing  over  to  the  eastern  side  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet. 
Standing  along  the  southern  shore  of  Barrows'  Strait,  on  the  26th  of  August 
they  discovered  a  sail, — and,  after  some  tantalizing  delays,  they  succeeded  in 
making  themselves  visible  to  the  crew  of  one  of  her  boats.  The  account  of  the 
meeting  between  the  crew  and  our  travellers,  we  give  in  the  language  of  Cap- 
tain Ross.  "  The  vessel  was  soon  along  side,  when  the  mate  addressed  us,  by 
presuming  that  we  had  met  with  some  misfortune  and  lost  our  ship.  This  be- 
ing answered  in  the  affirmative,  I  requested  to  know  the  name  of  his  vessel,  and 
expressed  our  wish  to  be  taken  on  board.  I  was  answered  tliat  it  was  "  the  Isa- 
bella, of  Hull,  once  commanded  by  Captain  Ross ;"  on  which  I  stated  that  I  was 
the  identical  man  in  question,  and  my  people  the  crew  of  the  Victory.  That 
the  mate,  who  commanded  this  boat,  was  as  much  astonished  at  this  information 
as  he  appeared  to  be,  I  do  not  doubt;  while  with  the  usual  blunderheadedness 
of  men  on  such  occasions,  he  assured  me  that  I  had  been  dead  two  yeais.  I 
easily  convinced  him,  however,  that  what  ought  to  have  been  true  according  to 
his  estimate,  was  a  somewhat  premature  conclusion ;  as  the  bear-like  form  of  the 
whole  of  us  might  have  shown  him,  had  he  taken  time  to  consider,  that  we  were 
certainly  not  whaling  gentlemen,  and  that  we  carried  tolerable  evidence  of  our 
being  "  true  men  and  no  impostors,"  on  our  backs,  and  in  our  starven  and  un- 
shaven countenances.  A  hearty  congratulation  followed  of  course,  in  the  true 
seaman  style,  and,  after  a  few  natural  inquiries,  he  added  that  the  Isabella  was 
commanded  by  Captain  Humphreys;  when  he  immediately  v^ent  off  in  his  boat, 
to  communicate  this  information  on  board — repeating  that  we  had  long  been 
given  up  as  lost,  not  by  them  alone,  but  by  all  England. 

As  we  approached  slowly  after  him  to  the  ship,  he  jumped  up  the  side,  and  in 
a  minute  the  rigging  was  inanned ;  while  we  were  saluted  witli  three  cheers  as 
we  came  within  cable's  length,  and  were  not  long  in  getting  on  board  of  my 
old  vessel,  where  we  were  all  received  by  Captain  Humphreys  witli  a  hearty 
seaman's  welcome. 

Though  we  had  not  been  supported  by  our  names  and  our  characters,  we 
should  not  the  less  have  claimed  from  charity,  the  attentions  that  we  received, 


SIR   JOHN    ROSS.  627 

for  never  was  seen  a  more  miserable  set  of  wretches ;  while,  that  we  were  a  re- 
pulsive looking  people,  none  of  us  could  doubt.  If,  to  be  poor,  wretchedly 
poor,  as  far  as  all  our  present  property  was  concerned,  was  to  have  a  claim  on 
charity,  no  one  could  well  deserve  it  more;  but  if  to  look  so,  be  to  frighten  away 
the  so-called  charitable,  no  beggar  that  wanders  in  Ireland  could  have  outdone  us 
in  exciting  the  repugnance  of  those  who  have  not  known  what  poverty  can  be. 
Unshaven  since  I  know  not  when,  dirty,  dressed  in  the  rags  of  wild  beasts  instead 
of  the  tatters  of  civilization,  and  starved  to  the  very  bones,  our  gaunt  and  grim 
looks,  when  contrasted  with  the  well-dressed  and  well-fed  men  around  us,  made 
us  all  feel,  I  believe  for  the  first  time,  what  we  really  were,  a*Well  as  what  we 
seemed  to  oilers.  Poverty  is  without  half  its  mark  unless  it  be  contrasted  with 
wealth;  and  what  we  might  have  known  to  be  true  in  the  past  days,  we  had 
forgotten  to  think  of,  till  we  were  thus  reminded  what  we  truly  were,  as  well  as 
seemed  to  be. 

But  the  ludicrous  soon  took  place  of  all  other  feelings ;  In  such  a  crowd  and 
such  confusion,  all  serious  thought  was  impossible,  while  the  new  buoyancy  of 
our  spirits  made  us  abundantly  willing  to  be  amused  by  the  scene  which  now 
opened.  Every  man  was  hungry  and  was  to  be  fed,  all  were  ragged  and  were 
to  be  clothed,  there  was  no  one  to  whom  washing  was  not  indispensible,  nor  one 
whom  his  beard  did  not  deprive  of  all  English  semblance.  All,  every  thing  too, 
was  to  be  done  at  once ;  it  was  washing,  dressing,  shaving,  eating,  all  inter- 
mingled ;  while,  in  the  midst  of  all,  there  were  interminable  questions  to  be  ask- 
ed and  answei-ed  on  all  sides ;  the  adventures  of  the  Victory,  our  own  escapes, 
the  politics  of  England,  and  the  news  which  was  now  four  years  old.  But  all 
subsided  into  peace  atljfst.  The  sick  were  accommodated,  the  seamen  disposed 
of,  and  all  was  done,  for  all  of  us,  which  care  and  kindness  could  perform. 
Night  at  length  brought  quiet  and  serious  thought,  and  I  trust  there  was  not  one 
man  among  us  who  did  not  there  express,  where  it  was  due,  his  gratitude  for 
that  interposition  which  had  raised  us  all  from  despair,  and  had  brought  us  from 
tiie  very  borders  of  a  not  distant  grave,  to  life,  and  friends,  and  civilization. 

Long  accustomed,  however,  to  a  cold  bed  on  the  hard  snow  or  the  bare  rock, 
few  could  sleep  amid  the  comfort  of  our  new  accommodations.  I  was  myself 
compelled  to  leave  the  bed  which  had  been  kindly  assigned  me,  and  take  my 
abode  in  a  chair  for  the  night ;  nor  did  it  fare  much  better  with  the  rest.  It  was 
for  time  to  reconcile  us  to  this  sudden  and  violent  change,  to  break  through  what 
had  become  habit,  and  to  inure  us  once  more  to  the  usages  of  our  former  days.'* 
After  a  favourable  passage  the  travellers  landed  at  Hull  on  the  18th  of  October, 
1833. 


SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN. 


The  discoveries  of  Hearne  and  Mackenzie  established  the  great  fact  that  there 
is  a  northern  coast  in  America,  washed  by  the  Arctic  Ocean,  which  forms,  in  uU 
probabiHty,  its  continuous  boundary;  and  they  demonstrated  the  practicabihty  of 
reaching  this  Umit  by  passing  over  the  vast  plains  which  stretch  northward  from 
Canada  and  Hudson's  Bay.  The  voyages  of  Captain  Parry,  also,  which  have 
been  already  detailed,  fully  corroborated  this  opinion;  and  it  appeared  evident 
that  another  expedition,  properly  conducted,  might  reach  this  shore,  and  more 
fully  examine  its  whole  extent.  Such  an  expedition,  accordingly,  sailed  from 
England  on  the  23d  of  May,  1820,  its  command  being  intrusted  to  Lieutenant, 
now  Sir  John  Franklin,  assisted  by  Dr.  Richardson,  an  able  mineralogist  and 
natural  historian. 

During  the  first  portion  of  their  journey,  they  followed  the  chain  of  the  great 
lakes,  instead  of  the  more  eastern  track  pursued  by  Hearne,  and  having  descend- 
ed the  Coppermine  River,  arrived,  on  the  21st  of  July,  at  the  shore  of  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  where  tliey  commenced  their  career  of  discovery.  Important  as  were 
the  particulars  of  this  survey,  when  considered  in  relation  to  the  furtherance  of 
geographical  science,  a  minute  detail  is  here  unnecessary,  and  we  shall  attempt 
only  a  general  sketch. 

Paddling  along  the  coast  to  the  eastward,  on  the  inside  of  a  crowded  range  of 
islands,  they  encamped  on  shore  after  a  run  of  thirty-seven  miles,  in  which  they 
experienced  little  interruption,  and  saw  only  a  small  iceberg  in  the  distance, 
though  that  beautiful  luminous  effulgence  emitted  from  the  congregated  ices, 
and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  ice-blink,  was  distinctly  visible  to  the  north- 
ward. The  coast  was  found  of  moderate  height,  easy  of  access,  and  cover- 
ed with  vegetation;  but  the  islands  were  rocky  and  barren,  presenting  high 
cliffs  of  a  columnar  structure.  In  continuing  their  voyage,  tlie  dangers  which 
beset  a  navigator  in  these  dreadful  polar  solitudes  thickened  gloomily  around 
them :  the  coast  became  broken  and  steril,  and  at  length  rose  into  a  high  and 
rugged  promontory,  against  which  some  large  masses  of  ice  had  drifted,  threat- 
ening destruction  to  their  slender  canoes.  In  attempting  to  round  this  cape  the 
wind  rose,  an  awful  gloom  involved  the  sky,  and  the  thunder  burst  over  their 
heads,  compelling  them  to  encamp  till  the  storm  subsided.  They  then,  at  the 
imminent  risk  of  having  the  canoes  crushed  by  the  floating  ice,  doubled  tlie  drea- 
ry promontory,  which  they  denominated  Cape  Barrow,  and  entered  Detention 
Harbour,  where  they  landed.  Around  them  the  land  consisted  of  mountains  of 
granite,  rising  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge,  destitute  of  vegetation,  and  at- 
taining an  elevation  of  1400  or  1500  feet;  seals  and  small  deer  were  the  only 
animals  seen,  and  the  former  were  so  shy  that  all  attempts  to  approach  within 
shot  were  unsuccessful.  With  the  deer  the  hunters  were  more  fortunate ;  but 
these  were  not  numerous ;  and  while  the  ice  closed  gradually  around  them,  and 
their  little  stock  of  provisions,  consisting  of  pemmican  and  cured  beef,  everyday 
diminished,  it  was  impossible  not  to  regard  their  situation  with  uneasiness. 


SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN.  629 

Rounding  Cape  Kater,  they  entered  Arctic  Sound,  and  sent  a  party  to  explore 
a  river  upon  the  banks  of  which  they  expected  to  find  an  Esquimaux  encamp- 
ment. All,  however,  was  silent,  desolate,  and  deserted :  even  these  hardy  na- 
tives, bred  amid  the  polar  ices,  had  removed  from  so  barren  a  spot,  and  the  hun- 
ters returned  with  two  small  deer  and  a  brown  bear;  the  latter  animal  so  lean 
and  sickly  looking  that  the  men  declined  eating  it;  but  the  officers  boiled  its  paws, 
and  found  them  excellent. 

Proceeding  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Arctic  Sound,  to  which  they  gave  the 
name  of  Bankes's  Peninsula,  the  expedition  made  its  painful  way  along  a  coast 
indented  by  bays,  and  in  many  places  studded  with  islands,  till  on  the  10th  of 
August  they  reached  the  open  sea;  and  sailing,  as  they  imagined,  between  the 
continent  and  a  large  island,  found  to  their  deep  disappointment  that,  instead  of 
an  open  channel,  they  were  in  the  centre  of  a  vast  bay.  The  state  of  the  expe- 
dition now  called  for  the  most  serious  consideration  on  the  part  of  the  command- 
er. So  much  time  had  already  been  spent  in  exploring  the  sounds  and  inlets, 
that  all  hope  of  reaching  Repulse  Bay  was  vain;  both  canoes  had  sustained  ma- 
terial injury ;  the  fuel  was  expended ;  their  provisions  were  sufficient  only  for 
three  days;  the  appearances  of  the  setting  in  oi'the  arctic  winter  were  too  une- 
quivocal to  be  mistaken  ;  the  deer,  which  had  hitherto  supplied  them  with  fresh 
meat,  would,  it  was  well  known,  soon  disappear;  the  geese  and  other  aquatic 
birds  were  already  winging  their  way  to  the  southward;  while  the  men,  who 
had  up  to  this  moment  displayed  the  utmost  courage,  began  to  look  dishearten- 
ed, and  to  entertain  serious  apprehensions  for  their  safety.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, Franklin,  with  the  concurrence  of  his  officers,  determined  not  to  endan- 
ger the  lives  of  his  people  by  a  farther  advance;  and,  after  spending  four  days 
in  a  minute  survey  of  the  bay,  it  was  resolved  to  return  by  Hood's  River  to  Fort 
Enterprise.  Franklin's  researches,  as  far  as  prosecuted  at  this  time,  favoured 
the  opinion  of  those  who  contended  for  the  practicability  of  a  north-west  pas- 
sage. It  appeared  probable  that  the  coast  ran  east  and  west  in  the  latitude  as- 
signed to  Mackenzie's  River,  and  little  doubt  could,  in  his  opinion,  be  entertain- 
ed regarding  the  existence  of  a  continued  sea  in  that  direction.  The  portion 
over  which  they  passed  was  navigable  for  vessels  of  any  size  ;  and  the  ice  they 
met  with,  after  quitting  Detention  Harbour,  would  not  have  arrested  a  strong 
boat,  while  the  chain  of  islands  afforded  shelter  from  all  heavy  seas,  and  there 
were  good  harbours  at  convenient  distances.  Having  with  much  severe  priva- 
tion completed  their  course  from  Point  Tnrnagain  in  Melville  Bay  to  the  en- 
trance of  Hood's  River,  they  ascended  as  high  as  the  first  rapid  and  encamped, 
terminating  here  their  voyage  on  the  Arctic  Sea,  during  which  they  had  gone 
over  650  geographical  miles. 

On  the  prospect  of  commencing  their  land  journey  the  Canadians  could  not 
conceal  their  satisfaction;  and  the  evening  previous  to  their  departure  was 
pas.sed  in  talking  over  their  past  adventures,  and  congratulating  each  other  in 
having  at  length  turned  fheir  backs  upon  the  sea, — little  anticipating  that  the 
most  painful  and  hazardous  portion  of  the  expedition  was  yet  to  come.  Before 
setting  off,  an  assortment  of  iron  materials,  beads,  looking  glasses,  and  other  ar- 
ticles, were  put  up  in  a  conspicuous  situation  for  the  Esquimaux,  and  the  Eng- 
lish union  was  planted  on  the  loftiest  sand  hill,  where  it  might  be  seen  by  any 
ships  passing  in  the  offing.  Here  also  was  deposited  in  a  tin  box  a  letter  con- 
taining an  outline  of  the  proceedings  of  the  expedition,  the  latitude  and  longi- 
tude of  the  principal  places,  and  the  course  intended  to  be  pursued  towards 
Slave  Lake.  They  now  proceeded  up  the  river  in  their  canoes,  and  though 
upon  a  short  allowance  of  provisions,  the  produce  of  their  nets  and  fowling- 
pieces  furnished  for  a  few  days  enough  to  ward  off  absolute  want,  but  they  were 
often  on  the  very  brink  of  it.  Their  progress  was  much  interrupted  by  shoals 
and  rapids,  and  one  evening  they  encamped  at  the  lower  end  of  a  narrow  chasm, 
the  walls  of  which  were  upwards  of  200  feet  high,  and  in  some  places  only  a  few 
yards  apart.  Into  this  the  river  precipitates  itself,  forming  two  magnificent  cas- 
cades, to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Wilberforce  Falls.  On  taking  a  survey 
of  its  farther  Course,  from  a  neighboring  hill,  it  was  discovered  to  be  so  rapid  and 
ghallow  that  all  progress  in  the  large  canoes  seemed  impossible.    Two  smaller 


63>0  SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN. 

boats  were  therefore  constructed ;  and  on  the  1st  of  September,  they  set  off  with 
the  intention  of  proceeding  in  as  direct  a  Hne  as  possible  to  the  part  of  Point 
Lake  opposite  their  spring  encampment, — a  distance  which  appeared  compara- 
tively trifling,  being  only  149  miles.  Their  luggage  consisted  of  ammunition, 
nets,  hatchets,  ice  chisels,  astronomical  instruments,  clothing  blankets,  three  ket- 
tles, and  the  two  canoes,  each  so  light  as  to  be  carried  easily  by  a  single  man. 
But  disaster  attacked  them  in  their  veiy  first  stage.  A  storm  of  snow  came  on, 
accompanied  by  a  high  wind,  against  which  it  was  very  difficult  to  carry  the  ca- 
noes, that  were  damaged  by  the  falls  of  those  who  bore  them.  The  ground  was 
covei"ed  with  small  stones,  and  much  pain  was  endured  by  the  carriers,  whose 
soft  moose  skin  shoes  were  soon  cut  through.  The  cold  w^as  intense;  and  on 
encamping  they  looked  in  vain  for  wood ;  a  fire  of  moss  was  all  they  could  pro- 
cure, which  served  them  to  cook  their  supper,  but  gave  so  little  heat  that  ihey 
were  glad  to  creep  under  their  blankets. 

Having  ascended  next  morning  one  of  the  highest  hills,  they  ascertained  that 
the  river  took  a  westerly  course,  and  Franklin,  thinking  that  to  follow  it  farther 
would  lead  to  a  more  tedious  journey  than  their  exhausted  strength  could  en- 
dure, determined  to  quit  its  banks  and  make  directly  for  Point  Lake.  Emerg- 
ing, therefore,  from  the  valley,  they  crossed  a  barren  country,  varied  only  by 
marshy  levels  and  small  lakes.  The  weather  was  fine,  but  unfortunately  no 
berry-bearing  plants  were  found,  the  surface  being  covered  in  the  more  humid 
spots  with  a  few  grasses,  and  in  other  places  with  some  gray  melancholy  lichens. 
On  encamping,  the  last  piece  of  pemmican,  or  pounded  flesh,  was  distributed, 
with  a  little  arrow  root,  for  supper.  The  evening  was  warm ;  but  dark  clouds 
overspread  the  sky,  and  they  experienced  those  sudden  alternations  of  climate 
which  occur  in  the  polar  latitudes  at  this  season.  At  midnight  it  rained  in  tor- 
rents; but  towards  morning  a  snow  storm  arose,  accompanied  by  a  violent  gale. 
During  the  whole  day  the  storm  continued,  and  not  having  the  comfort  of  a  fire 
the  men  remained  in  bed,  but  the  tents  were  frozen ;  around  them  the  snow  had 
drifted  to  the  depth  of  three  feet,  and  even  within  lay  several  inches  thick  on 
their  blankets.  Though  the  storm  had  not  abated,  any  longer  delay  was  impos- 
sible, for  they  knew  every  hour  would  increase  the  intensity  of  an  arctic  winter; 
and  though  faint  from  fasting,  and  with  their  clothes  stiffened  by  frost,  it  was  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  push  forward.  They  suffered  much  in  packing  the  frozen 
tents  and  bedclothes,  and  could  hardly  keep  their  hands  out  of  their  fur  mittens. 
On  attempting  to  move,  Franklin  was  seized  with  a  fainting  fit,  occasioned  by 
hunger  and  exhaustion,  and  on  recovering  refused  to  eat  a  morsel  of  portable 
soup,  which  was  immediately  prepared  for  him,  as  it  had  been  drawn  from  the 
only  remaining  meal  of  the  party.  The  people,  however,  kindly  crowded  round 
him,  and  overcame  his  reluctance.  The  effect  of  eating  was  his  rapid  recovery ; 
and  the  expedition  moved  on. 

Disaster  now  crowded  on  disaster.  The  wind  rose  so  high,  that  those  who 
carried  the  canoes  were  frequently  blown  down,  and  one  of  the  boats  was  so 
much  shattered  as  to  be  rendered  unserviceable.  The  ground  was  covered 
with  snow;  and  though  the  swamps  were  frozen,  yet  the  ice  was  often  not  suf- 
ficiently strong ;  so  that  they  plunged  in  knee  deep.  A  fire,  however  was  made  of 
the  bark  and  timbers  of  the  broken  canoe:  and  after  having  fasted  three  days,  their 
last  meal  of  portable  soup  and  arrow  root  was  cooked.  Each  man's  allowance 
at  this  melancholy  dinner  was  exceedingly  scanty ;  but  it  allayed  the  pangs  of 
hunger  and  encouraged  them  to  press  forward  at  a  quicker  rate.  They  had 
now  reached  a  more  hilly  country,  strewed  with  large  stones,  and  covered  with 
gray  lichen,  well  known  to  the  Canadians  by  its  name  tripe  de  roche.  In  cases 
of  extremity,  it  is  boiled  and  eaten;  but  its  taste  is  nauseous,  its  quality  purga- 
tive, and  it  sometimes  produces  an  intolerable  griping  and  loathing.  The  party, 
not  being  aware  of  this,  gathered  a  considerable  quantity.  A  few  partridges  also 
had  been  shot;  and  at  night  some  willows  were  dug  up  from  under  the  snow, 
with  which  they  lighted  a  fire  and  cooked  their  supper. 

Next  day  they  came  to  Cracrofi's  River,  flowing  to  the  westward  over  a  chan- 
nel of  large  stones  that  rendered  it  impossible  to  cross  in  the  canoe.  No  alter- 
native was  lefl  but  to  attempt  a  precarious  passage  over  some  rocks  at  a  rapid ; 


SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN.  631 

and  in  effecting  this  some  of  the  men,  losing  their  balance,  slipped  into  the  water. 
They  were  instantly  rescued  by  their  companions;  but  so  intense  was  the  frost, 
that  their  drenched  clothes  became  caked  with  ice,  and  they  suffered  much  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  day's  march.  The  hunters  had  fallen  in  with  some  par- 
tridges, which  they  shot,  and  they  found  enough  of  roots  to  make  a  fire;  so  that 
their  supper,  though  scanty,  was  comparatively  comfortable.  Next  morning 
they  pushed  forward  with  ardour,  and  passed  the  river  C  ongecathawhachaga  of 
Mr.  Hearne.  The  country  which  lay  before  them  was  hilly,  and  covered  with 
*snow  to  a  great  depth.  The  sides  of  the  hills  were  traversed  by  sharp  angular 
rocks,  where  the  drifted  snow,  filling  up  the  interstices,  presented  a  smooth  but 
fallacious  surface,  which  often  gave  way  and  precipitated  them  into  the  chasms 
with  their  heavy  loads.  In  this  painful  and  arduous  manner  they  struggled  for- 
ward several  days,  feeding  on  tripe  de  roche,  which  was  so  frozen  to  the  rocks 
that  their  hands  were  benumbed  before  a  meal  could  be  collected,  and  so  desti- 
tute of  nutritive  juices  that  it  allayed  hunger  only  for  a  very  short  time.  At 
length  reaching  the  summit  of  a  hill,  they,  to  their  great  delight,  beheld  a  herd  of 
musk  oxen  feeding  in  the  valley  below ;  an  instant  halt  was  made,  the  best  hunt- 
ers were  called  out,  and  while  they  proceeded  with  extreme  caution  in  a  circui- 
tous route,  their  companions  watched  their  proceedings  with  intense  anxiety. 
When  near  enough  to  open  their  fire,  the  report  reverberated  through  the  hills, 
and  one  of  the  largest  cows  was  seen  to  fall.  ''This  success,"  says  Franklin,  in 
that  simple  and  beautiful  account  of  his  journey  which  any  change  of  language 
would  only  weaken,  "  infused  spirit  into  our  starving  party.  The  contents  of 
its  stomach  were  devoured  upon  the  spot:  and  the  raw  intestines,  which  wer^ 
next  attacked,  were  pronounced  by  the  most  delicate  of  the  party  to  be  excellent. 
A  few  willows,  whose  tops  were  seen  peeping  through  the  snow  in  the  bottom 
of  the  valley,  were  quickly  grubbed,  the  tents  were  pitched,  and  supper  cooked 
and  devoured  with  avidity.  It  was  the  sixth  day  since  we  had  had  a  good  meal. 
I  do  not  think  that  we  witnessed,  through  the  course  of  our  journey,  a  more 
striking  proof  of  the  wise  dispensation  of  the  Almighty,  and  of  the  weakness  of 
our  own  judgment,  than  on  this  day.  We  had  considered  the  dense  fog  which 
prevailed  throughout  the  morning  as  almost  the  greatest  inconvenience  which 
could  have  befallen  us,  since  it  rendered  the  air  extremely  cold,  and  prevented 
us  from  distinguishing  any  distant  object  towards  which  our  course  could  be  di- 
rected. Yet  this  very  darkness  enabled  the  party  to  get  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  bounded  the  valley  wherein  the  musk  oxen  were  grazing,  without  being 
perceived.  Had  the  herd  discovered  us  and  taken  the  alarm,  our  hunters,  in 
their  present  state  of  debility,  would  in  all  probabillity  have  failed  in  approaching 
them." 

On  the  following  day  a  strong  southerly  wind  blowing  with  a  snow  drift,  they 
took  a  day's  rest,  and  as  only  enough  remained  of  the  musk  ox  to  serve  for  two 
days,  they  contented  themselves  with  a  single  meal.  Next  morning,  though  tlie 
gale  had  not  diminished,  they  pushed  forward,  and  notwithstanding  their  rest 
and  recent  supply  of  animal  food,  the  whole  party  felt  greater  weakness  than 
they  had  hitherto  experienced.  The  weather  was  hazy,  but  after  an  hour's 
march  the  sky  cleared,  and  they  found  themselves  on  the  borders  of  a  lake,  of 
which  they  could  not  discern  the  termination  iii  either  direction.  In  these  cir- 
cumstances they  travelled  along  its  banks  to  the  westward  in  search  of  a  crossing 
place.  Credit,  one  of  the  Canadians,  left  the  party  in  hopes  of  falling  in  with  deer , 
but  did  not  return ;  and  on  encamping  in  the  evening,  hungry  and  fatigued,  they 
had  to  divide  for  supper  a  single  partridge  and  some  tripe  de  roche.  This  weed 
from  the  first  had  been  unpalatable,  but  now  became  insupportably  nauseous, 
and  began  in  many  to  produce  severe  pains  and  bowel  complaints,  especially  in 
Mr.  Hood,  one  of  the  young  officers  attached  to  the  expedifion.  This  solitary 
partridge  was  the  last  morsel  of  animal  food  that  remained ;  and  they  turned 
with  deep  anxiety  to  the  hope  of  catching  some  fish  in  the  lake,  but  discovered 
that  the  persons  entrusted  with  them  had  improvidently  thrown  av/ay  three  of 
the  nets  and  burnt  the  floats  on  leaving  Hood's  River.  Things  now  began  to 
look  very  gloomy;  and  as  the  men  were  daily  getting  weaker,  it  was  judged  ex- 
pedient to  hghten  their  burdens  of  every  thing  except  ammunition,  clothing,  and 


632  SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

the  instruments  necessary  to  guide  them  on  their  way.  The  dipping  needle,  tlte 
azimuth  compass,  the  magnet,  a  large  thermometer,  and  the  few  books  they  car- 
ried, were  therefore  deposited  at  this  encampment,  after  having  torn  out  from 
these  latter  the  tables  necessary  for  working  the  latitude  and  longitude.  Re- 
wards also  were  promised  by  Franklin  to  such  of  the  party  as  should  kill  any 
animals,  and  in  the  morning  they  prepared  to  go  forward. 

At  this  moment  a  fine  trait  of  disinterestedness  occurred ;  as  the  officers  as- 
sembled round  a  small  fire,  enduring  an  intense  degree  of  hunger  which  they 
had  no  means  of  satisfying,  Perrault,  one  of  the  Canadians,  presented  each  of  « 
them  with  a  piece  of  meat  out  of  a  little  store  which  he  had  saved  from  his  al- 
lowance. "  It  was  received,"  says  Frankhn,  "  with  great  thankfulness,  and  such 
an  instance  of  self-denial  and  kindness  filled  our  eyes  with  tears."  Pressing  i'oi- 
ward  to  a  river  issuing  from  the  lake,  they  met  their  comrade  Credit,  and  re- 
ceived the  joyful  intelligence  that  he  had  killed  two  deer.  One  of  these  was 
immediately  cut  up  and  prepared  for  breakfast ;  and  having  sent  some  of  the 
party  for  the  other,  the  rest  proceeded  down  the  river,  which  was  about  3lH) 
yards  broad,  in  search  of  a  place  to  cross.  Having  chosen  a  spot  where  the  cur- 
rent was  smooth,  immediately  above  a  rapid,  Franklin  and  two  Canadian  boat- 
men, St.  Germain  and  Belanger,  pushed  from  the  shore.  The  breeze  was  fresh, 
and  the  current  stronger  than  they  imagined,  so  that  they  approached  the  very 
edge  of  the  rapid;  and  Belanger,  employing  his  paddle  to  steady  the  canoe,  lost 
his  balance,  and  overset  the  bark  in  the  middle  of  it.  The  party  clung  to  its 
side,  and  reaching  a  rock  where  the  stream  was  but  waist  deep,  kept  their  foot- 
ing till  the  canoe  was  emptied  of  water,  after  which  Belanger  held  itsteady  while 
St.  Germain  replaced  Frankhn  in  it  and  dexterously  leaped  in  himself.  Such 
was  their  situation  that  if  the  man  who  stood  on  the  rock  had  raised  his  foot  they 
would  have  been  lost.  His  friends  therefore  were  compelled  to  leave  him,  and 
after  a  second  disaster,  in  which  the  canoe  struck,  and  was  as  expeditiously  right- 
ed as  before,  they  reached  the  opposite  bank.  Meanwhile  Belanger  suffered 
extremely,  iunnersed  to  his  middle,  and  enduring  intense  cold.  He  called  pite- 
ously  for  relief,  and  St.  Germain,  re-embarking,  attempted  to  reach  him,  but 
was  hurried;  down  the  rapid,  and  on  coming  ashore  was  so  benumbed  as  to  be 
incapable  of  further  exertion.  A  second  effort,  but  equally  unsuccessful,  wjus 
made  by  Adam :  they  then  tried  to  carry  out  a  line  formed  of  the  slings  of  the 
men's  loads,  but  it  broke,  and  was  carried  down  the  stream.  At  last,  when  he  was 
almost  exhausted,  the  canoe  reached  him  with  a  small  cord  of  one  of  tlie  remain* 
ing  nets,  and  he  was  dragged  to  shore  quite  insensible.  On  being  stripped,  rol* 
led  in, blankets,  and  put  to  bed  between  two  men,  he  recovered.  Dunng  these 
operations  Franklin  was  left  alone  upon  the  bank,  and  it  seemed  a  matter  of  the 
utmost  doubt  whether  he  should  ever  be  rejoined  by  his  companions.  "  It  is 
impossible,"  says  he,  "  to  describe  my  sensations  as  I  witnessed  the  various  uk"- 
successful  attempts  to  relieve  Belanger.  The  distance  prevented  my  seeing 
distinctly  what  was  going  on,  and  I  continued  pacing  up  and  down  tlie  rock  on 
which  I  stood,  regardless  of  the  coldness  of  my  drenched  and  stitlening  garments. 
The  canoe,  in  every  attempt  to  reach  him,  was  hurried  down  the  rapid,  and  was 
lost  to  view  among  the  rocky  islets  with  a  fury  that  seemed  to  threaten  instant 
destruction ;  once  indeed  I  fancied  that  I  saw  it  overwhelmed  in  the  waves ;  such 
an  event  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  whole  party.  Separated  as  I  was  from 
my  companions,  without  gun,  ammunition,  hatchet,  or  the  means  of  making  a 
fire,  and  in  wet  clothes,  my  doom  would  have  been  speedily  sealed.  My  com- 
panions, too,  driven  to  the  necessity  of  coasting  the  lake,  must  have  sunk  under 
the  fatigue  of  rounding  its  innumerable  arms  and  bays,  which,  as  we  learned  ai- 
terward  from  the  Indians,  are  very  extensive.  By  the  goodness  of  Providence, 
however,  we  were  spared  at  that  time  and  some  of  us  have  been  permitted  to 
offer  up  our  thanksgiving  in  a  civilized  land  for  the  signal  deliverance  we  then 
and  afterward  experienced. 

On  setting  out  next  morning,  Perrault  brought  in  a  fine  male  deer,  which 
raised  the  spirits  of  the  party,  as  it  secured  them  in  provisions  for  two  days ;  and 
they  trusted  to  support  themselves  for  a  third  on  the  skin  which  they  carried  with 
them.    Having  ascended  the  Willingham*  Mountains,  they  entered  upon  a  rug- 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN.  '  633 

ged  country  intersected  by  deep  ravines,  the  passage  of  which  was  so  difficult 
that  they  could  only  make  ten  miles  with  great  fatigue.  The  deer  was  now 
picked  to  the  last  morsel,  and  they  ate  pieces  of  the  singed  hide  with  a  little  tripe 
de  roche.  At  other  times  this  meal  might  have  sufficed ;  but,  exhausted  by  slen- 
der food  and  continued  toil,  their  appetites  had  become  ravenous.  Hitherto 
events  had  been  so  meicifully  ordered  that  in  their  utmost  need  some  little  sup- 
ply in  the  tripe  de  roche  had  never  failed  them;  but  it  was  the  will  of  God  that 
their  confidence  should  be  yet  more  strongly  tried ;  for  they  now  entered  upon  a 
level  country  covered  with  snow,  where  even  this  miserable  lichen  was  no  longer 
to  be  found;  and  a  bed  of  Iceland  moss,  which  was  boiled  for  supper,  proved  so 
bitter  that  none  of  the  party,  though  enduring  the  extremities  of  hunger,  could 
taste  more  than  a  few  spoonfuls.  Another  distress  now  attacked  them :  the  in- 
tensity of  the  cold  increased,  while  they  became  less  fit  to  endure  it.  Their 
blankets  did  not  suffice  to  keep  them  warm,  and  the  slightest  breeze  pierced 
through  their  debilitated  frames.  "  The  reader,"  says  Franklin,  "  will  probably 
be  desirous  to  know  how  we  passed  our  time  in  such  a  comfortless  situation. 
The  first  operation  after  encamping  was  to  thaw  our  frozen  shoes,  if  a  sufficient 
fire  could  be  made ;  dry  ones  were  then  put  on.  Each  person  then  wrote  his 
notes  of  the  daily  occurrences,  and  evening  prayers  were  read.  As  soon  as 
supper  was  prepared  it  was  eaten,  generally  in  the,  dark,  and  we  went  to  bed 
and  kept  up  a  cheerful  conversation  until  our  blankets  were  thawed  by  the  heat 
of  our  bodies,  and  we  had  gathered  sufficient  warmth  to  enable  us  to  fall  asleep. 
On  many  nights  we  had  not  even  the  luxury  of  going  to  bed  in  dry  clothes ;  for, 
when  the  fire  was  insufficient  to  dry  our  shoes,  we  dared  not  venture  to  pull 
them  off,  lest  they  should  freeze  so  hard  as  to  be  unfit  to  put  on  in  the  morning, 
and  therefore  inconvenient  to  carry." 

Hunger,  fatigue,  and  disappointment  began  now  to  have  a  calamitous  effect 
up  on  the  tempers  of  the  men.  One,  who  carried  the  canoe,  after  several  severe 
falls,  threw  down  his  burden,  and  obstinately  refused  to  resume  it.  It  was  ac- 
cordingly given  to  another,  who  proved  stronger,  and  pushed  forward  at  so  rap- 
id a  rate  that  Mr.  Hood,  whose  weakness  was  now  extreme,  could  not  keep  up 
with  them;  and  as  Franklin  attempted  to  pursue  and  stop  them,  the  whole  party 
was  separated.  Dr.  RicHardson,  who  had  remained  behind  to  gather  tripe  de 
roche,  joined  him,  and  on  advancing  they  found  the  men  encamped  among 
some  willows,  where  tliey  found  some  pieces  of  skin  and  a  few  bones  of  deer 
";whicli  had  been  devoured  by  the  wolves.  On  these  they  had  made  a  meal,  hav- 
ing burnt  and  pounded  the  bones,  boiled  the  skin,  and  added  their  old  shoes  to 
the  mess.  With  this  no  fault  could  be  found;  but  on  questioning  the  person 
to  whom  the  canoe  had  been  instrusted,  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  left  the 
boat  behind,  it  having,  as  he  said,  been  broken  by  a  fall  and  rendered  entirely 


To  the  infatuated  obstinacy  of  the  men  in  refusing  to  retrace  their  steps 
and  fetch  it,  even  in  its  shattered  state,  is  to  be  ascribed  much  of  the  distress  of 
their  subsequent  journey.  Every  argument  seemed  entirely  thrown  away; 
and  they  had  appaiently  lost  all  hope  of  being  preserved.  When  the  hunters, 
who  had  been  out  for  some  time,  did  not  make  their  appearance,  they  became 
furious  at  the  idea  of  having  been  deserted,  and  throwing  down  their  bundles, 
declared  they  would  follow  them  at  all  hazards,  and  leave  the  weakest  to  keep 
:up  as  they  best  could.  The  remonstrances  of  the  officers  at  length  opened  their 
minds  to  the  madness  of  such  a  scheme ;  and  on  encamping  in  the  evening  they 
found  some  pines  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  which  furnished  a  comfortable  fire, 
when  tiiey  made  their  supper  of  tripe  de  roche.  Next  morning  a  herd  of  deer 
came  in  sight,  and  they  killed  five, — a  supply  which,  considering  the  extremity 
of  hunger  and  despair  to  which  they  were  reduced,  was  especially  providential. 
It  was  evident  that  He,  without  whom  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground,  was 
with  them  in  their  extremity  of  distress;  and  casting  themselves  upon  his  care, 
every  heart  expanded  with  hope  and  gratitude. 

The  Canadians  now  earnestly  petitioned  for  a  day's  rest.    They  pleaded  their 
recent  sufterings,  and  that  the  enjoyment  of  two  substantial  meals,  after  eight 
days  of  famine,  would  enable  them  to  press  forward  more  vigorously.    The 
54 


634  SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

flesh,  the  skins,  and  even  the  stomachs  of  the  deer  were  accordingly  equally  di- 
vided  among  the  party,  and  some  of  them  suffered  severely  from  too  free  an  in- 
dulgence in  the  use  of  this  food  after  so  long  an  abstinence.  Next  morning  the 
party  resumed  their  journey,  and  after  a  w^alk  of  three  miles  came  to  the  Cop- 
permine River.  Its  current  was  strong,  but  with  a  canoe  there  would  have  been 
no  difficulty  in  crossing;  and  the  reckless  folly  of  the  men  in  abandoning  their 
only  means  of  transport  was  now  brought  strongly  to  their  mind.  No  ford 
could  be  discovered,  and  the  plan  was  suggested  of  framing  a  vessel  of  willows, 
covered  with  the  canvass  of  the  tent;  butthe  most  experienced  boatmen  declared 
the  willows  were  too  small  to  bear  the  weight ;  and  no  pines  could  be  found. 
Nothing  remained  but  to  resume  their  march  along  the  borders  of  the  lake ;  and 
looking  out  eagerly,  but  in  vain,  for  some  fordable  place,  they  encamped  at  the 
east  end.  Anxious  to  adopt  every  possible  means  for  preserving  the  party, 
Franklin  sent  Mr.  Back  forward  with  the  interpreters  to  hunt.  He  was  direct- 
ed to  halt  at  the  first  pines  and  construct  a  raft ;  and  if  his  hunters  had  killed  ani- 
mals sufficient  to  provision  them,  he  was  to  cross  immediately  and  send  the  In- 
dians with  supplies  of  meat  to  the  party  behind. 

At  this  time  it  was  discovered  that  two  of  the  men  had  stolen  part  of  the  offi- 
cer's provision,  though  it  had  been  doled  out  with  the  strictest  impartiality,  and 
they  saw  their  leaders  suffering  more  acutely  than  themselves.  To  punish  thig 
was  impossible,  except  by  the  threat  that  they  should  forfeit  their  wages,  which 
produced  little  effect.  Despondency  had  deeply  seized  upon  the  party,  and  in 
the  morning  strict  orders  could  not  prevent  them  from  straggling  in  search  of 
the  remains  of  animals;  in  consequence  of  which  much  time  was  lost  in  halting, 
and  ammunition  in  firing  guns  to  collect  them.  The  snow,  however,  had  dis- 
appeared, and  pressing  forward  with  more  alacrity  they  came  to  an  arm  of  the 
lake  running  north-east.  The  idea  of  making  the  long  circuit  round  it  was  dis- 
tressing, and  having  halted  to  consult  what  was  to  be  done,  some  one  discovered 
in  a  cliff  the  carcass  of  a  deer  which  had  fallen  into  a  chasm.  It  was  quite  putrid, 
but  even  in  that  state  appeared  delicious,  and  a  fire  being  kindled  a  large  portion 
was  soon  devoured ;  while  the  men,  cheered  by  this  unexpected  breakfast,  re- 
gained their  confidence,  and.  requested  leave  to  return  to  the  rapid,  insisting  on 
the  practicability  of  constructing  a  sufficiendy  strong  rafl  of  willows,  though  they 
had  formerly  pronounced  it  impossible.  Their  advice  was  followed ;  and  hav- 
ing sent  off  Augustus,  one  of  the  interpreters,  to  inform  Mr.  Back  of  this  change 
of  plan,  they  commenced  their  retrograde  movement,  and  encamped  at  night  ii> 
a  deep  valley  among  some  large  willows,  vvhere  they  supped  on  the  remains  of 
the  putrid  deer. 

Next  day  they  regained  the  rapids,  commenced  cutting  willows  for  the  raft, 
and  a  reward  of  300  livres  was  promised  by  Franklin  to  the  person  who  should 
convey  a  Une  across  the  river  strong  enough  to  manage  the  raft  and  transport 
the  party.  The  willows  when  cut  were  bound  into  fagots,  and  the  work  com- 
pleted; but  the  greenness  of  the  wood  rendered  it  heavy,  and  incapable  of  sup- 
porting more  than  one  man  at  a  time.  Still  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  cross ;  but 
all  depended  on  getting  a  line  carried  to  the  opposite  bank,  through  a  current 
130  yards  wide,  strong,  deep,  and  intensely  cold.  Belanger  and  Benoit,  the 
two  strongest  men  of  the  party,  repeatedly  attempted  to  take  the  raft  over,  but 
for  want  of  oars  were  driven  back.  The  tent  staves  were  then  tied  together, 
and  formed  a  strong  pole ;  but  it  was  not  long  enough  to  reach  tlie  bottom  even 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  Dr.  Richardson  next  produced  a  paddle  he 
had  brought  from  the  coast,  but  which  was  found  not  powerful  enough  to  impel 
the  raft  against  a  strong  breeze.  The  failure  of  every  attempt  occasioned  a 
deep  despondency,  which  threatened  to  have  the  most  fatal  effects,  when  Df. 
Richardson,  with  a  disinterested  courage  that  made  him  forget  his  ov^'n  weakness, 
threw  oti'  his  upper  garments,  and  attempted  to  swim  widi  a  rope  to  the  oppo- 
site bank.  Plunging  in  with  the  line  round  his  middle  he  at  first  made  some 
way,  but  the  extreme  cold  was  too  much  for  him,  and  in  a  few  moments  his 
arms  became  powerless;  still,  being  an  expert  swimmer,  he  not  only  kept  him- 
self afloat;  but  made  way  by  turning  on  his  back  and  using  his  legs,  so  Uiat  he 
had  nearly  reached  the  other  side,  when,  to  tlie  inexpressible  anguish  of  those 


SIR  JOHN    FRANKLIN.  635 

who  watched  his  progress,  his  hmbs  became  benumbed,  and  he  sank.  All  hands 
now  hauled  on  the  line,  and  drew  him  ashore  almost  lifeless ;  but  placed  before 
a  fire  of  willows,  and  stripped  of  his  wet  clothes,  he  gradually  revived  enough 
to  give  directions  as  to  the  mode  of  treating  him.  His  thin  and  emaciated  limbs, 
which  were  now  exposed  to  view,  produced  an  involuntary  exclamation  of  com- 
passion and  surprise: — "Ah,  que  nous  sommes  maigres!"  said  the  French  Ca- 
nadians ;  but  it  is  probable  that  few  of  them  would  have  presented  so  gaunt 
and  attenuated  an  appearance  as  the  brave  and  excellent  man  who  had"  thus 
nearly  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  his  humanity,  for  it  was  discovered  about  this  time  that 
the  hunters  we^-e  in  the  practice  of  withholding  the  game  which  they  shot,  and 
devouring  it  in  secret. 

Soon  after  this  the  party  were  joined  by  Mr.  Back,  who  had  traced  the  lake 
about  fifteen  miles  farther  up  without  discovering  any  place  where  it  was  possi- 
ble to  get  across;  and  towards  evening  Credit,  who  had  been  out  hunting,  re- 
turned without  any  game  of  his  own  killing;  but  brought  the  antlers  and  back- 
bone of  a  deer  shot  during  tlie  summer.  These  relics  had  already  been  picked 
clean  by  the  wolves  and  birds  of  prey,  but  the  marrow  remained  in  the  spine ; 
and  though  completely  putrid,  and  so  acrid  as  to  excoriate  the  lips,  it  was  not  the 
less  acceptable.  The  bones  were  rendered  friable  by  burning,  and  the  whole 
eagerly  devoured.  St.  Germain,  one  of  the  voyagers,  now  suggested  that  a  ca- 
noe might  be  made  of  the  painted  canvass  used  to  wrap  up  the  bedding,  and  of- 
fered to  construct  it  upon  a  frame  of  willows.  For  this  purpose  he  and  Adam 
removed  to  a  clump  of  willows,  while  another  party  proceeded  to  the  spot  where 
they  had  encamped  on  the  25th,  to  collect  pitch  among  the  small  pines  to  pay 
over  the  seams.  A  snow  storm  at  this  moment  came  on,  and  the  sufferings  of 
the  men  hourly  increasing,  a  deep  gloom  settled  upon  their  spirits.  Mr.  Hood 
was  by  this  time  reduced  to  a  perfect  shadow;  Mr.  Back  required  the  support 
of  a  stick;  Dr.  Richardson  was  lame ;  and  Franklin  so  feeble  that,  after  a  strug- 
gle of  three  hours,  he  found  himself  utterly  unable  to  reach  the  spot  where  St. 
Germain  was  at  work,  a  distance  of  only  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  returned 
completely  exhausted.  The  Canadian  voyagers  had  now  fallen  into  a  state  of 
despondency  which  bordered  on  despair,  and,  indifterent  to  their  fate,  refused  to 
make  the  slightest  exertion.  The  otiicers  were  unable  to  undergo  the  labour  of 
gathering  the  tripe  de  roche,  and  Samandre,  the  cook,  sullenly  declined  contin- 
uing his  labours.  At  this  miserable  crisis  the  conduct  of  John  Hepburn,  an 
English  sailor,  was  especially  admirable,  presenting  a  striking  contrast  to  the 
gloomy  selfishness  of  the  Canadians.  His  firm  reliance  on  tlie  watchful  good- 
ness of  God,  and  a  cheerful  resignation  to  his  will,  never  for  a  moment  forsook 
him;  and,  animated  by  this  blessed  principle,  his  strength  appeared  to  be  pre- 
served as  the  means  of  saving  the  party.  He  collected  the  tripe  de  roche  for  the 
officers'  mess,  cooked  and  served  it  out,  and  showed  the  most  indefatigable  zeal 
in  his  efforts  to  relieve  their  sufferings. 

A  gleam  of  hope  at  length  arose  when  St.  Germain  completed  the  canoe.  It 
was  impossible  not  to  feel  that  their  last  chance  of  escape  seemed  to  hang  upon 
this  little  bark; — would  it  prove  sufficient  for  their  purpose?  or,  constructed  of 
such  wretched  materials,  would  it  not  at  once  sink  to  the  bottom  1  Amid  this 
conflict  of  contending  emotions  it  was  launched  on  the  river,  and  every  heart 
bounded  with  exultation  when  it  floated,  and  St.  Germain  transported  himself 
to  the  opposite  side.  It  was  drawn  back,  and,  one  by  one,  the  whole  party  were 
ferried  over,  though  from  the  leaky  state  of  the  little  bark,  their  garments  and 
bedding  were  completely  drenched.  Franklin  immediately  despatched  Mr. 
Back  and  three  men  to  push  on  to  Fort  Enterprise  in  search  of  the  Indians,  while 
he  himself  followed  with  the  rest. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  joy  of  the  Canadian  voyagers  at  this  unlooked  for 
deliverance.  Their  spirits  rose  from  the  deepest  despondency  into  tumultuous 
exultation.  They  shook  the  officers  by  the  hand,  cried  out  that  their  worst  diffi- 
culties were  at  an  end,  and  expressed  a  confident  hope  of  being  able  to  reach 
Fort  Enterprise  in  the  course  of  a  few  days, — a  boisterous  and  sudden  confi- 
dence, to  which  the  silent  gratitude  and  quiet  resolution  of  the  pious  Hepburn 
presented  a  striking  constrast. 


636  SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

Their  tents  and  bedclothes  were  so  much  frozen,  and  the  men,  who  had  kin- 
dled a  small  fire,  so  weary,  that  it  was  eight  in  the  morning  before  the  bundles 
were  packed,  and  the  party  set  forward.  They  travelled  in  single  files,  each  at 
a  small  distance  from  his  neighbour.  Mr.  Hood,  who  was  now  nearly  exhaust- 
ed, was  obliged  to  walk  at  a  gentle  pace  in  the  rear.  Dr.  Richard.son  kindly  keep- 
ing beside  him ;  while  Franklin  led  the  foremost  men,  that  he  might  make  them 
halt  occasionally  till  the  stragglers  came  up.  Credit,  hitherto  one  of  their  most 
active  hunters,  became  lamentably  weak  fronj  the  eflfects  of  tripe  de  roche  ou 
his  constitution,  and  Vaillant,  from  the  same  cause  was  getting  daily  more  ema- 
ciated. They  only  advanced  six  miles  during  the  day,  and  at  night  satisfied  the 
cravings  of  hunger  by  a  small  quantity  of  tripe  de  roche  mixed  up  with  some 
scraps  of  roasted  leather.  During  the  night  the  wind  increa-sed  to  a  strong  gale, 
which  continuing  next  day,  besides  being  piercingly  cold,  filled  the  atmosphere 
with  a  thick  snow  drift.  Having  boiled  and  eaten  the  remains  of  their  old  shoes, 
and  every  shred  of  leather  which  could  be  picked  up,  they  set  forward  at  nine 
over  bleak  hills  separated  by  equally  barren  valleys. 

In  this  manner  they  journeyed  till  noon,  not  without  much  straggling  and  fre- 
quent halts,  at  which  time  Samandre  came  up  with  the  melancholy  news  that 
"  Credit  and  Vaillant  had  dropped  down  and  were  utterly  unable  to  proceed.  Dr. 
Richardson  went  back,  and  discovering  Vaillant  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the 
rear,  assured  him  that  a  fire  was  kindled  a  little  way  on,  and  that  he  would  re- 
cover if  he  could  but  reach  it;  the  poor  fellow  struggled  up  on  his  feet  and  fee- 
bly tried  to  advance,  but  fell  down  every  step  in  the  deep  snow.  Leaving  him, 
Dr.  Richardson  retraced  his  steps  about  a  mile  farther  in  a  fruitless  search  for 
Credit.  In  returning  he  passed  Vaillant,  who  had  fallen  down,  utterly  unable 
to  renew  his  efforts  to  rejoin  the  party,  Belanger  went  back  to  carry  his  bur- 
den and  assist  him  to  the  fire ;  but  the  cold  had  produced  such  a  numbness  that 
he  could  not  speak  or  make  the  slightest  exertion.  The  stoutest  of  the  party 
were  nov/  implored  to  make  a  last  effort  to  transport  him  to  the  fire,  but  declar- 
ed themselves  utterly  unable  for  the  task.  They  eagerly  requested  leave  to 
thro'^  down  their  loads,  and  proceed  with  the  utmost  speed  to  Fort  Enterprise: 
a  scheme  projected  in  the  despair  of  the  moment,  and  w^hich  must  have  brought 
destmction  upon  the  whole. 

Matters  had  now  reached  a  dreadful  crisis ;  it  was  necessary  to  come  to  an 
immediate  decision  regarding  their  ultimate  measures,  and  a  plan  proposed  by 
Mr.  Hood  and  Dr.  Richardson  was  adopted.  These  gentlemen  consented  to 
remain,  with  a  single  attendant,  at  the  first  spot  where  there  was  sutficient  fire- 
wood and  tripe  de  roche  for  ten  days'  consumption,  while  Franklin  and  the  rest 
were  to  proceed  with  all  expedition  to  Fbrt  Enterprise,  and  send  immediate  as- 
sistance. This  scheme  promised  to  relieve  them  of  a  considerable  portion  of 
their  burdens:  for  one  of  the  tents  and  various  other  articles  were  to  be  left; 
and  it  gave  poor  Credit  and  Vaillant  a  fairer  opportunity,  should  tliey  revive,  of 
regaining  their  companions.  On  the  resolution  being  communcated  to  tiie  men, 
they  were  cheered  with  the  prospect  of  an  alleviation  of  their  misery,  and  premis- 
ed forward  in  search  of  a  convenient  spot  for  tlie  proposed  separation.  Near 
nightfall  they  encamped  under  the  lee  of  a  hill  among  some  willows,  which  fur- 
nished a  small  fire,  but  not  sufficient  to  thaw  tlieir  frozen  clothes ;  and  no  tripe 
de  roche  having  been  found  during  the  day,  they  lay  down  hungr>',  cold,  and 
full  of  the  gloomiest  apprehensions,  while  sleep  fled  from  their  eyelids,  and  the 
images  of  their  dying  companions  rose  beibre  their  imagination  in  colours  whicli^ 
made  them  shudder  Ibr  a  fate  that  might  soon  become  their  own.  Next  morn- 
ing the  weather,  providentially,  was  mild,  and  setting  out  at  nine  they  arrived 
towards  noon  at  a  thicket  of  willows  in  the  neighbourhood  of  some  rocks  bear- 
ing a  pretty  full  supply  of  tripe  de  roche.  Here  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood 
determined  to  remain.  The  tent  was  pitched,  a  barrel  of  ammunition  and  other 
articles  were  deposited,  and  Hepburn,  who  volunteered  the  service,  was  ap- 
pointed to  continue  with  them.  The  rest  of  the  party  now  had  only  to  carry  a 
single  tent,  the  ammunition,  and  die  officers'  journals,  in  addition  to  their  own 
clothes  and  a  single  blanket  for  Captain  Franklin.  When  all  was  ready,  the 
whole  party  united  in  thanksgiving  and  prayers  to  Almighty  God  for  their  mU' 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN.  637 

tual  preservation,  and  separated  with  the  melancholy  reflection  that  it  might  iri 
all  probability  be  the  last  time  they  should  ever  again  meet  in  this  world. 

On  leaving  their  friends,  Captain  Franklin  and  his  party  descended  into  a  more 
level  conntry ;  but  the  snow  lay  so  deep,  and  they  were  so  little  able  to  wade 
through  it,  that  they  encamped  after  a  painful  march  of  only  four  miles  and  a 
half,  in  which  Belanger  and  Michel,  an  Iroquois,  were  left  far  behind,  yet  still 
strugghng  forward.  In  the  evening  they  came  in  dreadfully  exhausted,  and 
Belanger,  till  now  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  party,  could  not  refrain  from  tears 
as  he  declared  he  was  totally  unable  to  proceed,  and  implored  permission  to  re- 
turn to  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood.  Michel  made  the  same  request,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  they  should  do  so.  The  cold  of  the  night  was  excessive,  and 
the  men  were  so  weak  that  they  could  not  raise  the  tent;  from  its  weight  it  was 
impossible  to  transport  it  from  place  to  place,  and  it  was  cut  up,  the  canvass 
serving  them  for  a  covering ;  but,  though  they  lay  close  together,  the  intense 
frost  deprived  them  of  sleep.  Having  no  tripe  de  roche,  they  had  supped  on  an 
infusion  of  the  Labrador  tea  plant,  with  a  few  morsels  of  burnt  leather.  Mi- 
chel and  Belanger,  being  apparently  more  exhausted  in  the  morning  than  over 
night,  were  left,  while  the  rest  moved  forward.  After  a  very  short  progress  Per- 
rault  was  attacked  with  a  fit  of  dizziness,  but,  on  halting  a  little,  again  proposed 
to  proceed.  In  ten  minutes,  however,  he  sank  down,  and  weeping  aloud,  de- 
clared his  total  inability  to  go  on.  He  was  accordingly  advised  to  join  Michel 
and  Belanger, — a  proposal  in  which  he  acquiesced.  These  examples  of  the  to- 
tal failure  of  the  strongest  in  the  party,  had  a  very  unfavorable  effect  on  the  spir- 
its of  the  rest,  and  the  exertion  of  wading  through  the  snow  and  crossing  a  lake 
on  the  ice,  where  they  were  frequently  blown  down,  was  so  severe  that  Fontano, 
after  having  repeatedly  fallen,  piteously  complained  that  he  was  utterly  unable  to 
go  farther.  Being  not  two  miles  from  the  others  it  was  thought  best  that  he 
should  attempt  to  rejoin  them,  and  as  he  was  much  beloved,  the  parting  was 
very  distressing.  They  watched  him  for  some  time,  and  were  comforted  by 
seeing  that,  though  his  progress  was  very  slow,  he  kept  his  feet  better  than 
before. 

The  whole  party  was  now  reduced  to  five  persons.  Captain  Franklin,  Adam, 
Peltier,  Benoit,  and  Samandre,  the  interpreter  Augustus  having  pressed  forward 
by  himself  during  the  late  frequent  halts.  They  made  that  day  only  four  miles 
and  a  half,  and  encamped  for  the  night  under  a  rock,  supping  again  on  the  Lab- 
rador tea  plant  and  some  shreds  of  burnt  leather.  The  evening  was  compara- 
tively mild,  the  breeze  hght,  and  having  the  comfort  of  a  fire,  they  enjoyed  some 
sleep.  This  was  of  infinite  advantage;  it  gave  them  new  spirits,  which  were 
furtlier  invigorated  by  a  breakfast  of  tripe  de  roche,  this  being  the  fourth  day 
since  they  had  a  regular  meal.  On  reaching  Marten  Lake  they  found  it  frozen 
over, — a  circumstance  which  they  knew  would  enable  them  to  walk  upon  the 
ice  straight  to  Fort  Enterprise. 

It  may  be  easily  imagined  what  were  the  sensations  of  the  party  in  approach- 
ing the  spot  which  they  trusted  would  be  the  end  of  all  their  toils  and  privations. 
From  the  arrangements  previously  made  it  was  judged  certain  that  they  would 
here  find  relief,  and  be  able  to  send  assistance  to  their  unfortunate  companions. 
It  was  a  spot  where  they  had  enjoyed,  at  a  former  period  of  the  expedition,  the 
greatest  comfort;  but  it  was  possible,  though  they  scarcely  permitted  themselves 
to  contemplate  so  dreadful  an  idea,  that  circumstances  might  have  occurred  to 
defeat  their  present  expectations.  On  approaching  the  house  their  minds  were 
strongly  agitated  between  hope  and  fear,  and  contrary  to  their  usual  custom, 
they  advanced  in  silence.  At  length  they  reached  it,  and  their  worst  apprehen- 
sions were  realized.  Ic  was  completely  desolate.  No  provisions  had  been  de- 
posited ;  no  trace  of  Indians  could  be  discovered ;  no  letter  lay  there  from  Mr. 
Wentzel  to  inform  them  where  the  Indians  might  be  found.  On  entering,  a 
mute  despair  seized  the  party.  They  gazed  on  the  cold  hearth,  comfortless 
walls,  and  broken  sashes,  through  which  the  wind  and  snow  penetrated,  and, 
awakening  to  a  full  sense  of  the  horrors  of  their  situation,  burst  into  tears.  On 
recovering  a  little,  and  lookmg  round  with  more  attention,  a  note  was  found 
from  Mr.  Back,  stating  that  having  two  days  before  this  reached  the  house,  he 
54* 


638  SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

had  proceeded  in  search  of  the  Indians ;  but  it  described  his  party  as  so  debili- 
tated that  it  was  doubtful  whether  they  would  be  able  to  reach  Fort  Providence. 
The  sufferings  endured  by  this  meritorious  officer  and  his  little  party,  one  of 
whom  was  frozen  to  death,  were  equally  dreadful  with  those  which  fell  to  the 
share  of  his  excellent  commander. 

The  poor  sufferers,  thus  grievously  disappointed,  now  examined  the  deserted 
habitation  for  the  means  of  subsistence,  and  found  several  deer- skins  thrown 
away  during  their  former  residence  at  the  fort.  The  heaps  of  ashes  were  care- 
fully raked,  and  a  considerable  collection  of  bones  discovered,  which  were  hoard- 
ed up  for  the  purpose  of  being  pounded  and  manufactured  into  soup.  The 
parchment  originally  employed  instead  of  glass  had  been  torn  from  the  win- 
dows, and  the  place  was  exposed  to  all  the  inclemency  of  an  arctic  winter ;  but 
they  succeeded  in  filling  the  sashes  with  loose  boards,  and  as  the  temperature  of 
the  outer  air  was  now  from  15°  to  20°  below  zero,  this  precaution  was  especially 
necessary.  To  procure  water  they  melted  the  frozen  lumps  of  snow,  and  the 
flooring  of  the  neighbouring  apartment  was  broken  up  for  fuel. 

Having  completed  these  arrangements,  they  assembled  round  the  fire,  and 
were  busy  singing  the  hair  off  a  deer  skin,  when  they  were  cheered  by  the  en- 
trance of  the  interpreter,  who  had  made  his  way  to  the' fort  by  a  different  route, 
through  a  country  he  had  never  traversed  before.  Though  by  far  the  strongest 
of  the  party,  he  was  now  so  enfeebled  by  famine  that  he  could  not  follow  two 
deer  which  he  had  seen  on  his  way.  Next  morning  there  was  a  heavy  gale  from 
the  south-east,  and  the  snow  drifted  so  thick  that  no  one  ventured  abroad.  On 
the  evening  of  the  succeeding  day,  a  figure  covered  with  ice,  benumbed  with 
cold,  and  almost  speechless,  staggered  into  the  house ;  it  was  one  of  the  Cana- 
dians, who  had  been  despatched  with  a  note  by  Mr.  Back,  and  having  fallen  into 
a  rapid  narrowly  escaped  being  drowned.  To  change  his  dress,  wrap  him  in 
warm  blankets,  and  pour  some  soup  over  his  throat,  was  their  first  care ;  and 
after  a  little  he  revived  enough  to  answer  the  anxious  questions  with  which  he 
was  assailed.  From  his  replies  but  little  comfort  was  derived,  Mr.  Back  had 
seen  no  trace  of  the  Indians,  and  the  messenger's  recollection  appeared  confused 
with  regard  to  the  part  of  the  country  where  he  had  left  his  ofhcer,  who,  as  he 
stated,  intended  to  proceed  to  the  spot  where  the  Indian  chief  Akaitcho  had  en- 
camped last  summer, — a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles.  Thither  he  proposed  to 
follow  when  he  was  a  little  recruited;  and,  though  dissuaded  from  the  attempt, 
persisted  that  as  the  track  was  beaten  he  would  be  able  to  make  it  out,  and  to 
convey  intelligence  of  the  situation  of  Captain  Franklin's  party.  Accordingly, 
the  fifth  day  after  his  arrival,  he  departed  from  the  fort  with  a  small  supply  of 
singed  hide. 

Not  long  after,  Adam,  one  of  the  five  men  who  now  remained  with  Captain 
Franklin,  became  so  ill  that  he  was  utterly  incapable  of  moving,  and  it  was  dis- 
covered that  he  had  been  for  some  time  afflicted  with  osdematous  swellings  in  va- 
rious parts  of  his  body,  which  he  had  hitherto  generously  concealed,  from  a  wish 
not  to  impede  the  movements  of  his  companions.  As  it  was  impossible  for  this 
poor  man  to  travel,  it  was  necessary  to  abandon  the  original  intention  of  pro- 
ceeding with  the  whole  party  to  Fort  Providence,  and  Peltier  and  Samandre, 
who  were  in  almost  as  weak  a  state,  having  expressed  a  wish  to  remain  with 
Adam,  Captain  Franklin,  along  with  Augustus  and  Benoit,  determined  to  press 
on  to  Fort  Providence,  and  to  send  relief  to  their  companions  by  the  first  party 
of  Indians  they  sliould  meet. 

Having  accordingly  given  directions  regarding  tlie  journals  and  charts  which 
were  left  in  their  custody,  and  the  best  mode  of  Ibrwading  succour  to  Mr.  Hood 
and  Dr.  Richardson,  Franklin  set  forward  with  his  two  attendants ;  but  so  feeble 
had  tliey  become  that  the  distance  accomplished  in  six  hours  was  only  four  miles. 
They  encamped  on  the  borders  of  Round  Rock  Lake,  and,  unable  to  find  any 
tripe  de  roche,  made  their  supper  on  fried  deer  skin.  The  night  proved  intensely 
cold,  and  although  they  crept  as  close  to  each  other  as  possible,  they  sliivered  in 
every  limb,  and  the  wind  pierced  through  their  famislied  frames.  Next  morn- 
ing was  mild,  and  they  set  out  early,  but  had  scarce  proceeded  a  few  yards  when 
Franklin  fell  between  two  rocks  and  broke  his  snow  shoes,  an  accident  which 


SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN.  63^ 

incapacitated  him  from  keeping  up  with  Benoit  and  Augustus.  In  a  very  short 
time  his  attempt  to  press  forward  completely  exhausted  him ;  and  as  the  only 
hope  of  preserving  the  lives  of  the  party  appeared  to  rest  on  their  speedily  reach- 
ing Fort  Providence,  he  determined,  rather  than  retard  them,  to  retrace  his  steps 
to  the  house,  while  they  proceeded  for  assistance.  Calling  a  moment's  halt,  he 
addressed  one  note  to  Mr.  Back,  requesting  an  immediate  supply  of  meat  from 
Reindeer  Lake,  and  another  to  the  commandant  of  Fort  Providence,  with  ur- 
gent entreaties  for  assistance.  This  done,  Augustus  and  Benoit  resumed  their 
journey  and  Farnklin  returned  to  the  house. 

On  arriving  he  found  Adam,  Samandre,  and  Peltier  still  alive ;  but  the  two> 
first,  whose  minds  seemed  quite  enfeebled,  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  leave 
their  bed,  and  their  nervous  weakness  was  so  great  that  they  scarcely  ceased 
shedding  tears  all  day.  It  was  even  with  difficulty  that  they  were  prevailed  on 
to  take  any  nourishment;  and  the  labour  of  cutting  and  carrying  fuel,  gathering 
the  tripe  de  roche,  and  cooking  fell  entirely  upon  Franklin  and  Peltier.  The 
frost  was  now  so  severe  that  it  was  evident  this  lichen  would  soon  be  bound  up 
in  ice,  and  as  their  strength  daily  dechned  every  exertion  became  irksome.  When 
once  seated,  it  required  a  painful  effort  to  rise  up,  and  not  unfrequently  they  had 
to  lift  each  other  from  their  chairs.  This  miserable  condition  could  not  last  long- 
Peltier  soon  became  almost  incapable  of  holding  the  hatchet;  the  bone  soup  had 
become  so  acrid  as  to  corrode  the  inside  of  their  mouths ;  the  tripe  de  roche,  cov' 
ered  with  ice,  defied  all  eftorts  to  detach  it  from  the  rock;  and  though  the  reindeer 
sported  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  no  one  had  strength  enough  to  go  after  them, 
or  to  hold  a  gun  so  steadily  as  to  secure  an  aim. 

Still  the  hopes  and  cheerfulness  of  Franklin  did  not  desert  him.  From  his 
knowledge  of  the  places  mostly  frequented  by  the  Indians,  he  was  sanguine  as 
to  the  likelihood  of  their  being  found ;  and  their  speedy  arrival  formed  a  con- 
stant subject  of  conversation.  At  length,  on  the  evening  of  the  29th,  when  talk- 
ing of  this  long  looked  for  relief,  and  silting  round  the  fire,  Peltier  suddenly- 
leaped  up  and  uttered  a  joyful  exclamation,  imagining  he  heard  the  bustle  of  the 
Indians  in  the  adjoining  room.  It  was  not  the  Indians,  however,  but  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson and  Hepburn,  who  came  in  each  carrying  his  bundle.  The  meeting  was 
one  of  mingled  joy  and  sorrow.  Poor  Hood's  absence  was  instantly  perceived, 
and  their  saddest  anticipations  were  confirmed  by  Dr.  Richardson  declaring  that 
this  young  officer  and  Michel  were  dead,  and  that  neither  Perrault  nor  Fontano 
had  reached  the  tent  or  been  heard  of  Such  news  could  not  fail  to  create  de- 
spondency. All  were  shocked  at  the  emaciated  countenances  and  hollow  voices 
of  Dr.  Richardson  and  his  companion,  while  Captain  Franklin  and  his  fellow- 
sufferers,  having  become  gradually  accustomed  to  the  dreadful  effects  of  famine 
upon  each  other,  were  not  aware  that,  to  the  eyes  of  their  friends  who  had  just 
arrived,  the  alteration  upon  themselves  was  equally  melancholy.  "  The  doc- 
tor,', says  Franklin,  "particularly  remarked  the  sepulchral  tone  of  our  voices, 
which  he  requested  us  to  make  more  cheerful  if  possible,  not  aware  that  his  own 
partook  of  the  same  key. 

The  arrival  of  these  friends,  however,  was  soon  attended  with  a  favourable 
change.  Though  greatiy  reduced,  they  were  still  in  a  better  condition  than  their 
unfortunate  companions,  and  it  was  not  long  till  Hepburn  shot  a  partridge.  Dr. 
Richardson  speedily  tore  oft' the  feathers,  and  having  held  it  a  few  minutes  at  the 
fire  divided  it  into  six  pieces :  Franklin  and  his  companions  ravenously  devour- 
ed their  portions,  "  being  the  first  morsel  of  flesh  that  any  of  them  had  tasted  for 
thirty-one  days,"  and  Dr.  Richardson  cheered  them  with  the  prospect  that  Hep- 
burn might  possibly  bring  in  a  deer  in  his  next  expedition.  The  counsels  and 
example  of  this  pious  and  intelligent  man  produced  the  best  effects  on  the  spirits 
of  the  party.  He  had  brought  with  him  his  Testament  and  Prayer  Book;  and 
by  reading  portions  of  Scripture  appropriate  to  their  situation,  and  encouraging 
ihem  to  join  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving,  he  led  them  to  the  only  Source  whence, 
under  the  awful  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed,  they  could  derive 
hope  or  consolation.  He  taught  them  the  necessity  of  exertion,  whatever  pam 
it  might  at  first  cost ;  roused  them  to  pay  some  attention  to  the  cleanliness  of 
their  apartment;  and  insisted  particularly  that  during  the  day  they  should  roll  up 


640  SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

their  blankets,  which  they  had  been  in  the  practice  of  leaving  beside  the  fire 
where  they  slept. 

Their  several  tasks  were  now  alloted  to  each ;  Hepburn  and  Richardson  went 
out  in  search  of  deer,  while  Franklin,  being  unable  to  walk  far,  remained  nearer 
the  house,  and  digged  under  the  snow  for  skins,  which,  during  their  former  hap- 
py winter  residence  at  this  station,  when  they  killed  and  ate  abundance  of  game, 
were  thrown  away  as  useless,  but  now,  in  their  almost  putrid  state,  formed  their 
principal  support.  The  cutting  of  firewood  was  intrusted  to  Peltier  and  Sa- 
mandre ;  but  both  were  so  weak  and  dispirited  that  it  was  geneially  performed 
by  Hepburn  on  his  return  from  hunting ;  as  for  Adam,  his  legs  were  still  so  se- 
verely swollen  that  he  kept  his  bed,  though  an  operation  performed  by  Dr, 
Richardson  gave  him  some  ease.  In  the  midst  of  these  necessary  cares,  all 
seemed  for  a  while  to  dread  approaching  the  subject  of  Hood  and  and  Michel's 
death;  but  at  length,  one  evening,  on  the  return  of  the  doctor  from  hunting,  and 
after  having  despatched  their  usual  supper*  of  singed  skin  and  bone-soup,  they 
requested  him  to  relate  the  particulars;  and  a  more  afflicting,  or  in  some  respects 
a  more  terrific  story,  as  it  appears  in  his  published  narrative,  could  not  well  be 
conceived. 

He  stated,  that  after  being  left  by  Captain  Franklin,  they  remained  bcaide  the 
fire  as  long  as  it  lasted.  Having  no  tripe  de  roche,  they  supped  on  an  infusion 
of  tlie  country  tea-plant,  which  was  grateful  from  its  warmth,  but  afforded  no 
nourishment,  and  retired  to  rest.  Next  day  proved  stormy,  and  the  snow  being 
so  deep  that  a  fire  could  not  be  kindled  with  the  green  willows,  they  lay  in  bed 
reading  some  religious  books,  with  which  the  party  had  been  furnished  before 
leaving  England,  by  the  affectionate  and  pious  care  of  a  lady.  "  They  proved," 
says  Richardson,  "  of  incalculable  value  to  us.  We  read  portions  of  them  to 
each  other  as  we  lay  in  bed,  in  addition  to  the  morning  and  evening  service,  and 
found  that  they  inspired  us  on  each  perusal  with  so  strong  a  sense  of  the  omni- 
presence of  a  beneficent  God,  that  our  situation  in  these  wilds  appeared  no  longer 
destitute  ;  and  we  conversed  not  oiily  with  calmness,  but  with  cheerfulness,  de- 
taihng  with  unrestrained  confidence  the  past  events  of  our  lives,  and  dwelling 
with  hope  upon  our  future  prospects." 

'f'he  weather  clearing  up,  Dr.  Richardson  went  out  in  search  of  tripe  de  roche, 
leaving  Mr.  Hood  in  bed  and  Hepburn  cutting  willows  for  a  fire ;  but  the  rocks 
were  covered  with  ice  and  snow,  and  he  was  unsuccessful.  On  liis  return  he 
found  Michel  the  Iroquois,  who  delivered  the  note  from  Franldin.  All  were 
surprised  to  see  him  alone  ;  but  he  stated  that  Belanger  had  separated  from  him, 
and,  as  he  supposed,  lost  his  way,  he  himself  having  wandered  far  from  the 
straight  road.  They  had  afterward  good  reason  to  suspect  the  truth  of  this  stor}', 
but  believed  it  at  that  moment,  and  were  rejoiced  to  see  him  produce  a  hare  and 
a  partridge, — an  unlooked-for  supply,  which  they  received  with  humble  thankful- 
ness to  the  Giver  of  all  good.  Franklin's  note  advised  them  to  advance  to  a 
little  wood  of  pines,  which  would  afford  better  fuel;  and  to  this  tliey  removed 
under  the  guidance  of  Michel,  who  led  them  straight  to  the  spot. 

As  he  had  declared  himself  so  little  acquainted  with  the  country  as  to  lose  his 
way,  it  seemed  strange  that  he  should  at  once  conduct  them  to  the  thicket.  This 
roused  their  attention,  and  made  them  feel  rather  uneasy  as  to  his  honesty  ;  and 
various  circumstances  occurred  to  increase  their  suspicion.  He  requested  the 
loan  of  a  hatchet,  when  any  other  hunter  would  have,  taken  only  his  knife.  He 
remained  abroad  all  day  without  any  definite  employment.  He  brought  them 
some  raw  meat,  saying  that  it  was  part  of  the  carcass  of  a  wolf;  but  which  they 
had  afterward  reason  to  believe  was  a  portion  of  the  bodies  of  Belanger  and 
Perrault,  whom  they  suspected  him  to  have  murdered.  He  shunned  the  society 
of  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood,  refusing  to  sleep  in  tlie  tent,  and  preferring 
to  lie  alone  at  the  fire.  On  going  out  with  the  purpose  of  remaining  a  whole 
day,  he  often  returned  abruptly,  and  when  questioned  gave  vague  answers.  In 
a  few  days  he  began  to  regret  that  he  had  left  Captain  Franklin's  party,  re- 
fused to  take  any  share  in  the  labour  of  cutting  wood,  talked  in  a  surly  and  inso- 
sent  manner,  and  could  scarcely  be  prevailed  upon  to  go  out  and  hunt  at  all. 
These  symptoms  of  gloomy  dissatisfaction  increased ;  he  resisted  all  entreaties^ 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN.  641 

and  when  Mr.  Hood,  who  was  now  reduced  by  famine  to  the  last  extremity,  re- 
monstrated with  him,  he  flew  into  a  violent  passion,  and  exclaimed,  "  It  is  of  no 
use  hunting,  there  are  no  animals;  you  had  better  kill  and  eat  me.''  He  after- 
ward, however  consented  to  go  out,  but  returned  upon  some  frivolous  pretence ; 
and  on  the  second  day  that  dreadful  catastrophe  took  place  which  will  be  best 
given  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Richardson's  Journal. 

"  In  the  morning,"  says  he,  "  being  Sunday,  October  20th,  we  again  urged 
Michel  to  go  a-hunting,  that  he  might,  if  possible,  leave  us  some  provision,  to- 
morrow being  the  day  for  his  quitting  us ;  but  he  showed  great  unwillingness 
to  go  out,  and  lingered  about  the  fire  under  the  pretence  of  cleaning  his  gun. 
After  we  had  read  the  morning  service,  I  went  about  noon  to  gather  some  tripe 
de  roche,  leaving  Mr.  Hood  sitting  before  the  tent  at  the  fireside,  arguing  with 
Michel.  Hepburn  was  employed  in  cutting  down  a  tree  at  a  small  distance 
from  the  tent,  being  desirous  of  accumulating  a  quantity  of  firewood.  A  short 
time  after  I  went  out  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  about  ten  minutes  after- 
ward, Hepburn  called  to  me  in  a  voice  of  great  alarm,  to  come  directly.  When 
I  arrived  I  found  poor  Hood  lying  hfeless  at  the  fireside,  a  ball  having  apparent- 
ly entered  his  forehead. .  I  was  at  first  horror-struck  with  the  idea  that  in  a  fit 
of  despondency  he  had  hurried  himself  into  the  presence  of  his  Almighty  Judge 
by  an  act  of  his  own  hand  ;  but  the  conduct  of  Michel  soon  gave  rise  to  other 
thoughts,  and  excited  suspicions  which  were  confirmed,  when,  upon  examining 
the  body,  I  found  that  the  shot  had  entered  the  back  part  of  the  head  and  had 
passed  out  at  the  forehead,  while  the  muzzle  of  tbe  gun  had  been  applied  so 
close  as  to  set  fire  to  the  niglitcap  behind.  The  gun,  which  was  of  the  longest 
kind  supplied  to  the  Indians,  could  not  have  been  placed  in  the  position  to  in- 
flict such  a  wound,  except  by  a  second  person.  Upon  inquiring  of  Michel  how 
it  happened,  He  replied  that  Mr.  Hood  had  sent  him  into  the  lent  for  the  short 
gun,  and  that  during  his  absence  the  long  gun  had  gone  oflf,  he  did  not  know 
whether  by  accident  or  not.  He  held  the  short  gun  in  his  hand  at  the  time  he 
was  speaking.  Hepburn  afterwards  asserted,  that  previous  to  the  report  of  the 
gun,  Mr.  Hood  and  Michel  were  speaking  to  each  other,  in  an  elevated  angry 
tone  :  he  added,  that  Mr.  Hood,  being  seated  at  the  fireside,  was  hid  from  him 
by  intervening  willows  ;  but  that  on  hearing  the  report  he  looked  up,  and  saw 
Michel  rising  up  from  before  the  tent  door,  or  just  behind  where  Mr.  Hood  was 
seated,  and  then  going  into  the  tent.  Thinking  that  the  gun  had  been  discharg- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  it,  he  did  not  go  to  the  fire  at  first;  and  when  Mi- 
chel called  to  him  that  Mr.  Hood  was  dead,  a  considerable  time  had  elapsed.  *  *  *■ 
Bickersteth's  Scripture  Help  was  lying  open  beside  the  body,  as  if  it  had  fallen 
from  his  Iiand,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  was  reading  it  at  the  instant  6f  his 
death." 

Such  was  the  melancholy  fate  of  Mr.  Hood,  a  young  officer  of  die  highest 
promise,  w^ho  by  his  conduct  had  endeared  himself  to  every  member  of  the  expe- 
dition, and  whose  sufterings,  as  they  were  more  intense  from  the  peculidrity  of 
his  constitution,  were  borne  with  a  placid  and  unpretending  fortitude  which  it 
was  impossible  to  contemplate  without  emotion.  Both  Dr.  Richardson  and 
Hepburn  were  convinced  he  had  met  his  death  from  tlie  hands  of  Michel ;  but 
to  have  accused  him  at  that  moment  would  have  been  the  extremity  of  rashness. 
They  were  so  reduced  by  famine  that  he  could  easily  have  overpowered  both. 
His  appearance  showed  that  he  possessed  secret  supplies  of  food  ;  he  was  of 
great  bodily  strength,  and  was  armed  to  the  teeth,  carrying,  besides  his  gun,  a 
brace  of  pistols,  an  Indian  bayonet,  and  a  knife.  To  have  hinted  a  suspicion, 
therefore,  might  have  been  instantly  fatal,  and  they  affected  to  consider  the  death^ 
of  their  companion  entirely  accidental.  As  his  weakness  had  been  the  chief 
cause  of  delaying  their  journey,  they  now  set  out  for  the  fort,  having  first  paid 
the  last  rites  to  the  dead  in  the  only  way  which  their  situation  would  permit. 
The  ground  was  so  hard  and  their  strength  so  exhausted,  that  to  dig  a  grave  was 
impossible  ;  so  they  carried  the  body  into  the  willow  grove  behind  the  tent,  and 
returning  to  the  fire,  read  the  funeral  service  in  addition  to  their  evening  de- 
votions. 


642 


SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 


In  the  morning,  having  singed  the  hair  off  a  portion  of  Mr.  Hood's  buffalo 
robe,  they  boiled  and  ate  it  for  breakfast.  Meanwhile,  the  conduct  of  Michel 
was  so  extraordinary,  that  had  they  not  been  already  convinced  of  his  guilt,  no 
doubt  of  it  could  have  remained.  Though  not  a  breath  of  their  suspicions  reach- 
ed his  ears,  he  repeatedly  protested  that  he  was  incapable  of  committing  such 
an  act;  he  kept  constantly  on  his  guard;  appeared  fearful  of  leaving  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson and  Hepburn  alone  even  for  the  shortest  time :  and  when  Hepburn  spoke 
he  listened  anxiously,  though  very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  English  lan- 
guage, fixed  his  eyes  keenly  upon  him,  and  asked  fiercely  if  he  accused  him  of 
the  murder.  He  evinced  great  unwillingness  to  set  out  for  the  fort,  and  wished 
Dr.  Richardson  to  proceed  to  the  Coppermine  River,  where  he  said  the  woods 
would  supply  plenty  of  deer.  On  finding  this  advice  disregarded,  his  conduct 
became  more  and  more  alarming ;  he  muttered  to  himself,  fell  into  sullen  fits  of 
abstraction,  and  used  those  convulsive  and  abrupt  gestures  often  involuntarily 
exhibited  by  a  person  whose  mind  is  full  of  some  dreadful  purpose.  Suddenly 
awakening  from  this  re  very,  he  again  expressed  his  unwillingness  to  return 
to  the  fort,  and  renewed  his  solicitations  to  Dr.  Richardson  to  repair  to  the 
southernwoods,  where  they  would  find  ample  subsistence.  On  being  requested 
to  pursue  his  own  plan  alone,and  leave  them  to  continue  their  journey,  he  broke 
into  an  ungovernable  fury,  accused  Hepburn  of  having  told  stories  against  him, 
and  assumed  such  airs  of  superiority  as  showed  that  he  knew  they  were  both  in 
his  power,  at  the  same  time  giving  vent  to  expressions  of  hatred  against  the 
white  people,  calling  them  deadly  enemies,  and  affirming  they  had  killed  and 
eaten  his  uncle  and  two  of  his  relations. 


DR.  RICHARDSON  SHOOTING  MICHEL. 

None  of  these  menaces  were  lost  upon  Richardson  and  Hepburn;  both  felt 
-they  were  not  safe  in  this  man's  company ;  and  these  dreadful  surmises  rose  into 
certainty  when  he  threw  out  hints  that  he  would  free  himself  from  all  restraint 
on  the  morrow.  Being  now  convinced  that,  as  he  had  cruelly  murdered  Hood, 
he  was  resolved  also  to  sacrifice  them,  they  ascribed  his  not  having  already  done 
so  to  the  circumstance  of  his  not  knowing  the  way  to  the  fort,  and  requiring  their 
guidance.  They  came  to  this  conclusion  without  any  comnninication  with  each 
other;  for  their  fierce  companion  would  not  leave  them  a  moment,  watching 
them  with  a  malignant  look,  and  frequently  nmttering  threats  against  Hepburn. 
Towards  evening,  as  they  approached  the  spot  where  it  would  be  necessary  to 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN.  643 

stop  for  the  night,  Michel  halted  to  gather  tripe  de  roche,  and  to  their  surprise 
bade  them  walk  on,  and  he  would  soon  overtake  them.  Hepburn  and  Dr. 
Richardson,  now  left  alone  together  for  the  first  time  since  Mr.  Hood's  death, 
rapidly  opened  their  minds  to  each  other.  In  addition  to  the  facts  already  men- 
tioned, others  came  to  light  which  left  not  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  Michel's  guilt ; 
and  so  convinced  was  Hepburn  of  there  being  no  safety  for  them  but  in  his 
death,  that,  though  a  man  of  extreme  benevolence  and  deep  religious  principle, 
he  offered  to  be  the  instrument  of  it  himself  "  Had  my  own  Hfe,"  says  Dr. 
Richardson,  "  alone  been  threatened,  I  would  not  have  purchased  it  by  such  a 
measure ;  but  I  considered  myself  also  as  intrusted  with  that  of  Hepburn's,  a 
man  who,  by  his  humane  attentions  and  devotedness  had  so  endeared  himself  to 
me,  that  I  felt  more  anxiety  for  his  safety  than  for  my  own."  Animated  by  such 
feeUngs,  and  convinced  that  Michel's  death  was  necessary  to  self-preservation, 
he  determined  that  it  ought  to  be  by  his  own,  and  not  by  Hepburn's  hand ;  and 
on  his  coming  up,  shot  him  through  the  head  with  a  pistol. 

It  appeared  that  he  had  gathered  no  tripe  de  roche,  and  had  halted  to  put  his 
gun  in  order,  no  doubt  with  the  intention  of  attacking  them  when  in  the  act  of 
encamping. 

Dr.  Richardson  and  Hepburn  now  pursued  their  way  to  the  fort;  but  fatigue, 
and  want  of  food  and  fuel,  had  nearly  proved  fatal  to  them.  They  remarked, 
however,  that  repeatedly  when  death  appeared  inevitable,  an  unexpected  supply 
of  provisions  again  restored  them  ;  and  the  confidence  that,  when  no  human  help 
was  nigh,  they  were  supported  by  a  merciful  God,  inspired  them  with  renewed 
hope.  At  last  they  had  the  delight  of  beholding  from  an  eminence  the  smoke 
issuing  from  the  chimney  of  the  fort,  and  immediately  after  embracing  those 
friends  for  whose  fate  they  had  entertained  so  many  melancholy  forebodings.  So 
ended  this  interesting  narrative. 

The  whole  party  was  now  once  more  united,  but  under  circumstances  of  the 
most  distressing  privation  ;  all  emaciated  to  such  a  degree  as  to  look  like  living 
skeletons  ;  their  hands  shook  from  weakness,  so  that  to  take  an  aim  was  impos- 
sible ;  and  the  rein-deer,  partridges,  and  other  game  flew  or  bounded  past  in 
joyousness  and  security,  while  the  unhappy  beings  who  beheld  them  were  gaunt 
with  hunger.  The  winter  was  closing  in  with  all  its  horrors ;  it  became  daily 
more  difhcult  to  procure  fuel,  the  labour  of  cutting  and  carrying  the  logs  being 
so  grievous  that  only  Dr.  Richardson  and  Hepburn  could  undertake  it;  and  to 
scrape  the  ground  for  bones,  and  to  cook  this  miserable  meal,  was  all  Captain 
Franklin  could  accomplish.  On  the  1st  of  November  the  doctor  obtained  some 
tripe  de  roche ;  and  as  Peltier  and  Samandre  were  in  the  last  stage  of  exhaustion, 
it  was  hoped  a  little  of  the  soup  might  revive  them.  All  was  in  vain ;  they  tast- 
ed a  few  spoonfuls,  but  soon  coinplained  of  a  soreness  in  their  throats,  and  both 
died  in  the  course  of  the  night,  apparently  without  pain.  To  inter  the  bodies, 
or  even  carry  them  to  the  river,  was  a  task  for  which  the  united  strength  of  the 
survivors  was  inadequate ;  all  they  could  do  was  to  remove  them  into  an  opposite 
part  of  the  house ;  and  the  living  and  the  dead  remained  in  awful  contiguity 
under  the  same  roof 

The  party  was  now  reduced  to  four, — Franklin,  Richardson,  Hepburn,  and 
Adam.  The  last  had  become  dreadfully  low  since  the  death  of  his  companions, 
and  could  not  bear  to  be  left  alone  for  a  moment.  Their  stock  of  bones  was 
exhausted,  and  in  a  short  time  it  was  evident  that  the  severity  of  the  frost  would 
render  the  gathering  of  the  tripe  de  roche  impossible.  Under  these  circumstan- 
ces, with  death  by  famine  approaching  every  hour,  this  little  band  of  pious  and 
brave  men  were  supported  by  an  unwavering  reliance  On  the  mercy  of  God. 
"  We  read  prayers,"  says  Captain  Franklin,  "  and  a  portion  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  the  morning  and  evening,  as  had  been  our  practice  since  Dr.  Richard- 
son's arrival ;  and  I  may  remark,  that  the  performance  of  these  duties  always 
afforded  us  the  greatest  consolation,  serving  to  reanimate  our  hope  in  the  mercy 
of  the  Omnipotent,  who  alone  could  save  and  deliver  us."  It  seemed  as  if  it 
were  the  mysterious  design  of  the  Almighty  to  permit  them  to  be  reduced  to  the 
lowest  depth  of  suffering,  that  his  power  might  be  magnified  at  the  very  moment 
when  every  human  effort  appeared  utterly  impotent.     Hitherto  Dr.  Richardson 


644  Sm  JOHN  FRANKLIN. 

and  Hepburn  had  been  the  healthiest  of  the  party,  but  they  had  overwrought 
themselves  and  had  sunk  rapidly.  Owing  to  their  loss  of  flesh,  the  hard- 
ness of  the  floor,  from  which  they  were  only  protected  by  a  single  blanket, 
rendered  the  whole  surface  of  their  bodies  sore  ;  yet  the  labour  of  turning  from 
one  side  to  the  other,  was  too  much  for  them.  As  their  strength  sank,  their 
mental  faculties  partook  of  the  weakness  of  their  frame  ;  and,  to  employ  the  can- 
did and  simple  expressions  of  the  excellent  leader,  "  an  unreasonable  pettishness 
with  each  other  began  to  manifest  itself,  each  believing  the  other  weaker  in  intel- 
lect than  himself,  and  more  in  need  of  advice  and  assistance."  During  this 
gloomy  period,  after  the  first  acute  pains  of  hunger  (which  lasted  but  for  three  or 
four  days)  had  subsided,  they  generally  enjoyed  the  refreshment  of  sleep,  accom- 
panied by  dreams  which,  for  the  most  part,  partook  of  a  pleasant  character,  and 
very  often  related  to  the  pleasures  of  feasting. 

Help,  however,  was  now  near  at  hand,  and  we  shall  not  impair  the  afi'ecting 
description  of  their  deliverance  by  giving  it  in  any  other  than  Captain  Franklin's 
own  words.  "  On  November  the  7th,  Adam  had  passed  a  restless  night,  being 
disquieted  by  gloomy  apprehensions  of  approaching  death,  which  they  tried  in 
vain  to  dispel.  He  was  so  low  in  the  morning  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  speak, 
and  Captain  Franklin  remained  by  his  bedside  to  cheer  him  as  much  as  possible, 
while  the  doctor  and  Hepburn  went  out  to  cut  wood.  They  had  hardly  begun 
their  labour  when  they  were  amazed  at  hearing  the  report  of  a  musket,  and  could 
scarcely  believe  that  there  was  any  one  near  till  they  heard  a  shout,  and  espied 
three  Indians  close  to  the  house.  Adam  and  Franklin  heard  the  latter  noise,  and 
were  fearful  that  some  part  of  the  house  had  fallen  upon  one  of  their  compan- 
ions,— a  disaster  which  had  been  thought  not  unlikely.  The  alarm  was  only 
momentary;  for  Dr.  Richardson  came  in  to  communicate  the  joyful  intelligence 
that  relief  had  arrived.  He  and  Captain  Franklin  immediately  addressed  their 
thanksgivings  to  the  Throne  of  Mercy  for  this  deliverance ;  but  poor  Adam  was 
in  so  low  a  state  that  he  could  scarcely  comprehend  the  information.  When  the 
Indians  entered  he  attempted  to  rise,  but  immedifitely  sunk  down  again.  But 
for  this  seosonable  interposition  of  Providence,  his  existence  must  have  termi- 
nated in  a  few  hours,  and  that  of  the  rest  probably  in  not  many  days." 

The  Indians,  who  had  been  despatched  by  Mr.  Back,  had  tiavelled  with  great 
expedition,  and  brought  a  smafl  supply  of  provisions.  TMey  imprudently  pre- 
sented too  much  food  at  first;  and  though  aware  of  the  efiects  which  might  arise 
from  a  surfeit,  and  warned  by  Dr.  Richardson  to  eat  very  sparingly,  the  sight  of 
the  venison  was  irresistible :  and  it  was  devoured  by  tiiem  all,  not;,  excluding  the 
doctor  himself,  with  an  avidity  that  soon  produced  the  most  acnte  pains,  which 
during  the  night  deprived  them  of  rest.  Adam,  whose  weakness  rendered  him 
unable  to  feed  himself,  was  not  subjected  to  the*same  incoavenience,  and  taking 
moderate  meals  revived  hourly.  AH  now  was  thankfulness  and  cheerful  activi- 
ty. Boudel-kell,  the  youngest  Indian,  after  an  hour's  rest,  returned  lo  the  en- 
campment of  Akaitcho,  the  Dog-rib  chief,  carrying  a  note  from  Captain  Frank- 
lin, and  a  request  for  another  supply  of  provisions.  The  two  others,  named  in " 
tlieir  familiar  manner.  Crooked  Foot,  and  the  Rat,  remained  to  nurse  the  white" 
juen.  Under  their  care  the  apartment,  lately  so  desolate,  and  something  between 
a  sepulchj-e  and  a  lazar-house,  assumed  a  gladdened  look,  which  had  the  best 
effect.  The  dead  bodes  were  removed,  tlie  room  cleared  of  it^^  filth  and  frag- 
ments of  pounded  bones,  and  large  cheerful  fires  produced  a  sensation  of  com- 
fort to  which  they  had  long  been  strangers.  The  poor  suflferers  ha<l  often  cast  a 
yjrishful  eye  on  a  pile  of  dried  wood  near  the  river,  but  were  utterly  unable  to 
carry  it  up  the  bank.  When  pointed  .out  to  the  Indians,  they  fetched  it  home 
with  a  rapidity  which  astonished  our  feeble  friends.  "They  set  about  every 
thing,"  says  Franklin,  "  with  an  avidity  which  amazed  us.  Indeed,  contrasted 
with  our  emaciated  figures  and  extreme  debility,  their  frames  appeared  gigantic, 
and  their  strength  supernatural." 

Under  the  care  of  the  Indians,  and  the  blessing  of  wholesome  and  regu- 
lar meals,  tlie  strength  of  the  party  was  so  far  restored,  that,  altliough  still 
feeble,  on  the  IGth,  after  having  united  in  prayer  and  thanlisgiving  to  Cod  for 
their  dehverance,  they  left  Fort  Enterprise,— a  spot  where,  aa  they  had  formerly 


SIU  JOHN   FRANKLIN.  64S 

enjoyed  much  comfort,  if  not  happiness,  they  had  latterly  experienced  a  degree 
of  misery  scarcely  to  be  paralleled.  The  Indians  treated  them  with  unremitted 
kindness,  gave  them  their  own  snow-shoes,  and  walked  by  their  side  to  be  ready 
to  pick  Ihein  up  when  they  fell.  In  this  manner  they  pushed  forward  to  the 
abode  of  Akaitcho,  the  Indian  chief,  who  welcomed  them  with  the  utmost  hos* 
pitality.  Soon  after  they  received  letters  from  their  friends  at  Fort  Providence, 
and  the  messenger  also  brought  two  trains  of  dogs,  a  package  of  spirits  and  to- 
bacco for  the  Indians,  and  a  supply  of  shirts  and  clothes  for  Captain  Franklin  and 
his  companions.  The  gratification  of  changing  their  linen,  which  had  been  un- 
interruptedly worn  ever  since  their  departure  from  the  seacoast,  is  described  as 
conveying  an  intensity  of  comfort  to  which  no  words  can  do  justice.  From  this 
spot  their  progress  to  Fort  Providence,  and  thence  to  Montreal,  was  prosperous 
and  easy ;  and  thus  terminated  their  long,  fatiguing,  and  disastrous  travels  in 
North  America,  having  journeyed  by  water  and  by  land,  including  their  naviga- 
tion of  ihe  Polar  Sea,  5550  miles. 

So  disastrous  had  been  the  result  of  his  first  expedition,  and  so  appalling  the 
sufferings  with  which  it  was  accompanied,  that  nothing  assuredly  can  convey  a 
more  honorable  testimony  to  the  enthusiastic  zeal  and  unshaken  perseverance 
of  Captain  Franklin,  than  the  statement  of  the  simple  fact,  that  towards  the  close 
of  1823,  having  learned  the  determination  of  government  to  make  another  at- 
tempt to  effect  a  northern  passage  by  sea  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Oceans,  he,  to  use  his  own  words,  "ventured  to  lay  before  his  majesty's  govern- 
ment a  plan  for  an  expedition  over  land  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River, 
and  thence  by  sea  to  the  nortli-western  extremity  of  America,  with  the  combined 
objects  also  of  surveying  the  coasts  between  the  Mackenzie  and  the  Coppermine 
Rivers." 

It  was  the  opinion  of  this  able  officer,  that  in  the  course  he  now  proposed  to 
follow,  reverses  similar  to  those  which  had  surrounded  his  first  journey  were 
scarcely  to  be  apprehended  ;  and  his  views  having  met  the  approbation  of  gov- 
ernment, he  received  directions  for  the  equipment  of  the  expedition,  and  was 
nominated  its  commander.  He  had  the  satisfaction  also  of  being  once  more 
accompanied  by  his  valued  friend  Dr.  Richardson ;  who,  unappalled  by  his  for- 
mer dreadful  sufferings,  again  offered  his  services  as  naturalist  and  surgeon, 
and  volunteered  to  undertake  the  survey  of  the  coast  between  the  Mackenzie 
and  Coppermine  Rivers,  while  Captain  Franklin  was  occupied  in  an  attempt  to 
reach  Icy  Cape.  Previous  to  the  departure  of  the  ships  a  correspondence  was 
opened  with  the  governor  and  directors  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ;  who 
transmitted  injunctions  to  their  officers  in  the  fur  countries  to  provide  depots  of 
provisions  at  the  stations  pointed  out  by  Franklin. 

The  building  of  proper  boats  for  the  navigation  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  as*  well  as 
the  passage  of  the  rapids  between  York  Factory  and  Mackenzie  River,  formed 
the  next  object  of  attention.  It  was  evident  that  the  canoes  of  birch  bark  em- 
ployed by  Sir  A.  Mackenzie,  and  by  Captain  Franklin  in  his  first  journey, 
though  excellently  adapted  for  the  American  rivers,  uniting  hghtness  and  facility 
of  repair  with  speed,  were  yet,  from  the  tenderness  of  the  bark,  little  fitted  to  re- 
sist the  force  of  the  arctic  waves,  or  the  collision  of  the  sharp-pointed  masses  of 
ice.  Captain  Franklin  accordingly  obtained  the  Admiralty's  permission  to  have 
three  boats  constructed  at  Woolwich,  under  his  own  superintendence.  "  They 
were  built,"  says  he,  "  of  mahogany,  with  timbers  of  ash,  both  ends  exactly  alike, 
and  fitted  to  be  steered  either  with  a  ship-oar  or  a  rudder.  The  largest,  being 
twenty-six  feet  long  and  five  feet  four  inches  broad,  was  adapted  for  six  rowers, 
a  steersman,  and  an  officer;  it  was  found  to  be  capable  of  carrying  three  tons 
weight  in  addition  to  the  crew,  and  could  be  transported  with  ease  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  six  men.  The  other  two  boats  were  twenty -four  feet  in  length,  four  feet 
ten  inches  broad,  and  held  a  crew  of  five  men,  besides  a  steersman  and  an  officer, 
with  an  extra  weight  of  two  and  a  half  tons.  In  addition  to  these,  another  little 
vessel  was  constructed,  at  Woolwich,  which  reflected  great  credit  upon  its  in- 
ventor, Lieutenant-colonel  Pasley,  of  the  Royal  Engineers.  Its  shape  was  ex- 
actly tliat  of  one  of  the  valves  of  a  walnut-shell,  and  it  was  framed  of  well  season- 
ed planks  of  ash,  fastened  together  with  thongs,  and  covered  with  Mackintosh'* 
55 


6#  SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

prepared  canvass.  It  weighed  only  eighty-five  pounds,  and  when  taken  to 
pieces  could  be  made  up  in  five  or  six  parcels,  and  again  put  together  in  less 
than  twenty  minutes,  although  it  was  nine  feet  long  by  lour  feet  lour  inches  in 
breadth."  Each  person  on  board  was  provided  with  two  suits  of  water-proof 
dresses,  prepared  by  Mr.  Mackintosh,  of  Glasgow  ;  the  guns,  which  were  of  the 
same  bore  as  the  fowling-pieces  furnished  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  the 
Indian  hunters,  had  their  locks  tempered  to  resist  the  cold ;  each  being  fitted 
with  a  broad  Indian  dagger,  similar  to  a  bpyonet,  which,  on  being  disjoined, 
could  be  used  as  a  knife.  Ammunition  of  the  best  quality,  and  a  store  of  provi- 
sions sufficient  for  two  years,  were  also  supplied. 

The  expedition  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the  16th  of  February,  1825,  and  after 
a  favourable  passage  to  New- York,  proceeded  to  Albany,  travelled  through 
Utica,  Rochester,  and  Geneva,  crossed  the  Niagara  and  Lake  Ontario,  coasted 
the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and  thence  pushed  forward  through  Rainy 
Lake,  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  Lake  Winnipeg,  Saskatchawan  River,  and  arrived 
at  Cumberland  House  on  the  15th  of  June.  From  this  station,  proceeding 
northward  to  Isle  a  !a  Crosse,  and  passing  through  Deep  River,  and  Clear  and 
Buffalo  Lakes,  they  overtook  their  boats  in  Methye  River,  on  the  morning  of  the 
29th  of  June.  The  advanced  period  of  the  season  rendered  it  impossible  to  em- 
bark on  the  Mackenzie  before  the  middle  of  August,  so  that  it  became  necessary 
to  postpone  the  great  expedition  till  the  ensuing  summer.  They  accordingly 
established  their  winter  quarters  on  the  banks,  erecting  a  habitation  and  a  store, 
which  they  named  Fort  Franklin.  The  superintendence  of  these  buildings  was 
committed  to  Lieutenant  Back,  while  Captain  Franklin  determined  to  descend 
the  river,  take  a  view  of  the  Polar  Sea,  and  return  to  winter  quarters  before  the 
extreme  cold  should  set  in. 

In  this  voyage  there  occurred  nothing  worthy  of  particular  notice  till  the  arri- 
val at  Whale  Island,  where,  though  Mackenzie  had  the   strongest  reasons  to 
conclude  that  he  had  reached  the  sea,  he  appears  not  to  have  been  completely 
satisfied  on  that  point.     Probably  his  doubts  arose  from  the  fresh  taste  of  the 
water.     Franklin,  however,  proceeded  beyond  W  hale  Island,  and  reached  the 
shore  of  the  great  Arctic  Ocean.     "  Embarking,"  says  he,  "  at  eleven  A.  M.,  we 
continued  our  course  along  the  shore  of  Ellice  Island,  until  we  found  its  coast 
tending  southward  of  east.     There  we  landed,  and  were  rejoiced  at  the  sea-like 
appearance  to  the  northward.     An  Island  was  now  discovered  to  the  north-east, 
looking  blue  from  its  distance,  towards  which  the  boat  was  immediately  directed. 
The  water,  which  for  the  last  eight  miles  had  been  very  shallow,  became  gradu- 
ally deeper,  and  of  a  more  green  colour,  though  still  fres^h,  even  when  we  had 
entirely  lost  sight  of  the  eastern  land.     In  the  middle  of  the  traverse  we  were 
caught  by  a  strong  contrary  wind,  against  which  our  crews  cheerfully  contended 
for  five  hours.     Unwilling  to  return  without  attaining  the  object  of  our  search, 
when  the  strength  of  the  rowers  was  nearly  exhausted,  the  sails  were  set  double 
reefed,  and  our  excellent  boat  mounted  over  the  waves  in  a  most  buoyant  man- 
ner, while  an  opportune  alteration  of  the  wind  enabled  us  in  the  course  of  an- 
other hour  to  letch  into  smoother  water,  under  the  shelter  of  the  island.     We 
then  pulled  across  aline  of  strong  ripple,  which  marked  the  termination  of  the 
fresh  water,  that  on  the  seaward  side  being  brackish ;  and  in  the  further  progress 
of  three  miles  to  the  island,  we  had  the  indescribable  pleasure  of  finding  the 
water  decidedly  salt.     The  sun  was  setting  as  the  boat  touched  the  beach ;  we 
hastened  to  the  most  elevated  part  of  the  island,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  higlj,  to  look  around ;  and  never  was  a  prospect  more  gratifying  than  that 
whicli  lay  open  to  us.     The  Rocky  Mountams  were  seen  from  SrW.  to  W. 
half  N.,  and  from  the  latter  point,  round  by  tlie  north,  the  sea  appeared  in  all  its 
majesty,  entirely  free  from  ice,  and  without  any  visible  obstruction  to  its  naviga- 
tion.    Many  seals  and  black  and  white  whales  were  seen  sporting  on  its  waves, 
and  the  whole  scene  was  calculated  to  excite  in  our  minds  the  most  flattering  ex- 
pectations of  our  own  success,  and  that  of  our  friends  in  the  Hecla  and  tiie  Fury." 
Franklin  pronounces  a  high  encomium  on  the  accuracy  of  Mackenzie,  and  con- 
siders him  as  completely  entitled  to  the  praise  of  having  reached  the  Arctic  Sea, 
although,  owing  to  tlie  frail  construction  of  the  Indian  canoes,  it  was  impoissible 
for  him  to  sail  to  the  point  where  the  water  became  salt. 


SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN.  64V 

Having  accomplished  his  design  in  this  preliminary  journey,  Franklin  returned 
on  the  5th  of  September  to  his  winter  quarters  on  Great  Bear  Lake.  About  the 
same  time  Dr.  Richardson  returned  from  his  excursion  to  the  north-eastern  shores 
of  the  same  extensive  sheet  of  water,  having  completed  his  survey  as  far  as  the 
influx  of  Dease's  River,  and  ascertained  that  the  first  rapid  was  the  best  point  to 
which  the  eastern  detachment  of  the  expedition  should  direct  its  course  on  their 
return  from  the  Coppermine  in  the  following  season.  Meantime  the  people 
w^ere  so  busily  employed  that  time  never  hung  heavy  on  their  hands,  and  the 
shortest  day  came  almost  unexpectedly  upon  them.  The  Canadians  and  Indians 
were  engaged  in  fishing  and  hunting  for  the  whole  party,  and  during  the  autumn 
the  nets  yielded  daily  eight  hundred  fish  of  the  kitid  called  herring-salmon. 
Four  Dog-rib  Indians,  along  with  the  two  interpreters,  Augustus  and  Ooligbuck, 
were  employed  in  hunting  reindeer,  and  the  sailors  were  divided  into  different 
parties  to  whom  separate  duties  were  allotted;  such  as  attending  on  the  nets, 
bringing  home  the  venison  killed  by  the  hunters,  felling,  carrying,  and  splitting 
wood,  running  as  letter  carriers  on  snow  shoes  between  Fort  Franklin  and  two 
other  small  posts  established  on  the  Mackenzie  and  Slave  Lake.  A  school  also 
was  opened,  in  which,  during  the  long  winter  evenings,  the  officers  instructed 
the  sailors  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  ;  and  during  the  hours  of  relaxation 
the  hall  was  given  up  to  the  men  to  divert  themselves  with  any  game  they  chose; 
on  which  occasion  they  were  always  joined  by  the  officers.  Sunday  was  inva- 
riably a  day  of  rest,  and  the  whole  parly  attended  divine  service  morning  and 
evening.  Besides  this,  the  officers  had  ample  employment  in  noting  down  the 
therniometrical,  magnetical,and  atmospherical  observations,  in  writing  their  jour- 
nals, finishing  their  charts  and  drawings,  and  arranging  the  objects  of  natural 
history  which  had  been  collected.  They  were  amused  by  occasional  visits  of  the 
Dog-rib  Indians  and  various  other  tribes  ;  and  Chn'stmasday  falling  on  a  Sunday, 
they  on  the  succeeding  evening  gave  a  dance  and  supper,  which  was  attended 
by  sixty  persons,  including  savages.  "  Seldom,"  says  Franklin,  "  in  such  a  con- 
fined space  as  our  hall,  or  among  the  same  number  of  persons,  was  there  a 
greater  variety  of  character  or  greater  confusion  of  tongues.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  Englishmen,  Highlanders,  (who  mostly  conversed  with  each  other  in 
Gaelic,)  Canadians,  (who  spoke  French,)  Esquimaux,  Chipewyans,  Dog-ribs 
Hare  Indians,  Cree  women  and  children,  all  mingled  together  in  perfect  harmo' 
ny,  while  the  amusements  were  varied  by  English,  Gaelic,  and  French  songs."    - 

The  spring  now  approached,  and  the  migratory  animals,  which  observe  with 
beautiful  exactness  their  periods  of  departure  and  arrival  began  to  appear,  glad- 
dening the  yet  wintry  face  of  nature.  On  the  5th  of  October  the  last  swan  had 
passed  to  the  southward,  and  on  the  11th  the  last  brown  duck  was  noticed.  On 
the  6th  of  May  the  first  swan  was  seen,  and  on  the  8th  the  brown  ducks  reap- 
peared on  the  lake.  The  mosses  began  to  sprout,  and  various  singing  birds  and 
orioles,  along  with  some  swifts  and  white  geese,  arrived  soon  after.  It  is  re- 
marked by  Dr.  Richardson,  that  the  singing  birds,  which  were  silent  on  the  banks 
of  the  Bear  Lake  during  the  day,  serenaded  their  mates  at  midnight ;  at  which 
time,  however,  it  was  quite  light.  On  the  20th  of  May,  the  little  stream  which 
flowed  past  ihe  fort  burst  its  icy  chains,  and  the  laughing  geese  arrived  to  give 
renewed  cheerfulness  to  the  lake.  Soon  after  this,  the  winter-green  began  to 
push  forth  its  flowers;  and  under  the  increasing  warmth  of  the  sun's  rays,  the 
whole  face  of  nature  underwent  a  delightful  change.  The  snow  gradually  melt- 
ed, the  ice  broke  up  from  the  shores  of  the  lake,  the  northen  sky  became  red 
and  luminous  at  midnight,  the  dwarf  birch  and  willows  expanded  their  leaves, 
and  by  the  3d  of  June  the  anemones,  the  tussilago,  the  Lapland  rose,  and  other 
early  plants,  were  in  full  flower. 

Admonished  by  these  pleasing  changes.  Captain  Franklin  prepared  to  set  out, 
and  on  the  15th  of  June  the  equipments  for  the  boats  were  completed.  Four- 
teen men,  including  Augustus  the  Esquimaux  interpreter,  accompanied  the 
commander-in-chief  and  Lieutenant  Back  in  the  two  larger  boats,  the  Lion  and 
the  Reliance ;  while  nine  men,  and  Oolinbuck,  another  interpreter,  attended 
Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Kendall  in  the  Dolphin  and  the  Unicorn.  Spare 
blankets,  and  ail  that  could  be  useful  for  the  voyage,  or  as  presents  to  the  Esqui- 


648 


SIR    JOHN    FRANKLIN. 


maux,  were  divided  between  the  eastern  and  the  western  parties.  On  the  Sun- 
day before  their  departure,  the  officers  and  men  assembled  at  divine  worship, 
and,  in  addition  to  the  usual  service,  the  special  protection  of  the  Almighty  was 
implored  for  the  enterprise  upon  which  they  were  about  to  be  engaged.  All 
was  now  ready,  and  on  Tuesday,  the  28th  of  June,  they  embarked  upon  the  Mac- 
kenzie, with  the  navigation  of  which  the  reader  is  already  familiar.  On  the  4th 
of  July,  they  reached  that  part  where  the  river  divides  into  various  channels,  and 
the  two  parties  had  determined  to  pursue  different  directions.  The  expedition 
which  was  to  follow  the  western  branch,  commanded  by  Captain  Franklin,  em- 
barked first,  at  Dr.  Richardson's  desire,  with  a  salute  of  three  hearty  cheers  from 
their  companions,  and  as  they  dropped  down  the  river  and  passed  round  a  point 
of  land  they  perceived  their  friends  who  were  to  follow  the  eastern  branch  em- 
ployed in  the  bustle  of  embarkation.  All  were  in  high  spirits,  and  it  was  impos- 
sible not  to  contrast  their  present  complete  state  of  equipment  with  the  circum- 
stances of  their  former  disastrous  journey. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  the  western  expedition  came  almost 
immediately  into  contact  with  the  Esquimaux.  Captain  Franklin  observed  an 
encampment  upon  a  neighbouring  island,  and  instantly  proceeded  to  open  a 
communication.  A  selection  of  presents  was  made,  and  at  the  same  time  every 
man  was  directed  to  have  his  gun  ready  for  use.  Having  adopted  these  precau- 
tions, they  steered  direct  for  the  island  with  their  ensigns  tiying.  The  boats 
touched  ground  when  about  a  mile  from  the  beach.  Signs  were  made  to  the 
Esquimaux  to  come  off,  and  the  Enghsh  pulled  back  a  httie  to  await  their  arrival 
in  deeper  water.  Three  canoes,  carrying  only  a  single  person,  pushed  off,  and 
these  v/ere  followed  rapidly  by  others ;  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  space 
between  the  boats  and  the  shore  was  ahve  with  those  litde  vessels,  which  they 
name  kayaks  .  An  attempt  was  at  first  made  to  count  them,  and  the  sailors  got 
the  length  of  seventy;  but  they  increased  in  such  quick  succession  as  to  bafile 
their  further  efforts. 


KSiil  IM  VU\  PILLAGING  THK  BOATS. 


At  first  every  thing  proceeded  in  a  friendly  manner.  Augustus,  after  deliver- 
ing a  present,  infonned  them,  that  if  the  Enghsh  succeeded  in  finding  a  navigable 
channel  for  large  ships,  an  advantageous  trade  would  be  opened.  This  infor- 
mation was  received  with  a  deafening  shout,  and  the  sight  of  the  presentij  which 
had  been  carried  away  by  the  tliree  foremost  kayaks  inflamed  the  cupidity  of 
their  companions ;  so  that  the  boats  were  in  a  moment  surrounded  by  nearly 


SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN.  649 

three  hundred  persons,  offering  for  sale  their  bows,  arrows,  and  spears,  with  a 
violence  and  perseverance  which  became  at  last  exceedingly  troublesome,  and 
Captain  Franklin  directed  the  boats  to  be  put  to  seaward.  At  this  moment  a 
hayakwas  upset  by  one  of  the  oars  of  the  Lion,  and  its  unhappy  possessor  was 
stuck  by  the  accident  with  his  head  in  the  mud  and  his  heels  in  the  air.  He  was 
instantly  extricated,  wrapped  in  a  warm  great-coat,  and  placed  in  the  boat,  where, 
although  at  first  excessively  frightened  and  angry,  he  soon  became  reconciled  to 
his  situation,  and  looking  about,  discovered  many  bales  and  other  articles  which 
had  hitherto  been  carefully  concealed.  His  first  impulse  was  to  ask  for  every 
thing  he  saw,  his  next  to  be  indignant  that  his  requests  were  not  granted  ;  and 
enjoining  his  companions,  as  they  afterwards  learned,  he  harangued  on  the  in- 
exhaustible riches  of  the  Lion,  and  proposed  a  plan  for  a  general  attack  and 
pillage  of  both  the  boats.  This  scheme  was  immediately  carried  into  execution ; 
and  although  the  plunderers  at  first  afiected  to  be  partly  in  sport,  matters  soon 
assumed  a  serious  complexion.  Two  of  the  most  powerful  men,  leaping  on 
board,  seized  Captain  Franklin,  forced  him  to  sit  between  them,  and  when  he 
shook  them  off,  a  third  took  his  station  in  front  to  catch  his  arm  whenever  he 
attempted  to  raise  his  gun  or  lay  his  hand  on  the  broad  dagger  which  hung  by  his 
side.  Diu-iug  this  assault  the  two  boats  were  violently  dragged  to  the  shore,  and 
a  numerous  party,  stripping  to  the  waist  and  brandishing  their  long  sharp  knives, 
ran  to  the  Reliance,  and  commenced  a  regular  pillage,  handing  the  articles  to 
the  women,  who,  ranged  in  a  row  behind,  quickly  conveyed  them  out  of  sight. 
No  sooner  was  the  bow  cleared  of  one  set  of  marauders  than  another  party  com- 
menced their  operations  at  the  stern.  The  Lion  was  beset  by  smaller  numbers, 
and  her  crew,  by  firmly  keeping  their  seats  on  the  canvass-cover  spread  over 
the  cargo,  and  beating  of  the  natives  with  the  butt  end  of  their  muskets,  succeed- 
in  preventing  any  article  of  importance  from  being  carried  away.  Irritated,  at 
length,  by  their  frequent  failure,  the  Esquimaux  made  a  simultaneous  charge, 
and,  leaping  on  board,  began  to  wrest  the  daggers  and  shot  belts  from  the  sailors, 
and  to  strike  with  their  knives.  In  the  midst  of  this  attack,  when  the  crew  in  the 
Lion  were  nearly  overpowered,  and  their  commander  disarmed,  all  at  once  the 
natives  took  to  their  heels,  and  concealed  themselves  behind  the  drift  timber  and 
canoes  on  the  beach.  This  sudden  panic  was  occasioned  by  Captain  Back, 
whose  boat  at  this  time  had  been  got  afioat,  commanding  his  crew  to  level  their 
muskets, — a  proceeding  which  was  immediately  observed  by  the  Esquimaux, 
though  not  noticed  by  Captain  Franklin's  men,  who  were  wholly  occupied  in 
defending  themselves.  The  Lion  happily  floated  soon  after ;  and  as  both  boats 
pulled  off,  Captain  Franklin  desired  Augustus  to  inform  some  of  the  Esquimaux, 
who  manifested  a  disposifion  to  follow  and  renew  the  attack,  that  he  would  shoot 
the  first  man  who  ventured  to  approach  within  musket  range. 

In  the  evening,  Augustus  anxiously  entreated  permission  to  attend  a  confer- 
ence of  his  countrymen  on  the  shore,  to  which  he  had  been  formally  invited. 
The  courage  and  fidelity  of  this  person  had  much  endeared  himself  to  the  Eng- 
lish, and  it  was  not  without  much  hesitation  that  Captain  Franklin  agreed  to  his 
request,  as  he  stated  his  determination  to  reprove  the  natives  for  their  disgraceful 
conduct.  He  was  at  length  allowed  to  go,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  the  shore 
the  number  of  Esquimaux  amounted  to  forty,  all  of  them  armed.  On  landing, 
he  walked  undauntedly  into  the  middle  of  the  assembly,  and  addressed  them  in 
the  following  animated  speech,  which  he  afterwards  repeated  to  his  English 
friends : 

"  Your  conduct,"  said  he,  "  has  been  very  bad,  and  unlike  all  other  Esqui- 
maux. Some  of  you  even  stole  from  me,  your  countryman — but  that  I  do  not 
mind.  I  only  regret  that  you  should  have  treated  in  this  vile  manner  the  white 
people,  who  came  solely  to  do  you  kindness.  My  tribe  were  in  the  same  unhap- 
py state  in  which  you  now  are  before  the  white  people  came  to  Churchill;  but 
at  present  they  are  supplied  with  every  thing  they  need  ;  and  you  see  that  I  am 
well  clothed,  1  get  every  thing  I  want,  and  am  very  comfortable.  You  cannot 
expect,  after  the  transactians  of  this  day,  that  these  people  will  ever  bring  any 
articles  to  your  country  again,  unless  you  show  your  contrition  by  returning  the 
stolen  goodd.  The  white  people  love  the  Esquimaux,  and  wish  to  show  thera 
*55 


650  SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN. 

the  same  kindness  that  they  bestow  upon  the  Indians.  Do  not  deceive  your- 
selves, and  suppose  that  they  are  afraid  of  you  ;  I  tell  you  they  are  not,  and  that 
it  is  entirely  owing  to  their  humanity  that  many  of  you  were  not  killed  to-day, 
for  they  have  all  guns  with  which  they  can  destroy  you  either  near  or  at  a  dis- 
tance. I  also  have  a  gun,  and  can  assure  you  that  if  a  white  man  had  fallen,  I 
would  have  been  the  first  to  have  revenged  his  death." 

During  this  speech,  which  was  delivered,  as  they  perceived  from  the  boat", 
with  much  energy  and  spirited  gesticulation,  the  Esquimaux  expressed  their  ap- 
probation by  frequent  shouts,  and  on  its  conclusion  made  a  very  penitent,  though 
somewhat  singular  apology :  "  They  had  never  seen  white  men  before,"  they 
said,  *'  and  really  all  the  things  in  the  boat  were  so  beautiful  and  desirable  that 
it  was  impossible  not  to  steal  them.  As  they  were  very  anxious,  however, 
for  the  friendship  and  trade  of  the  white  men,  they  solemnly  promised  never  to 
repeat  such  conduct,  and  at  the  request  of  Augustus,  sent  back  the  large  kettle, 
the  tent,  and  some  pairs  of  shoes  which  they  had  carried  off.  The  interpreter 
was  afterward  invited  to  a  dance,  and  a  friendly  understanding  seemed  to  be  es- 
tablished; but  Captain  Franldin  soon  discovered  that  the  professions  of  the  na- 
tives were  hollaw  and  treacherous;  and  nothing  but  his  jealous  precautions 
saved  him  and  his  companioiis  from  massacre,  in  which  it  had  been  resolved  to 
include  the  faithful  Augustus. 

Their  voyage  along  the  coast  in  the  direction  of  west-north-west,  after  a  pro- 
gress of  twelve  miles,  was  impeded  by  the  ice  stretching  from  the  shore  far  to 
seaward.  The  boats  were  in  consequence  hauled  up  ;  and  as  the  frozen  masses 
were  piled  round  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet,  it  became  necessary  to  await  the 
breaking  up  of  this  formidable  barrier.  Having  gone  to  sleep,  the  officers  were 
startled  at  midnight  by  the  guard  calling  to  arms  :  three  Esquimaux,  belonging 
to  a  large  party  encamped  at  some  distance,  had  stolen  forward,  and  been  only 
discovered  when  close  at  hand.  Alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  the  men,  who 
stood  to  their  arms,  the  strangers  were  on  the  point  of  discharging  their  arrows, 
when  they  were  arrested  by  the  loud  voice  of  Augustus,  who  explained  the  ob- 
ject of  the  expedition,  and  dilated  upon  the  advantages  which  they  would  derive 
from  it.  A  present  confirmed  his  statement,  and  an  amicable  intercourse  was 
opened, — a  line,  however,  being  first  drawn  at  a  certain  distance  from  the  tents, 
across  which  no  Esquimaux  was  to  pass  under  the  penalty  of  being  instantly 
shot.  Against  this  they  made  no  remonstrance,  only  remarking,  when  informed 
of  the  treacherous  conduct  of  the  natives  at  the  mouth  of  Mackenzie  River,  that 
"  these  were  bad  men,  altogether  different  from  them,  and  never  failed  either  to 
steal  or  quarrel  whenever  an  opportunity  was  offered."  The  delight  exhibited 
by  these  people,  hicluding  the  most  elderly  among  them,  on  receiving  any  little 
present,  was  exactly  similar  to  that  of  children  when  they  get  hold  of  toys.  They 
ran  from  one  thing  to  another;  examined  with  restless  curiosity  every  part  of 
Augustus's  dress,  who,  to  gratify  his  vanity,  had  put  on  his  gaye.st  apparel;  and, 
ignorant  of  the  uses  of  the  articles  presented  to  them,  they  walked  about  witli 
cod  fish  hooks  and  awls  dangling  from  the  nose,  and  copper  tliimbles  strung  to 
their  trowsers  or  reindeer  jackets.  The  men  were  robust,  and  taller  llian  those 
seen  on  the  east  coast  by  Captain  Parry,  though  their  manner  of  life  appeared  to 
be  nearly  the  same.  With  the  broad  nose  and  small  eyes,  which  peculiarly  dis- 
tinguish the  whole  Esquimaux  tribes,  they  had  the  cheek  bones  less  projecting 
than  those  of  the  eastern  coast.  From  a  constant  exposure  to  the  glare  of  the 
ice  and  snow,  the  whole  party  were  afflicted  with  sore  eyes,  and  two  of  the  old 
men  seemed  nearly  blind.  They  wore  the  hair  on  the  upper  lip  and  chin,  and 
every  man  had  pieces  of  bone  or  shells  thrust  through  the  septum  of  the  nose, 
while  holes  were  pierced  on  each  side  of  the  under  lip,  in  vvhich  were  placed 
circular  pieces  of  ivory  with  a  large  blue  bead  in  the  centre, — ornaments  which 
they  valued  highly,  and  declined  selling.  Their  clothes  consisted  of  a  jacket 
of  reindeer  skin,  with  a  skirt  behind  and  before,  and  a  small  hood  ;  breeches  of 
the  same  material,  and  large  seal  skin  boots.  The  dress  of  the  females  differed 
from  that  of  the  men  only  in  their  wearing  wide  trousers,  and  in  the  size  of  their 
hoods,  which  did  not  fit  close  to  their  heads,  but  were  made  large  for  the  purpose 
of  receiving  their  children:  these  were  ornamented  witli  stripes  of  diflerent  co- 


SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN.  651 

loured  skins,  and  round  the  top  was  fastened  a  band  of  wolf's  hair,  made  to  stand 
erect.  The  women  were  from  four  feet  and  a  half  to  four  feet  three-quarters 
high,  and  some  of  the  younger,  though  too  corpulent,  were  pretty;  their  black 
hair  was  tastefully  turned  up  from  behind  to  the  top  of  the  head,  and  braided 
with  strings  of  white  and  blue  beads  and  cords  of  white  deer  skin.  Both  men 
and  women  were  much  pleased  by  having  their  portraits  sketched  by  Captain 
Back;  and  one  young  lady,  who  sat  for  a  full  length,  and  chose  the  extraordina- 
ry attitude  of  stuffing  both  hands  into  her  breeches  pockets,  interrupted  the  la- 
bours of  the  draughtsman  by  repeatedly  jumping  into  the  air,  and  f-miling  in  a 
very  ludicrous  and  irresistible  manner.  The  men  were  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows,  long  knives,  which  they  concealed  in  the  shirt  sleeve,  and  spears  tipped 
with  bone. 

The  Esquimaux  had  predicted  that  as  soon  as  a  strong  wind  began  to  blow 
from  the  land  it  would  loosen  the  ice ;  and  on  the  r2th  of  July  a  heavy  rain  with 
a  pretty  high  gale  set  in  and  opened  a  passage.  The  boats  accordingly  were 
launched;  and,  passing  by  a  wide  bay  named  by  the  commander  after  his  friends 
Captains  Sabine  and  Kay,  they  were  suddenly  arrested  by  a  compact  body  of 
ice,  and  enveloped  at  the  same  time  in  a  dense  fog.  On  attempting  to  pull  back 
for  the  purpose  of  landing,  they  discovered  that  the  ice  had  closed  between  them 
and  the  shore.  In  this  situation  only  one  alternative  was  left,  which  was  to  pull 
to  seaward  and  trace  the  outer  border  of  the  ice.  This  they  at  last  eftect- 
ed;  though  a  sudden  change  of  wind  brought  on  a  heavy  swell,  and  surrounded 
them  with  floating  masses  of  ice,  which  threatened  to  crush  the  boats  to  pieces. 
They  succeeded,  however,  after  five  hours  employed  in  sailing  in  and  out  be- 
tween these  floating  icebergs,  in  reaching  the  shore  and  landing  a  little  to  the 
west  of  Point  Sabine.  After  a  detention  of  two  days  tliey  proceeded  as  far  as 
Point  Kay:  but  being  here  again  impeded  by  a  compact  body  of  ice,  which  ex- 
tended to  seaward  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  they  were  obliged  to  encamp 
and  wait  patiently  for  the  first  strong  breeze  from  the  land. 

The  time  of  their  sojourn  in  these  arctic  solitudes  was  pleasantly  occupied  in 
making  astronomical  observations,  collecting  specimens  of  the  plants  in  flower, 
sketching  scenery,  and  completing  charts  of  the  coast.  Augustus  went  in  search 
of  his  countrymen,  and  returned  at  night  with  a  young  Esquimaux  and  his  wife, 
who,  after  a  few  presents,  became  loquacious,  and  informed  them  that  the  ice 
would  soon  break  up.  Symptoms  of  this  desirable  change  were  observed  next 
day,  and  with  great  labour  they  reached  Ilerschel  Island.  At  the  moment  they 
made  the  shore  a  herd  of  reindeer  came  bounding  down  to  the  beach,  pursued 
by  three  Esquimaux  hunters,  and  immediately  took  the  water,  while  the  natives, 
startled  at  sight  of  the  strangers,  gazed  for  a  moment,  consulted  among  them- 
selves, changed  the  heads  of  their  arrows,  and  prepared  their  bows.  Their  hos- 
tile intentions,  however,  were  laid  aside  when  they  were  addressed  by  Augus- 
tus; and  in  the  evening  a  large  party  arrived,  bringing  dried  meat,  fish,  and 
game,  for  which  they  received  presents  in  exchange,  which  set  them  singing  and 
dancing  round  the  encampment  for  the  greater  part  of  the  night. 

From  these  people  was  collected  some  curious  information.  They  stated  that 
they  procured  beads,  knives,  and  iron,  principally  from  Esquimaux  residing  far 
away  to  the  west,  and  also  from  Indians  who  came  annually  from  the  interior  by 
a  river  directly  opposite  the  encampment,  to  which  Captain  Franklin  gave  the 
name  of  Mountain  Indian  River.  Whence  the  Indians  or  the  Esquimaux  ob- 
tained these  goods  they  could  not  tell,  but  supposed  it  was  from  Kabloonacht  or 
white  men,  at  a  great  distance  to  the  west.  The  articles  were  not  of  British 
manufacture,  from  which  Captain  Franklin  concluded  that  the  Kabloonacht  must 
be  the  Russian  fur-traders. 

It  was  with  great  difticulty  that  the  boats  made  even  a  short  di^ance  from 
Herschel  Island.  The  ice  repeatedly  closed  in  upon  them,  leaving  only  a  nar- 
row channel,  often  too  shallow  to  float  the  boats,  and  dense  fogs  now  became 
frequent,  rendering  their  navigation  peculiarly  hazardous.  These  dreary  cur- 
tains hanging  over  the  ice  gave  it  the  appearance  of  water,  .and  exposed  them  to 
the  danger  of  being  shut  in  by  an  impenetrable  barrier  when  they  expected  an 
open  8ea.    They  continued  their  course,  however,  till  they  came  abreast  of 


652  SIR   JOHN  FRANKLIN. 

Mount  Conybeare,  when  they  encamped,  and  crossing  a  swampy  level  ascend- 
ed to  the  summit,  from  which  they  enjoyed  a  striking  view  into  the  interior. 
Three  noble  range.?  of  mountains  were  seen  parallel  to  the  Buckland  chain,  but 
of  less  altitude,  while  the  prospect  was  bounded  by  a  fourth  range,  mingling 
their  pyramidal  summits  with  the  clouds,  and  covered  with  snow.  From  this 
last  encampment  their  advance  was  extremely  slow.  The  boats  were  pushed 
forward  through  small  lanes,  the  utmost  vigilance  being  necessary  to  prevent 
their  being  entirely  shut  in,  as  a  few  hours  often  made  essential  changes,  and 
their  frail  craft  could  only  be  saved  by  being  frequently  hauled  upon  the  beach. 
The  calm  weather  also  retarded  them,  and  they  earnestly  longed  for  a  strong 
gale  to  break  up  the  compacted  fields  of  ice,  and  permit  them  to  continue  their 
voyage. 

After  a  detention  of  som3  days  their  wishes  seemed  about  to  be  gratified;  at 
midnight,  on  the  25th  of  July,  a  strong  south-westerly  breeze  sprang  up,  accom- 
panied by  thunder  and  lightning ;  but  in  the  morning  an  impenetrable  fog  hung 
over  the  sea.  On  the  land  side  the  prospect  was  equally  dreary ;  an  extensive 
swamp,  in  which  they  sank  ankle  deep  at  every  step,  prevented  any  excursions 
into  the  interior,  and  the  clouds  of  mosquitoes  which  forever  buzzed  around  them 
kept  them  in  a  perpetual  irritation.  At  length,  however,  the  fog  dispersed,  dis- 
closing an  open  lane  of  water  about  half  a  mile  from  shore ;  following  its  course 
for  eight  miles  they  came  to  the  moutli  of  a  wide  river,  which  had  its  rise  in  the 
British  range  of  mountains.  Its  course  approached  near  the  line  of  demarca- 
tion between  the  American  dominions  of  Great  Britain  and  Russia,  and  Captain 
Franklin  named  it  Clarence  River,  after  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  then  lord  high 
admiral,  and  subsequently  King  William  IV.  On  the  most  elevated  part  of  the 
coast  near  its  mouth  they  erected  a  pile  of  drift  wood,  under  which  they  depos- 
ited a  tin  box  containing,  a  royal  silver  medal,  and  an  account  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  expedition;  after  which  the  union  flag  was  hoisted  with  three  hearty 
cheers. 

They  now  continued  their  voyage,  though  often  beset  by  ice  and  interrupted 
by  fogs,  and,  passing  the  boundary  between  Russian  and  British  America,  de- 
scried an  encampment  of  natives  on  a  low  island,  surrounded  by  many  oomiaks 
and  kayaks  guarded  by  Esquimaux  dogs,  while  their  masters  were  fast  asleep  in 
the  tents.  The  interpreter  being  despatched  to  arouse  them,  a  singular  scene 
took  place.  At  his  first  call  a  little  squabby  woman  rushed  out  in  a  state  of  per- 
fect nudity,  uttered  a  loud  yell,  and  instantly  ran  back  again  to  rouse  her  hus- 
band, who,  shouting  out  that  strangers  were  at  hand,  awoke  the  whole  band. 
In  a  moment  all  seized  their  arms,  and,  without  waiting  to  put  on  their  deer 
skin  breeches  or  jackets,  swarmed  out  upon  the  beach,  which  in  an  instant  was 
covered  with  fifty-four  grown  up  persons  completely  naked,  very  outrageous, 
dirty,  and  ugly.  A  short  parley  quieted  their  fears,  an  interchange  of  presents 
took  place,  and  the  boats  crossed  Camden  Bay,  having  in  view  the  noble  range 
of  the  Romanzott' Mountains,  whose  peaks  were  covered  with  snow. 

Soon  after  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  which  discharged  into  the  sea 
so  great  a  volume  of  water  that  even  threeytniles  from  land  the  taste  was  perfect- 
ly fresh ;  and  having  reached  latitude  70°  7',  further  progress  was  prevented  by 
ice  closely  packed  on  the  outer  border  of  a  reef,  and  they  discovered  that  the 
great  chain  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  either  terminated  abreast  of  their  present 
situation,  or  receded  so  far  to  the  southward  as  to  fade  away  in  the  distance. 
During  their  detention.  Captain  Back,  to  whose  pencil  we  are  indebted  for  many 
admiral)le  drawings  of  arctic  scenery,  made  a  sketch  of  the  most  western  moun- 
tain, which  they  named  Mount  Copleston.  Various  circumstances  now  warned 
them  that  much  further  progress  along  this  inhospitable  coast  was  impracticable. 
The  fogs  became  more  frequent  and  perilous,  the  water  was  often  so  shallow 
that  even  two  miles  from  shore  the  boats  grounded,  and  on  getting  into  deeper 
soundings,  the  repeated  shocks  received  from  masses  of  floating  ice  severely  in- 
jured their  timbers,  especially  those  of  the  Lion,  which  was  very  leaky.  Still 
they  struggled  on  from  B^laxman  Island  along  a  low,  desolate  shore,  rendered 
more  dreary  by  the  stormy  weather,  till  on  the  10th  a  gale  brought  along  with  it 
a  thick  fog,  and  tliey  hauled  up  the  boats,  encamping  on  a  low  spot  which  tliey 


SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN.  653 

named  Foggy  Island.  Here  they  kindled  fires,  dried  their  clothes,  which  were 
completely  wet  with  the  moisture  of  the  atmosphere,  and  amused  themselves  in 
their  murky  prison  by  proceeding  in  search  of  reindeer.  The  fog  caused  fre- 
quent and  sometimes  ludicrous  mistakes;  and  on  one  occasion,  after  the  men 
had  spent  a  long  time  in  steahng  upon  some  deer,  and  were  congratulating  them- 
selves on  coming  within  shot,  to  their  amazement  the  animals  took  wing  and 
disappeared  in  the  fog,  with  a  scream  and  a  cackle  which  at  once  declared  their 
genus,  and  seemed  to  deride  the  credulity  of  their  pursuers.  "We  witnessed 
with  regret,"  says  Captain  Franklin,  "  in  these  short  rambles,  the  havoc  which 
this  dreary  weather  made  among  the  flowers.  Many  which  had  been  blooming 
upon  our  arrival  were  now  lying  prostrate  and  withered,  and  these  symptoms  of 
decay  could  not  fail  painfully  to  remind  us  that  the  end  of  our  operations  was 
fast  approaching.  Often  at  this  time  did  every  one  express  a  wish  that  we  had 
some  decked  vessel,  in  which  the  provisions  could  be  secured  from  the  injury  of 
salt-water,  and  the  crew  sheltered  when  they  required  rest,  that  we  might  quit 
this  shallow  coast  and  steer  at  once  towards  Icy  Cape."  So  frequently  did  they 
attempt  to  fulfil  this  desire,  and  so  perpetually  were  they  driven  back  by  the  fog 
closing  upon  them,  that  the  sailors  declared  the  island  was  enchanted.  Indeed, 
to  a  superstitious  mind  the  appearances  furnished  some  ground  for  believing  it. 
The  fog  would  often  disperse,  and  permit  a  short  glimpse  of  a  point  about  three 
miles  distant,  bearing  north-west  by  west;  and  in  a  moment  every  hand  was  at 
work,  the  boats  were  launched,  the  crews  embarked;  but  before  they  could  be 
dragged  into  deep  water  the  spirit  of  the  mist  once  more  drew  his  impenetrable 
curtain  round  them,  and  after  resting  a  while  on  their  oars,  they  were  compelled 
to  pull  back  to  their  old  quarters.  Scarcely  had  they  kindled  a  fire  and  begun 
to  dry  their  clothes,  soaked  with  wading  over  the  flats,  when  the  fog  again  open- 
ed, the  boats  were  launched,  and  the  desired  point  almost  gained;  but  their  tor- 
mentor once  more  enveloped  earth  and  ocean  in  a  thicker  gloom  than  before. 
"  Fog  is,  of  all  others,"  says  Captain  Franklin,  "  the  most  hazardous  state  of  the 
atmosphere  for  navigation  in  an  icy  sea,  especially  where  it  is  accompanied  by 
strong  breezes;  but  particularly  so  for  boats  where  the  shore  is  unapproachable. 
If  caught  by  a  gale,  a  heavy  swell,  or  drifting  ice,  the  result  must  be  their  wreck, 
or  the  throwing  their  provisions  overboard  to  lighten  them,  so  as  to  proceed  in 
shoal  water.  Many  large  pieces  of  ice  were  seen  on  the  border  of  the  shallow 
water,  and  from  the  lowness  of  the  temperature  we  concluded  that  the  main  body 
was  at  no  great  distance." 

The  nights  were  now  lengthening;  the  grasses  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
vegetation  was  autumnal ;  their  stores  of  drift  wood  had  been  so  much  drawn 
upon  that,  though  the  tents  were  wet  through,  and  they  were  for  warmth  obliged 
to  wrap  tlieir  feet  in  blankets,  no  fire  was  allowed  except  to  cook  the  victuals. 
The  provisions  were  barely  sufficient  for  the  support  of  the  party  on  their  re- 
turn, while  the  frequency  of  the  logs,  the  shallowness  which  prevented  the  boats 
from  floating,  the  heavy  swell  that,  as  the  wind  freshened,  rose  upon  the  flats, 
compelled  them  to  haul  farther  from  the  land,  and  the  danger  which  in  doing  so 
they  necessarily  incurred  from  drift  ice,  formed  an  accumulation  of  difliculties 
which  rendered  their  progress  from  Point  Anxiety  across  Pudhoe  Bay  to  Return 
Reef  the  most  discouraging  and  painful  part  of  the  whole  voyage.  It  was  now 
the  19th  of  August,  and  the  boats,  though  the  exertions  of  the  crew  had  been  un- 
wearied, were  only  halfway  between  the  mouth  of  Mackenzie's  River  and  Icy 
Cape.  The  young  ice  had  already  begun  to  form  at  night  on  die  pools  of  fresh 
water,  and  the  mind  of  the  commander  recurred  naturally  and  wisely  to  his  for- 
mer experience.  He  recollected  that  only  one  day  later,  and  in  a  latitude  two 
degrees  southerly,  he  had  in  his  first  voyage  encountered  severe  storms  of  wind 
and  snow,  and  that  in  a  fortnight  the  winter  would  set  in  with  all  its  horrors. 
Already  the  sun  began  to  sink  below  the  horizon,  and  with  this  change  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  atmosphere  rapidly  decreased;  the  deer  were  hastening  from 
the  coast;  the  Esquimaux  had  ceased  to  appear;  no  winter  houses  gave  indica- 
tions that  this  remote  coast  was  inhabited;  and  the  autumnal  parties  of  geese 
hourly  winging  their  flight  to  the  westward,  indicated  that  winter  had  already 
surprised  them  in  their  polar  solitudes.    It  had  been  Franklin's  great  object  to 


654  SIR   JOH^    FRAxVKLIN. 

double  Icy  Cape,  and  meet  the  expedition  under  Captain  Beechey  in  Kot/.ebue's 
Inlet,  but  from  the  distance  and  the  advanced  season  this  was  now  impracticable. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  instructions  directed  him,  "  if,  in  consequence  of  slow 
progress,  or  other  unforeseen  accident,  it  should  remain  doubtful  whether  the  ex- 
pedition should  be  able  to  reach  Kotzebue's  Inlet  the  same  season,  to  commence 
their  return  on  the  15th  or  ^Oth  of  August."  To  relinquish  the  great  object  of 
his  ambition;  and  to  disappoint  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  exertions,  was  a 
sacrifice  which  cost  him  no  ordinary  pain ;  and  had  he  been  aware  of  the  fact, 
(with  which  the  reader  will  be  immediately  acquainted,)  that  the  barge  of  the 
Blossom  was  at  that  moment  only  146  miles  distant,  we  have  his  own  authority 
for  stating  that  no  difficulties  or  dangers  would  have  prevailed  on  him  to  return; 
but,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed,  to  make  any  further  ettbrt 
in  advance  was  incompatible  with  the  higher  duties  which  he  owed  to  his  officers 
and  crew.  After  a  mature  consideration  of  every  thing,  h^  formed  the  reluctant 
conclusion  that  they  had  readied  the  point  where  perseverance  would  have  been 
rashness,  and  their  best  efforts  must  have  only  led  to  a  more  calamitous  failure. 
It  was  resolved  therelbre  to  return;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  August 
they  began  their  retreat  to  the  Mackenzie  River,  which,  without  any  material 
danger,  with  the  exception  of  a  severe  gale  encountered  off  Point  Kay,  they 
reached  on  the  4th  of  September.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Fort  Franklin, 
where  they  met  Dr.  Richardson,  Mr.  Kendall,  and  thpir  friends  of  the  eastern 
expedition,  who,  after  a  prosperous  and  interesting  voyage  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Coppermine,  had  returned  to  the  Fort  on  the  1st  of  September. 

Of  this  interesting  journey  our  limits  will  only  permit  a  very  cursory  glance. 
Fortunately  for  the  eastern  expedition,  the  coast  between  the  mouths  of  Macken- 
zie and  Coppermine  Rivers  presented  none  of  those  serious  obstacles  which  at 
every  step  were  starting  up  in  the  dreary  and  protracted  route  of  the  western 
party;  and  they  consequently  accomplished  a  voyage  of  about  500  miles,  be- 
tween the  4th  of  July  and  the  Sth  of  August.  It  was  eminently  successful  in  the 
accurate  survey  of  this  hitherto  unexplored  coast,  but  unvaried  by  any  remark- 
able incidents.  The  Esquimaux,  on  various  parts  of  the  coast,  were  more  nu- 
merous, pacific,  comfortable,  and  vvealthy  than  the  western  tribes ;  but  their  civ- 
ilization had  not  eradicated  the  propensity  for  thieving.  On  one  occasion  the 
boats  were  surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  about  fiily  kayaks,  and  an  attack  was  made 
exactly  similar  to  that  upon  Franklin;  but  though  their  object  was  the  same,  it 
was  pursued  with  less  vigour,  and  the  momerrt  the  sailors  levelled  their  muskets 
the  whole  party  dispersed  with  precipitation. 

On  arriving  at  x\tkinson  Island  they  discovered,  under  shelter  of  a  chain  of 
sand  hills  drifted  by  the  wind  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet,  a  small  Esquimaux  town, 
consisting  of  seventeen  winter  houses,  besides  a  larger  building,  which  Dr. 
Richardson  at  first  conjectured  to  be  a  house  of  assembly  for  the  tribe.  Oolig- 
buck  the  interpreter,  however,  whoiie  ideas  were  more  gross  and  coumionplace, 
pronounced  it  to  be  a  general  eating  room.  "This  large  buildiirg,"  says  Dr. 
Richardson,  "  was  in  the  interior  a  square  of  twenty-seven  feet,  having  die  roof 
supported  on  two  strong  ridge  poles  two  feet  apart,  and  resting  on  four  upright 
posts.  The  floor  in  the  centre  formed  of  split  logs,  dressed  and  laid  with  great 
care,  was  surrounded  by  a  raised  border  about  three  feet  wide,  which  was  no 
doubt  meant  for  seats.  The  walls,  three  feet  high,  were  inclined  outwards,  for 
the  convenience  of  leaning  the  back  against  them,  and  the  ascent  to  the  door, 
which  was  on  the  south  side,  was  formed  of  logs.  The  outside,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  earth,  had  nearly  a  hemispherical  form,  and  round  its  base  were  rang- 
ed the  sculls  of  twenty-one  whales.  There  was  a  square  hole  in  the  roof, 
and  the  central  log  of  the  Hoor  had  a  basin  shaped-cavity  one  foot  in  diameter, 
which  was  perhaps  intended  for  a  lamp.  The  general  attention  to  comfort  in 
the  construction  of  the  village,  and  the  erection  of  a  building  of  such  magnitude, 
requiring  a  union  of  purpose  in  a  considerable  number  of  people,  were  eviden- 
ces of  a  more  advanced  progress  towards  civilization  than  had  yet  been  found 
among  the  Esquiuiaux.  Whale  sculls  were  confined  to  the  large  building,  and 
to  one  of  the  dwelling  houses,  which  had  three  or  four  placed  round  it.     Many 


SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN.  6lw5 

wooden  trays  and  handbarrows  for  carrying  whale  blubber  were  lying  on  the 
ground,  most  of  them  in  a  state  of  decay." 

On  making  the  traverse  of  Harrovvby  Bay,  land  was  seen  round  the  bottom; 
and  on  nearing  the  shore  twelve  tents  were  distinguished  on  an  adjoining  erai-* 
nence.  When  the  boats  appeared,  a  woman,  who  was  walking  along  the  beach, 
gave  the  alarm,  and  the  men  rushed  out,  brandishing  their  knives,  and  employ- 
ing the  mostfurtous  expressions.  In  vain  Ooligbuck  endeavoured  to  calm  their 
apprehensions,  explaining  that  the  strangers  were  friends ;  they  only  replied  by 
shouts,  leaps,  or  hideous  grimaces,  intended  to  inspire  terror,  and  displayed  great 
agility,  frequently  standing  on  one  foot  and  throwing  the  other  nearly  as  high  as 
their  head.  Dr.  Richardson,  nothing  intimidated  by  these  gesticulations,  be- 
thought himself  of  enouncing,  at  the  highest  key  he  could  reach,  the  word  '*  Noo- 
wcerlawgo,"  meaning  "  I  wish  to  barter,"  and  the  sound  operated  like  a  spell. 
The  savages  instandy  became  quiet;  one  of  them  ran  to  his  kayak,  paddled  off 
to  the  boats,  and  was  followed  by  crowds,  who  fearlessly  came  alongside,  readi-, 
ly  exchanging  bows,  arrows,  spears,  and  dressed  seal  skins,  for  bits  of  old  iron 
hoop,  files  and  beads.  "The  females,"  says  Dr.  Richardson,  " unlike  those  of 
other  Indian  tribes,  had  much  handsomer  features  than  the  men;  and  one  young 
woman  of  the  party  would  have  been  deemed  pretty  even  in  Europe.  Our 
presents  seemed  to  render  them  perfectly  happy,  and  they  danced  with  such  ec- 
stacy  in  their  slender  boats  as  to  incur  more  than  once  great  hazard  of  being 
overset.  A  bundle  of  strings  of  beads  being  thrown  into  an  oomiak,  it  was 
caught  by  an  old  woman,  who  hugged  the  treasure  to  her  breast  with  the  strong- 
est expression  of  rapture ;  while  another  elderly  dame,  who  had  stretched  out 
her  arms  in  vain,  became  the  very  picture  of  despair.  On  its  being  explained, 
however,  that  the  present  was  intended  for  the  whole  party,  an  amicable  division 
took  place  ;  and  to  show  their  gratitude,  they  sang  a  song  to  a  pleasing  air,  keep- 
ing time  with  their  oars.  They  gave  us  many  presssng  invitations  to  pass  the 
night  at  their  tents,  in  which  they  were  joined  by  the  men;  and  to  excite  our 
liberality  the  mothers  drew  their  children  out  of  their  wide  boots,  where  they 
were  accustomed  to  carry  them  naked,  and  holding  them  up  begged  beads  for 
them.  For  a  time  their  entreaties  were  successful ;  but  being  desirous  of  getting 
clear  of  our  visiters  befoie  breakfast  time,  we  at  length  told  them  the  stock  was 
exhausted,  and  they  took  leave." 

"  The  voyage,  owing  to  the  clear  atmosphere,  the  unencumbered  state  of  the 
coast,  and  the  abundant  supply  of  provisions,  was  pursued  with  ease  and  com- 
fort; and  on  the  8th  of  August,  having  made  a  bold  cape,  rising  precipitously 
from  the  sea  to  the  height  of  350  feet.  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Kendall  chmbed 
the  promontory,  and  descried  in  the  distance  the  gap  in  the  hills  at  Bloody  Falls, 
through  which  the  Coppermine  holds  its  course.  Delighted  with  the  prospect 
of  so  near  a  termination  of  their  labours,  they  communicated  the  intelligence  to 
the  crew,  who  received  it  with  expressions  of  profound  gratitude  to  the  Divine 
Being  for  his  protection  during  the  voyage.  On  reaching  the  river  the  men 
were  in  excellent  condition,  fresh  and  vigorous,  (or  the  march  across  the  barren 
grounds  on  their  return  to  Fort  Franktin,  which,  as  already  mentioned,  they 
reached  in  safety  on  the  1st  of  September.  On  approaching  within  a  few  days' 
journey  of  the  tort,  a  pleasant  adventure  occurred,  characteristic  of  Indian  grati- 
tude and  friendship.  The  party  had  supped,  and  most  of  the  men  had  retired  to 
rest,  when  Mr.  Kendall,  in  sweeping  the  horizon  with  his  telescope,  descried 
three  Indians  coming  down  a  hill  towards  the  encampment.  More  moss  was 
thrown  on  the  fire,  and  the  St.  George's  ensign  hoisted  on  the  end  of  a  musket, 
to  show  the  comers  that  they  were  approaching  friends;  but  they  hid  the  young- 
est of  their  number  in  a  ravine,  and  approached  slowly  and  with  suspicion.  Mr. 
Kendall  and  Dr.  Richardson  immediately  went  unarmed  to  meet  them,  and  as 
they  came  up  one  held  his  bow  and  arrows  ready  in  his  hand,  and  the  other 
cocked  his  gun;  but  as  soon  as  they  recognised  the  doctor's  dress, — the  same 
he  had  worn  the  preceding  autumn  in  his  voyage  round  Bear  Lake,  and  which 
was  familiar  to  most  of  the  Hare  Indians,  they  shouted  in  an  ecstacy  of  joy, 
shook  hands  most  cordially,  and  called  loudly  for  the  young  lad  whom  they  had 
hid  to  come  up.     "  The  meeting,"  says  Dr.  Richardson,  "  was  highly  gratifying 


656  SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN. 

to  ourselves  as  well  as  to  the  kind  natives :  for  they  seemed  to  be  friends  come 
to  rejoice  with  us  on  the  happy  termination  of  our  voyage." 

It  had  naturally  occurred  to  Government,  that  if  the  expeditions  under  Cap- 
tains Pai-ry  and  Franklin  should  be  successful,  their  stores  would  be  exhausted 
by  the  time  they  reached  Behring's  Strait.  It  was  certain  also  that  Franklin 
would  be  destitute  of  any  means  of  conveyance  to  Europe;  and  to  supply  these 
wants  Government  resolved  that  a  vessel  should  be  sent  out  to  await  their  arrival 
in  Behring's  Strait.  For  this  purpose,  accordingly,  Captain  F.  W.  Beechey 
sailed  in  the  Blossom  from  Spithead  on  the  19th  of  May,  1824.  The  vessel  was 
a  twenty-six  gun  ship,  but  on  this  occasion  mounted  only  sixteen.  She  wa.s 
partially  strengthened,  and  adapted  to  this  peculiar  service  by  increasing  her 
stowage.  A  boat  was  also  supplied  to  be  used  as  a  tender,  built  as  large  as  the 
space  on  her  decks  would  allow,  schooner-rigged,  decked,  and  fitted  up  in  the 
most  complete  manner.  Cloths,  beads,  cutlery,  and  various  other  articles  of 
traffic,  were  put  on  board,  and  a  variety  of  antiscorbutics  were  added  to  the 
usual  allowance  of  provision.  Aware  that  he  must  traverse  a  large  portion  of 
the  globe  hitheito  little  explored,  and  that  a  considerable  period  would  elapse  be- 
fore his  presence  would  be  required  on  the  coast  of  America,  Captain  Beechey 
was  instructed  to  survey  the  parts  of  the  Pacific  within  his  reach,  of  which  it  was 
important  to  navigators  that  a  more  correct  delineation  should  be  laid  down. 
These  observations  were  not,  however,  to  retard  his  arrival  at  the  appointed 
rendezvous  later  than  the  10th  of  July,  1826;  and  he  was  directed  to  remain 
at  Behring's  Strait  to  the  end  of  October,  or  to  as  late  a  period  as  the  season 
would  admit,  without  incurring  the  risk  of  spending  the  winter  there.  During 
this  interval  he  was  to  navigate  from  Kotzebue's  Sound  northward,  and  after- 
ward to  continue  in  an  easterly  course  along  the  main  shore  as  far  as  the  ice 
would  allow. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  having  left  the  Sandwich  Isles,  he  shaped  his  course  for 
Kamtschatka,  and  on  the  27th  was  becalmed  within  six  miles  of  Petropalauski, 
The  best  guides  to  this  harbour  are  a  range  of  high  mountains,  on  one  of  which, 
upwards  of  11,000  feet  in  height,  a  volcano  is  in  constant  action.  It  was  a  se- 
rene and  beautiful  evening  when  they  approached  this  remote  quarter  of  the 
world,  and  all  were  struck  with  the  magnificence  of  the  mountains  capped  with 
perennial  snow,  and  rising  in  solemn  grandeur  one  above  the  other.  At  inter- 
vals the  volcano  emitted  dark  columns  of  smoke;  and  from  a  sprinkling  of  black 
spots  upon  the  snow  to  the  leeward  it  was  conjectured  there  had  been  a  recent 
eruption.  From  Petropalauski  Captain  Beechey  sailed  on  the  1st  of  July  for 
Kotzebue's  Sound.  "  We  approached,"  says  he,  *'  the  strait  which  separates  the 
two  great  continents  of  Asia  and  America,  on  one  of  those  beautiful  still  nights 
well  known  to  all  who  have  visited  the  arctic  regions,  when  the  sky  is  without  a 
cloud,  and  when  the  midnight  sun,  scarcely  his  own  diameter  below  the  horizon, 
tinges  with  a  bright  hue  all  the  northern  circle.  Our  ship,  propelled  by  an  m- 
creasing  breeze,  glided  rapidly  along  a  smooth  sea,  startling  from  her  path  flocks 
of  aquatic  birds,  whose  flight  in  the  deep  silence  of  the  scene  could  be  traced  by 
the  ear  to  a  great  distance."  Having  closed  in  with  the  American  shore  some  • 
miles  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  they  were  visited  by  a  little 
Esquimaux  squadron  belonging  to  a  village  situated  on  a  low  sandy  Island.  The 
natives  readily  sold  every  thing  they  possessed,  and  were  cheerful  and  good  hu- 
moured, though  exceedingly  noisy  and  energetic.  Their  bows  were  more  slen- 
der than  those  of  the  islanders  to  the  southward,  but  made  on  the  same  principle, 
with  drift  pine,  assisted  with  thongs  of  hide  or  pieces  ol'  whalebone  placed  at  the 
back,  and  neatly  bound  with  small  cord.  The  points  of  their  arrows  were  of 
bone,  flint  or  iron,  and  their  spears  headed  with  the  same  materials.  Their  dress 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  other  tribes  on  the  coast.  It  consisted  of  a  shirt  which 
reached  halfway  down  the  thigh,  with  long  sleeves  and  a  hood  of  reindeer  skin, 
and  edged  with  gray  or  while  fox  fur.  Besides  this  they  had  a  jacket  of  eider 
drake  skins  sewed  together,  which,  when  engaged  in  war  tl,rv  wore  l)elow  their 
other  dress,  reckoning  it  a  tolerably  eflicient  protection  :iy;iiii>t  ;iii  arrow  or  a 
spear  thrust.  In  wet  weather  they  threw  over  the  fur  dress  a  shut  made  of  the 
entrails  of  the  whale,  which,  being  well  saturated  with  oil  and  grease,  was  water- 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN,  6^ 

tight;  and  they  also  used  breeches  of  deer's  hide  and  seal  skin  boots,  to  the  up-, 
per  end  of  which  were  fixed  strings  of  sea  horse  hide.  It  was  the  fashion  to  tie 
one  of  these  strings  round  the  waist,  and  attach  to  it  a  long  tuft  of  hair,  the  wing 
of  a  bird  or  sometimes  a  fox's  tail,  which,  dangling  behind  as  they  walked,  gave 
thein  a  ridiculous  appearance,  and  may  probably  have  occasioned  the  report  of 
the  Tschuktschi,  recorded  in  MuUer,  that  the  people  of  this  country  have  tails 
like  dogs. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  the  ship  anchored  in  Kotzebue's  Sound,  and  after  explor- 
ing a  deep  inlel  on  its  northern  shore,  which  they  named  Hotham  Inlet,  proceed- 
ed to  Chamisso  Island,  where  tiie  Blossom  was  to  await  Captain  Franklin.  A 
discretionary  power  had,  however,  been  permitted  to  Captain  Beechey,  of  em- 
ploying the  period  of  his  stay  in  surveying  the  coast,  provided  this  could  be  done 
without  the  risk  of  missing  Captain  Franklin.  Having  accordingly  directed  the 
barge  to  keep  in  shore  on  the  look  out  for  the  land  party,  he  sailed  to  the  north- 
ward, and  doubling  Cape  Krusenstern,  completed  an  examination  of  the  coast 
by  Cape  Thomson,, Point  Hope,  Cape  Lisburn,  Cape  Beaufort,  and  Icy  Cape, 
the  farthest  point  reached  by  Captain  Cook.  As  there  were  here  strong  indica- 
tions of  the  ice  closing  in,  and  his  instructions  were  positive  to  keep  in  open 
water  if  possible,  he  determined  to  return  to  Kotzebue's  Sound,  while  he  de- 
spatched the  barge  under  Mr.  Elson  and  Mr.  Smyth  to  trace  the  coast  to  the 
north-eastward,  as  far  as  they  could  navigate. 

On  this  interesting  service  the  barge  set  out  on  the  17th  of  August,  while  Bee- 
chey returned  towards  Kotzebue's  Sound.  On  the  night  of  the  25th  they  be- 
held for  the  first  time  in  these  northern  latitudes,  a  brilliant  display  of  the  Aurora 
BoreaUs.  "It  appeared  first,"  says  Captain  Beechey,  "in  an  arch  extending 
from  west-by-north  to  north-east;  but  the  arch,  shortly  after  its  first  appearance, 
broke  up  and  entirely  disappeared.  Soon  after  this,  however,  a  new  display 
began  in  the  direction  of  the  western  foot  of  the  first  arch,  preceded  by  a  bright 
flame,  from  which  emanated  coruscations  of  a  pale  straw  colour.  An  almost 
simultaneous  movement  occurred  at  both  extremities  of  the  arch,  until  a  com- 
plete segment  was  formed  of  wavering  perpendicular  radii.  As  soon  as  the 
arch  was  complete,  the  light  became  greatly  increased,  and  the  prismatic  colours, 
which  had  before  been  faint,  now  shone  forth  in  a  very  brilliant  manner.  The 
strongest  colours,  which  were  also  the  outside  ones,  were  pink  and  green,  on 
the  green  side  purple  and  pink,  all  of  which  were  as  imperceptibly  blended  as  in 
the  rainbow.  The  green  was  the  colour  nearest  the  zenith.  This  magnificent 
display  lasted  a  few  minutes ;  and  the  light  had  nearly  vanished,  when  the  north- 
east quarter  sent  forth  a  vigorous  display,  and  nearly  at  the  same  time  a  corres- 
ponding coruscation  emanated  from  the  opposite  extremity.  The  western  foot 
of  the  arch  then  disengaged  itself  from  the  horizon,  crooked  to  the  northward, 
and  the  whole  retired  to  the  north-east  quarter,  where  a  bright  spot  blazed  for  a 
moment  and  all  was  darkness.  There  was  no  noise  audible  during  any  part  of 
our  observations,  nor  were  the  compasses  perceptibly  affected. 

During  the  voyage  back  to  Chamisso  Island,  where  they  arrived  on  the  27th 
of  August,  they  had  repeated  interviews  with  the  Esquimaux,  whose  habits  and 
disposition  were  in  no  respect  different  from  those  of  the  natives  already  describ- 
ed. They  found  them  uniformly  friendly,  sociable,  devotedly  fond  of  tobacco, 
eager  to  engage  in  traffic,  and  upon  the  whole  honest,  though  disposed  to  drive 
a  hard  bargain.  On  some  occasions  they  attempted  to  impose  upon  their  cus- 
tomers by  skins  artfully  put  together  so  as  to  represent  an  entire  fish ;  but  it  was 
difficult  to  determine  whether  they  intended  a  serious  fraud  or  only  a  piece  of 
humour,  for  they  laughed  heartily  when  detected,  and  appeared  to  consider  it  a 
good  joke.  Their  persons,  houses,  and  cookery  were  all  exceedingly  dirty,  and 
their  mode  of  salutation  was  by  a  mutual  contact  of  noses;  sometimes  licking 
their  hands  and  stroking  first  their  own  faces,  and  afterward  those  of  the  strang- 
ers. The  rapidity  with  which  these  people  migrated  from  place  to  place  was 
remarkable.  On  one  occasion  the  motions  of  two  baidars  under  sail  were 
watched  by  the  crew  of  the  Blossom.  The  people  landed  at  a  spot  near  Choris 
Peninsula,  drew  up  their  boats  on  the  beach,  turning  them  bottom  upwards, 
pitched  tents,  and  in  an  incredible  short  time  transferred  to  them  the  whole  con- 
56 


000  SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

tents  of  their  little  vessels.  On  visiting  the  encampment  an  hour  ader,  every 
thing  was  found  in  as  complete  order  as  if  they  had  been  domiciliated  on  the  spot 
for  months;  and  the  surprise  of  the  sailors  was  raised  to  the  highest  by  the  va- 
riety of  articles  which,  in  almost  endless  succession,  they  produced  from  their 
Httle  boats.  "  From  the  two  baidars  they  landed  fourteen  persons,  eight  tent- 
poles,  fort^  deer  skins,  two  kayaks,  many  hundred  weight  of  fish,  numerous 
skins  of  oil,  earthern  jars  for  cooking,  two  living  foxes,  ten  large  dogs,  bundles 
of  lances,  harpoons,  bows  and  arrows,  a  quantity  of  whalebone,  skins  full  of 
clothing,  some  immense  nets  made  of  hide  for  taking  small  whale  and  porpoises, 
eight  broad  planks,  masts,  sails,  paddles,  &c.,  besides  sea  horse  hides  and  teeth, 
and  a  variety  of  nameless  articles  always  to  be  found  among  the  Esquimaux." 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Elson  in  the  barge  proceeded  along  the  shore  for  sev- 
enty miles,  to  a  promontory,  denominated  by  Beechey  Cape  Bariow,  which  was 
afterwards  discovered  to  be  only  distant  146  miles  from  the  extreme  point  of 
Franklin's  discoveries.  Upon  this  new  line  of  coast  posts  were  erected  at  va- 
rious distances,  with  directions  for  Captain  Franklin,  should  he  succeed  in  push- 
ing so  far  to  the  westward.  A  frequent  communication  was  opened  with  the 
inhabitants,  who  were  found  to  resemble  the  other  Esquimaux,  with  the  un- 
pleasant difference  that  their  manners  were  more  rude  and  boisterous,  and  their 
conduct  in  some  instances  decidedly  hostile.  Point  Barrow,  the  most  northerly 
part  of  America  yet  discovered,  formed  the  termination  to  a  spit  of  land  jutting 
out  several  miles  from  the  more  regular  coast  line.  The  width  of  the  neck  did 
not  exceed  a  mile  and  a  half;  on  the  extremity  were  several  small  lakes,  and  on 
its  eastern  side  a  village.  The  danger  of  being  shut  in  by  the  ice  was  now  great, 
and  Mr.  Elson  determined  to  land,  obtain  the  necessary  observations,  erect  a  post, 
and  deposit  instructions  for  Franklin.  This  plan,  however,  was  frustrated  by 
the  violent  conduct  of  the  natives,  who  assembled  in  formidable  numbers,  and 
threatened  to  attack  the  crew  of  the  barge,  which  consisted  only  of  eight  men. 
It  was  therefore  judged  prudent  to  proceed  as  speedily  as  possible  to  the  rendez- 
vous at  Chamisso  Island,  which  they  reached  on  the  9th  of  September,  not  with- 
out considerable  difficulty,  having  been  obliged  to  track  the  barge  round  Cape 
Smyth,  through  a  sea  thickly  beset  with  ice,  that  threatened  every  moment  to 
close  its  impenetrable  walls,  and  cut  off"  their  return.  The  result  of  Captain 
Beechey's  voyage,  and  of  the  expedition  undertaken  under  his  orders  by  Mr. 
Elson  and  Mr.  Smyth,  was  the  addition  of  a  new  and  extensive  line  of  coast  to 
the  geography  of  the  polar  regions.  The  actual  difference  between  the  extreme 
points  reached  by  Captain  Franklin  and  Mr.  Elson  being  so  small,  there  is  rea* 
son  to  believe  that  the  navigation  of  this  remaining  portion  will  not  be  attended 
with  any  very  formidable  or  insurmountable  obstacles. 


^■^■ 


THE  GREAT  ARCTIC  PROBLEM  SOLVED, 


The  most  western  point  reached  by  Sir  John  Franklin,  in  his  survey  of  the 
shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  as  our  readers  have  seen,  was  denominated  "Return 
Reef,"  situated  at  some  distance  west  of  the  mouth  of  Mackenzie's  River.  From 
this  point  westward  remained  a  region  yet  unexplored  by  the  footsteps  of  civil- 
ized man.  So  late  as  the  summer  of  1833,  it  was  unknown  to  the  civiUzed  world, 
whether  or  not  the  Arctic  Ocean  extended  westward  until  its  icy  waters  mingled 
with  the  great  Pacific  Sea,  but  in  the  Spring  of  this  year  an  expedition  was  fit- 
ted out,  which  solving  this  great  problem,  acquired  to  themselves  the  honour  of 
crowning  the  unexampled  enterprises  of  Parry,  Ross,  Franklin,  and  other  in- 
trepid adventurers  in  the  polar  seas  and  regions,  with  the  successful  results  of 
complete  discovery.     The  following  is  a  briel' account  of  the  expedition. 

The  lively  interest  which  the  British  public,  for  such  a  length  of  time,  mani- 
fested in  the  further  discovery  of  the  Arctic  regions,  induced  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  to  determine  on  equipping  an  expedition,  solely  at  their  own  expense, 
and  composed  of  their  own  odicers  and  servants,  with  the  view  of  endeavouring 
to  complete  the  survey  of  the  northern  shores  of  the  American  continent. 

The  formation  and  eqiiipment  of  the  expedition  were  entrusted  to  Mr.  George 
Simpson,  the  resident  governor  of  the  Company. 

That  gentleman,  on  his  arrival  from  England  at  Norway  House,  Lake  Winni- 
peg, in  June  1838,  beat  up  for  volunteers  for  this  arduous  service.  Two  enter- 
prising and  active  leaders,  Messrs.  P.  W.  Dease,  and  Thomas  Simpson,  and 
twelve  men,  were  immediately.selected,  and  forwarded  with  the  necessary  sup- 
plies to  Fort  Chipewayan,  Athabasca  Lake,  where  they  passed  the  winter  of 
1836-7. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1837,  immediately  after  the  opening  of  navigation,  the  par- 
ty started  from  Fort  Chipewayan  in  two  small  boats,  descended  the  Slave  River, 
passed  the  western  end  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  desended  Mackenzie's 
River  to  Fort  Norman,  where  they  arrived  on  the  1st  of  July.  From  Fort  Nor- 
man two  of  the  party,  in  connection  with  two  men  from  the  fort,  were  despatch- 
ed to  the  eastern  end  of  Great  Bears  Lake  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  small  es- 
tablishment in  which  the  party  might  pass  the  winter  of  1837,  and  whence  they 
might  extend  their  survey  in  the  summer  of  1838. 

Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson,  with  the  remainder  of  the  party  continuing  their 
route  down  Mackenzie's  River,  on  the  9th  of  July  reached  the  great  Arctic  Ocean 
by  the  most  westerly  mouth  df  that  river. 

From  this  point,  they  prosecuted  their  voyage  westward  along  the  coast, 
through  many  obstacles  and  perils,  now  enclosed  by  ice,  obstructed  by  logs  and 
strong  head  winds,  and  now  obliged  to  carry  their  canoes  over  unbroken  masses 
of  ice,  until  the  23d  of  July,  when  they  reached  Point  Anxiety,  and  had  the  satis- 
faction of  discovering  a  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  not  seen  by  Sir  John 
Franldin,  but  being  within  the  limits  of  his  survey,  they  called  it  the  Franklin 
Range,  as  a  just  tribute  to  his  character  and  merits.  The  evening  of  the  same 
day  they  reached  the  westernmost  pohit  of  Sir  John  Frankhn's  survey,  called 
Return  Reef  Beyond  this  point  no  adventurer  had  ever  advanced,  and  from 
this  point  their  exploration  commenced.     Continuing  their  way  amid  the  usual 


660  THE  GREAT  ARCTIC  PROBLEM  SOLVED. 

obstacles  of  ice,  cold,  fog,  and  contrary  winds,  they  beheld  at  one  point  another 
picturesque  branch  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  rearing  its  lofty  peaks  above  the  flat 
shores,  which  were  covered  with  short  grass  and  moss — the  favorite  resort  of 
reindeer,  of  which  they  saw  numerous  herds.  Farther  on  in  their  voyage,  the 
coast  presented  to  the  eye  nothing  but  a  succession  of  low  banks  of  frozen  mud ; 
the  weather  was  dismally  cold  and  foggy,  the  wild  fowl  passed  in  long  flights  to 
the  westward,  and  at  length  there  remained  no  prospect  of  their  being  able  to 
prosecute  their  journey  by  water. 

Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  August,  Mr.  Thomas  Simpson  undertook  to  com- 
plete the  journey  on  foot,  and  started  with  five  men,  Mr.  Dease,  and  the  other 
five  remaining  in  charge  of  the  boats.  The  pedestrians  carrying  with  them  their 
arms,  some  ammunition,  pemmican,  a  small  oiled  canvass  canoe  for  crossing  riv- 
ers, and  a  few  trinkets  for  the  natives,  prosecuted  their  perilous  and  difficult  way 
westward,  sometimes  on  foot,  and  sometimes  in  an  oomiak  or  skin  canoe  which 
they  obtained  of  the  Esquimaux,  until  at  length  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  behold- 
ing the  great  Arctic  Sea  extending  away  to  the  southward  to  unite  with  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean.  Our  happy  adventurers,  on  beholding  this  spectacle,  never  before 
seen  by  the  eye  of  civilized  man,  hoisted  their  flag,  and  with  three  cheers,  took 
possession  of  their  discoveries  in  his  Majesty's  name.  Thus  the  problem  which 
has  been  the  object  of  so  many  perilous  enterprises  and  anxious  researches,  has 
at  last  been  solved,  it  being  satisfactorily  ascertained  that  the  Arctic  Sea,  extend- 
ing from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  east  to  the  Pacific  on  the  west,  separates  the 
American  Continent  from  the  pole. 


(H 


RETURN         CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
TO^^                     198  Main  Stacks 

LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

^ 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS. 

Renewls  and  Recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  the  due  date. 

Books  may  be  Renewed  by  calling  642-3405. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

^ 

FORM  NO.  DD6 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
BERKELEY  CA  94720-6000 


U,  C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CDtl^27^2l 


